21 September 2022 Member Newsletter (265)

A life in art

Since the last NSEAD newsletter, the UK has lived through a truly historic fortnight. Whatever your feelings about the events of the last two weeks, the visual spectacle of the funeral was breathtaking - History unfolding in front of our eyes.

And of course, the late Queen embodied the phenomenon of a life lived through the lens. The most photographed woman on the planet, her life captured and curated through visual media.

Perhaps NSEAD should have invited her to be a patron?

If we delve back into our history, there is a precedent. In 1900, the Society celebrated royal patronage, the Prince of Wales was our honorary President, and we petitioned Queen Victoria to confer Royal status on the Society. In a beautiful illuminated petition, the Chairman pointed out that our members were qualified to teach ‘as a result of long and arduous training’. The fight for art teaching to be recognised as a graduate profession was perhaps the first on which the Society was founded.

Talking to PGCE students last week I was reminded of how far we have come. For those taking the post-graduate route, who may also have studied at Foundation level, the path to qualification is five years of study, followed by two years of induction into a career that demands continuing professional development.

So, in this most extraordinary month, let’s welcome all those who are embarking on a career in art education. Long? Yes. Arduous? Yes. The best job in the world? Definitely.

Welcome to you all.

Michele Gregson

General Secretary

 

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