Arts and Cultural Education in Iceland : Professor Anne Bamford
Arts and Cultural Education in Iceland : Professor Anne Bamford
Arts and Cultural Education in Iceland : Professor Anne Bamford
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has always been <strong>and</strong> it is 20 or 30 years beh<strong>in</strong>d. We need a system for the future. We have never had a<br />
government that has had vision.<br />
The focus should be on creativity, to enable people to start up new th<strong>in</strong>gs, new bus<strong>in</strong>esses... The school system is<br />
always old... creativity <strong>in</strong>to all subjects, that will have to be a part of our revolution I'm afraid...<br />
The f<strong>in</strong>al quote above – along with those that follow – show that while there is widespread<br />
acknowledgement of the vital role of creativity <strong>in</strong> economic reform <strong>in</strong> Icel<strong>and</strong>, this is not be<strong>in</strong>g<br />
fully developed through the schools system. A lack of creative teachers <strong>and</strong> school tradition are<br />
<strong>in</strong> part given the blame. Additionally, members of the creative professions emphasise that the<br />
arts themselves are not always creative.<br />
Art <strong>and</strong> creativity is ga<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g importance – for the creative <strong>in</strong>dustries <strong>and</strong> the economy <strong>in</strong> general. Creative<br />
th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g is, <strong>and</strong> will be, high on the agenda. If we want good education we have to th<strong>in</strong>k of creativity. Local<br />
governments are responsible for the pre-primary schools, grammar schools, sports <strong>and</strong> music schools; this places<br />
hefty responsibility/difficulties on the communes. We need to focus on more diversity as to the different art<br />
forms offered.<br />
I am afraid of skill versus creativity. What is creativity when you are seven years old? I get afraid when arts <strong>and</strong><br />
school is mentioned, it is damag<strong>in</strong>g when you talk about teach<strong>in</strong>g arts.<br />
More creativity doesn’t need to be all so formal... more fusion... different art forms... Creativity is awaken<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><br />
education, one sees this <strong>in</strong> the official policy here... We are do<strong>in</strong>g a lot of this already... the problem has been<br />
that the professionals have not been will<strong>in</strong>g to go <strong>in</strong>to the schools...<br />
The follow<strong>in</strong>g vignette expresses the arguments for more <strong>in</strong>tegrated arts learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Icel<strong>and</strong>:<br />
Vignette 3.4.1 People’s view is very much awaken<strong>in</strong>g<br />
People’s view is very much awaken<strong>in</strong>g. We are try<strong>in</strong>g to emphasise creativity <strong>in</strong> all the plann<strong>in</strong>g of the school system.<br />
Then what has been the problem is the lack of professionals want<strong>in</strong>g to teach <strong>in</strong> the schools. There is a lack of the<br />
comb<strong>in</strong>ation between the artists <strong>and</strong> the teachers work<strong>in</strong>g professionally side by side <strong>in</strong> the schools <strong>and</strong> I feel it more<br />
successful <strong>in</strong> smaller country schools where they have to cooperate. Society depends upon cooperation but schools do<br />
not operate <strong>in</strong> the same way. Students like com<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> contact with creative subjects.<br />
The advantage of the Icel<strong>and</strong>ic system is that it is not hard to make a project. You can easily contact people <strong>and</strong><br />
different organisations. There are good th<strong>in</strong>gs about work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a smaller place. Visual arts are very young but it is<br />
hav<strong>in</strong>g a bit of an explosion. We are gett<strong>in</strong>g fewer visitors to exhibitions than other places <strong>in</strong> the world; there are too<br />
few hours <strong>and</strong> it is gett<strong>in</strong>g less. They are chang<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong> the curriculum they are giv<strong>in</strong>g it less importance <strong>and</strong> less time<br />
is spent on it.<br />
<strong>Arts</strong> should be seen to be on the top. It’s the most important th<strong>in</strong>g but sometimes I th<strong>in</strong>k it is also viewed to be too<br />
expensive. There is also this view that you can teach art just by talk<strong>in</strong>g, but there should be no excuse; money should<br />
not be an excuse.<br />
You do not have to be educated <strong>in</strong> teacher tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g to do the arts. What would be good was if qualified artists <strong>and</strong><br />
qualified teachers worked together. Last w<strong>in</strong>ter we have a collaborative exhibition with schools. It worked really well,<br />
it made a huge difference, especially if the school had arts education as part of it. We saw a big difference <strong>in</strong> the levels<br />
of the children’s appreciation <strong>and</strong> also the quality of the art they produced. Society <strong>in</strong> Icel<strong>and</strong> is not be<strong>in</strong>g taught to<br />
appreciate the arts. We need to look at arts education, teach<strong>in</strong>g art as a professional requirement <strong>in</strong> schools.<br />
Schools do not tell enough about how importance the arts are. Most schools are based around the importance of<br />
Maths, Icel<strong>and</strong>ic <strong>and</strong> English. <strong>Arts</strong> need to be very important <strong>and</strong> should be given more weight. We need more<br />
educated artists as teachers <strong>and</strong> more educated teachers as artists. You can teach a lot of subjects through the arts<br />
for example, I teach English through the arts. We are not say<strong>in</strong>g just s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a school but really deep cultural<br />
teach<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
We need more creative <strong>and</strong> cultural teach<strong>in</strong>g. There is very little dance <strong>and</strong> drama <strong>in</strong> schools <strong>and</strong> they will not go<br />
outside the box. The only dance that is taught is about movement. It might be <strong>in</strong> drama or children might learn some<br />
old time dances <strong>in</strong> the sports club. There is noth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> public schools. There is nobody to come to the schools <strong>and</strong><br />
teach these subjects. Social ability courses could be an example. People need to feel they can push themselves to be<br />
more forthcom<strong>in</strong>g more confident more encouraged; this is lack<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Icel<strong>and</strong>ic people. When parents see this develop<br />
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