Arts and Cultural Education in Iceland : Professor Anne Bamford

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quantitative data. A total of 551 surveys were distributed with an average response rate of 76.3%. The field research was conducted in 11 municipalities in Iceland and through a matrix it was ensured that a diversity of types of schools and institutions were covered as part of the data collection. The research used a range of methodologies including: Document and media analysis Internet-based survey for quantitative data Interviews Focus groups Observations Provisions for electronic submissions by email The scope of the study included a comprehensive sample of formal school provisions for young people between the ages of 1-20+ years and also incorporated non-formal cultural offerings that directly intersected with the specified target group. A survey was sent to all pre-schools (n=255); all compulsory schools (n=170); all upper secondary schools (n=30); art and dance schools (n=18) and music schools (n=88). The response rates were as follows: 53.7% of pre-schools completed the survey; 78.8% of compulsory schools completed the survey; 96.7% of upper secondary schools completed the survey; 72.2% of art and dance schools completed the survey; and 85% of music schools completed the survey. A detailed evidence-based analysis of arts and cultural education resulted in the production of this published report, an executive summary, and initiated public and media discussions. The appointment of an in-country researcher to work as a collaborative member of the research team for the duration of the project ensured that – while the study could be conducted in an independent and unbiased manner – the methodology and analysis could benefit from the value of local contextual understanding. The in-country researcher was responsible for translations and ensured that contextual knowledge and interpretations were embedded in the project. This person also sought relevant ‘on the ground’ permissions and selected, planned and booked meetings, agendas, itineraries, accommodation and visits, in-line with agreed the research plan. All participants were given full and open access to the information gained and invited to comment and respond to the report. All data remains protected as per international data protection protocols. The contributors were acknowledged and referenced in the work where this did not contravene privacy. The aim was to highlight salient, transferable and overarching themes, not to comment on the success or otherwise of particular cases or specific schools, individuals, groups or organisations. As far as possible, actual quotations have been used to evidence the analysis made. These extended narratives allow for an authentic insight into all levels of the implementation and delivery cycle and present a cross section of the views of stakeholders. Where contradictions of evidence occur, these embedded anomalies are highlighted and the range of opinion fully represented. Each section begins with a summary of the key findings of that particular topic, theme or issue. When reading the report, where points are particularly pertinent to particular levels or types of schools or institutions, these have been specified and it is clearly indicated the level or 12
school type to which the comment refers. If a comment does not specify the type of organisation or school, it can be assumed this refers as a general point to all situations or generally within the field of education and/or culture in Iceland. 1.3 Arts education ‣ There is a mismatch between the broad definitions of the arts generally within Icelandic society and the comparatively narrow definitions of the arts within education ‣ A future study could examine specifically the interface between formal provisions and the ‘broader’ community provisions ‣ There is a lack of distinction made between arts education, creative education and cultural education ‣ More emphasis need to be given for integrating creative learning across all curriculum areas It appears that there is a good balance between traditional and contemporary practice in arts education in Iceland. For example in visual arts, pupils might be studying knitting and traditional design while at the same time doing film making or working with digital technologies. While music is more likely to concentrate on more traditional forms, some music schools and music education in schools feature contemporary and world music alongside more traditional offerings. Film making seems to be particularly popular especially with young adults. The Nordic countries Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland have a distinct tradition of art and craft education 2 . This includes visual arts (formerly known as drawing) and two craft subjects; textiles and wood and metalwork. In Nordic countries, culture is seen as the pillar of society. In response to the question, “What is considered to be included in arts and cultural education in Iceland?” the following aspects were generally reported: Music, theatre, dance, films, design, fine arts, literature/poetry, photography, computer programming, textile art, ceramics, jewellery and industrial design. Creativity was not specifically mentioned. It was generally considered that the curriculum in crafts, visual arts and music are very strong, but that dance and drama are not given the same priority, as the following comments suggest: We need to bring more dancing into schools. We do it once a year as part of our celebration and the pupils really enjoy it. We should do it much more. We do a big play every second year. Everyone joins in. We need more drama and dance. We need broader definitions of the arts. It was suggested by a focus group of arts and cultural professionals that the official definitions of the arts as they stand in curriculum are “reductionist” and that practice in the arts in Iceland is more dynamic and comprehensive than policy would suggest. It was noted that this dynamic definition of arts is “an important characteristic of the arts” and that it is impossible to “give static definitions because as soon as these definitions are written they are outdated”. This comment points to the fluid nature of contemporary arts practice and the need for policy to remain conscious of the ever changing nature of professional arts practice. In most countries there is a general congruence between what is viewed as arts within the general community and what is included within the curriculum. The benefit of this is that it enables a diversity of forms of context-specific expression to be developed within school. For 2 Published 2001 in Visioner om slöjd och slöjdpedagogik, Techne Serien B:10/2001, pp. 140-149. Vasa: NordFo Nordisk Forum för Forskning och utvicklingsarbete inom utbildning i slöjd. Dr. Gudrun Helgadóttir Art, sloyd and the good life. Based on a presentation at the annual conference of the National Art Education Association, Chigago, Ill. April 1993. 13
Page 1 and 2: Arts and Cultural Education in Icel
Page 3 and 4: Acknowledgements This research woul
Page 5 and 6: Helga Rut Guðmundsdóttir Helgi Vi
Page 7 and 8: 5.4.2 Talent developement..........
Page 9 and 10: practices, but in reality there are
Page 11: Chapter 1: Introduction and overvie
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Page 17 and 18: The number of pupils with a foreign
Page 19 and 20: pre-primary school teachers were so
Page 21 and 22: Figure 1.5.3: How useful is the Nat
Page 23 and 24: The conclusions from this report in
Page 25 and 26: primary level exceptional students
Page 27 and 28: ‣ Schools and colleges should be
Page 29 and 30: Increasingly, schools are becoming
Page 31 and 32: here, it is a good cooperation. We
Page 33 and 34: In terms of suggested improvements
Page 35 and 36: There are 300 hundred pupils in thi
Page 37 and 38: Figure 1.12.2 Accessibility of the
Page 39 and 40: e active in a range of local profes
Page 41 and 42: schools have waiting lists of child
Page 43 and 44: Going to local schools… well we t
Page 45 and 46: in theatre. The students really lov
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A smaller group of girls performs a
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Figure 3.3.6 Pupil performances in
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way the children’s artworks were
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has always been and it is 20 or 30
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‣ Funding should encourage risk t
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music sector could be less constrai
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Conversely, the accessibility of ou
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Vignette 3.7.4 Every day there are
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Despite the geographical challenges
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In visual arts we mainly assess acc
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We try to do professional developme
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This vignette from an academic in t
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in offering adult education. Other
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demanding more of our schools and t
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It was argued that the arts may not
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(teacher a professional photographe
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There is a lot of respect amongst p
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“The popularity of pop music is g
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Others would argue that the connect
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interrelationship with nature and c
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From this summary, it can be seen t
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training of senior secondary arts t
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Vignette 5.2.4 Our selection proces
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There is a lack of connection betwe
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During the research, various school
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The following sections are other as
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For older pupils, there are electiv
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Before I came here no-one was doing
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Creative and cultural industries Mo
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While the previously listed recomme
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Arts and Cultural Education in Iceland : Professor Anne Bamford

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