Desdemona McCannon, Andrew Demetrius & Joe Pearson

Abstract

This panel is set out as a virtual 'reading room', a welcoming and interactive space offering a reassessment of the often-neglected material culture of art education, from kindergarten displays and school textbooks to higher education and beyond. The format consists of short presentations by each of the three speakers followed by discursive consideration of the materials on show.

Bio

Andrew Demetrius is an artist, curator and researcher. He writes about public sculpture, new towns, art pedagogy and toy design. The Art Education Library is a collaboration with artist-educator Naomi Garriock, taking the form of a participatory installation. The project involves a reassessment of the often-neglected material culture of art education, from kindergarten displays and school textbooks to higher education and beyond.

Desdemona McCannon is Principal Lecturer in Illustration at the University of Worcester. She edits the peer reviewed ‘Journal of Illustration’ and is a founding member of the Illustration Research network and the ‘Women in Print’ network. Her research interests include folk and vernacular art, twentieth century women designers and self- illustrated works of scholarship. These interests converge in uncovering role of women artists who were instrumental in the development of radical educational agendas for the arts during the 20thc., particularly through the use of print.

Joe is a collector and enthusiast of the 20th Century lithographed book, in particular those books and prints auto-lithographed by artists during the 1930 and 40s. He also runs a small press, publishing under the imprint Design For Today, publishing books and ephemera in the spirit of those books he has collected. In a parallel career Joe worked in Education, in particular with young people with Speech, Language and Communication needs and, until switching track to publishing, was Headteacher of a Special School. He has written a history of the Puffin Picture Book series, and recently published a book on Abbatt Toys, both of which explore the impact of their respective books and play equipment on the classrooms and homes of the post-war generation.