Exhibition showcases an era where arts education flourished
history arts 41 minutes ago
Following WWII, there was a strong push and a solid foundation to provide arts education to both teachers and children in schools. Art advisers supported and inspired teachers while many early-career artists trained at The Auckland College of Education; which later become the Faculty of Education and would merge with Auckland University. Practices included painting, print-making, weaving and ceramics. The university would then buy these artworks and as a result now has a considerable collection which is currently on display in an exhibition called Hands On at the Auckland University General Library until 16 July. The collection includes works by more than 100 artists including Len Castle, Barry Brickell and Ralph Hotere. But in 1989, after the introduction of Tomorrow's Schools, the style of education changed to focus more on measurable outcomes, set standards and less on creativity. In the past 20 years there's been further reduction in time allocated to arts education and trainee teachers to gain experience in the arts leading to a decline in focus on the arts within schools. That level of support and training for teachers is no longer there. This is despite international evidence showing arts-rich schools do better. 'Hands On' celebrates a time when arts education flourished, was prioritised and more heavily integrated into the wider school curriculum. Auckland University Arts Curator, Madeleine Gifford, speaks to Culture 101 about the exhibition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
37 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Hop growers left reeling after death of Peter Lines in floods
The hop growing community has been left reeling after the death of Peter Lines, a fifth-generation hop farmer who died after being hit by a tree while clearing flood damage on Saturday, local Hop famer, Brent McGlashen, spoke to Charlotte Cook. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
37 minutes ago
- RNZ News
A juicy history of the fruit industry's evolution and politics
environment 11:30 am today Chris Smellie spent 50 years in the orcharding and horticulture business - but never thought to write a book about it until development came to his door. He grew apples in Huapai in north-west Auckland for twenty-four years, as well producing roses from a high-tech glasshouse and running a small vineyard. But in the 2000s he watched as row after row of trees were removed from orchards to make way for more houses. The industry migrated to different parts of the country - fruit producing areas we now know around Nelson, Hawke's Bay and Otago. It's prompted him to write a history of orcharding called Where Have All the Apples Gone? beautifully packed with lots of photos and ads from different decades - it's a juicy expose of the fruit industry's evolution and politics.
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
'Wouldn't you rather have more warning than less?'
All 45 tsunami alert sirens from Taylors Mistake to Brooklands will go after a review found they could cause confusion and delays during an emergency. A report to the Christchurch City Council recommended the use of emergency mobile alerts sent directly to compatible cell phones as the new primary method to raise the alarm of a tsunami. The phone alerts are still received even if the network is down. New sirens could be installed in vulnerable locations where there is limited cell phone coverage. The number of sirens and locations has yet to be confirmed, but is expected to be in the range of four to six. But people in Sumner are at odds with the city council over the decision. Sumner Community Residents' Association chair Andrea Davis said the removal of the sirens would impact on elderly residents. 'These older people, they don't pay attention to their phones. They don't have their phones in their pockets like younger people,' she said. 'I just think it's a little bit silly to take sirens away that are already there. I mean, wouldn't you rather have more warning than less?' Davis said. She also emphasised the sirens' importance for beach-goers. ' I would hope that they understand that there are thousands of people here on a weekend in the summer and we actually need sirens.' However, New Brighton Residents Association spokesperson Brian Donovan has a different view. 'I think it's probably the right decision. There's more to warning people in this environment than just relying on sirens.' He said sirens had proved to be susceptible to human error. The tsunami alert sirens failed to sound during a planned test in April, because the Auckland-based contractor responsible for setting them off was dealing with a car crash outside their property at the time. The network trigger could not be operated locally. The city council conceded having an emergency system so dependent on one person was unacceptable. Donovan said a big issue facing people in New Brighton was getting away from the area in the event of a tsunami - the Pages Rd bridge being too much of a bottleneck. Plans are under way to replace the earthquake-damaged Pages Rd bridge, which was left off the Government's fast-track project list last year. The city council safety review found the ageing tsunami warning system was not fit-for-purpose and should no longer be considered suitable as a primary alert method. It noted the sirens provide limited information on the hazard, were reliant on power and could be inaudible in windy conditions. The sirens were established on ageing technology and infrastructure, and needed to be upgraded or replaced soon as they near the end of their 15-year life cycle. However, the city council ruled out both options, saying it would be expensive and not be fit-for-purpose. Decommissioning and removing the existing 45 tsunami warning sirens and installing four to six new ones is expected to cost $2.6m. Operation and maintenance of the new sirens will cost $70,000 a year. A city council spokesperson said the planned test of the tsunami alert sirens on Sunday, July 13, will still go ahead.
