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Design For Today   3   1935  Page: 404
 
 From The Report of The Council for Art and Industry
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From The Report of The Council for Art and Industry

INTRODUCTION

We were appointed to deal with questions affecting the relations between Art and Industry and we take it to be part of our duty to assist in the general task of the advancement of industrial art. At the outset of our deliberations it became apparent that, while the problems of industrial art would need separate consideration by reference to the circumstances of particular industries, there was one problem which was common to all the industries within our purview, that is, the problem of the consumer. The success of any effort for the improvement of the general standard of design in articles of everyday use must depend to a large extent upon the choice exercised by the purchasing public. Manufacturers cannot be expected to spend time and money in improving the design of their wares unless by so doing they can maintain or increase their sales.

There was a time when the things of everyday use were made by craftsmen, who both designed and executed their work. An instinctive sense of form and proportion grew naturally out of the life-long association between the craftsman and his work, and the capacity both to design fitly and to decorate appropriately was widespread. What we are tempted to call the peasant arts and crafts remain to remind us of the beauty and liveliness of the production of those days. Under present-day conditions, however, much of the work of the individual craftsman is beyond the purchasing power of the general public, and both the manufacturer and the distributor must rely for the bulk of their business upon factory- produced goods. The divorce between design and execution which ultimately followed the introduction of machinery and of mass-production methods led to a belief, which persisted for many years, that it was idle to look for beauty in the products of the machine. It is now generally recognised that this belief was erroneous, and that factory-made articles as well as craftsman’s work may not only be well made but also may possess beauty of form, of proportion and of colour, combined together in appropriateness of design. The market for these goods is with the general public, and they should be educated to appreciate quality in design as well as in manufacture. The worker, too, needs reminding that there can be beauty in the product of the machine, for the subdivision of the industrial process has not only robbed him of any lively conception of his task as a whole but has made it so fragmentary and at times monotonous that it often has no educative value.

We have no wish to suggest that the present standard of choice among the people of the United Kingdom is a poor one—indeed, we believe that it is as good in this country as in most other countries—but there is evidence that the British purchaser tends in the mass to be more conservative than the foreigner. He is not insensitive to beauty, but, in buying what he is used to, shows a readiness to accept the wares offered without criticism and without demanding, or even realizing that there might be, something better. This, we believe, is a state of affairs that must be remedied, if the quality of design in British goods is to advance as it should. There is evidence that articles of good design, if attractively presented to the purchaser, will in the course of time find a market and oust articles of bad design ; but recognition of their qualities is often slow in coming, and frequently neither the manufacturer nor the distributor can afford the financial sacrifice involved in waiting for demand to develop. Accordingly, what is required in the consumer is, first, conscious realization of the possibility of beauty in things of everyday use, and secondly, quicker understanding and appreciation of it when it is placed before him. Once these conditions are realized, British manufacturers will be encouraged—they may even be compelled—to pay more and more attention to design.

Such a result may be expected in the first place to raise the standard of articles manufactured for home consumption, but it will also tend to increase the competitive power of British industry abroad. It cannot, of course, be assumed that the choice of our customers in overseas markets for, say, cotton textiles or pottery will be the same as that of consumers in the United Kingdom. In most cases their choice is, and probably will always be, different. But the development of appreciation of good design at home will create conditions and an outlook towards design in the industry of this country which will encourage the increased employment of skilled designers, working with due regard to the conditions and requirements of the various markets both at home and abroad.

Owing to the increasing industrialization of overseas countries, the foreign demand for many classes of British goods has shrunk, and is still shrinking, and it is becoming evident that for the maintenance of our export trade we shall have to rely more and more upon goods which are attractive in both workmanship and design.
Design For Today   3   1935  Page: 405
 
 From The Report of The Council for Art and Industry
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The industrial future of the United Kingdom must, to a large and increasing extent, be bound up with the development of design. Certain goods produced in the United Kingdom excel those of any other country ; there is an international demand for them which this country must meet and it is to the development of their quality and range that attention must first be directed.

It is for these reasons among others that we attach great importance to the education of the general public in the appreciation of design. As we have shown, the development of design in industry must depend very largely upon the consumer’s demand and criticism ; his choice must represent an effective criticism ; and his education will direct his choice. Accordingly, we decided to make some inquiry into the teaching of Art in the schools of this country, and particularly in the elementary schools, whose pupils eventually form the vast majority of the purchasing public. We have obtained evidence from a number of witnesses fully acquainted with the various phases of education and have weighed this evidence in the light of the knowledge of industry, commerce, art and education represented among our own membership. It was not within our province to make a detailed examination of educational technique or of methods of teaching, but we found in the course of our inquiry a number of general questions of principle on which the witnesses whom we examined were so much in agreement that we felt able to adopt their views with confidence as a basis for definite recommendations in these matters.

We feel sure that those who are responsible for local and national educational arrangements in this country will accept in the spirit in which they are advanced our views on the importance of their present work, and on the still greater importance of the work which they may yet do, in the service of British industry. While as a Council of the Board of Trade we have necessarily to consider this question of Art in general education primarily from the point of view of its influence upon the national industrial output, we are not unmindful that Art as aesthetic appreciation and expression is indispensable in life. The educational authorities, we know, aim at providing “ education for life,” that is, at preparing children, not only for work, but also for all other things that go to make a full life. Education must supply stage by stage a cultural background suited to these objectives. The development of appreciation of art, of craftsmanship, and of artistic ability in general, forms an integral part of education with such a purpose, and we are convinced of its importance.

The elementary and secondary schools in England and Wales alone provide education for over six million children at a time, and turn out as potential wage earners and purchasers of goods over six hundred thousand children every year. While at a particular moment of time these numbers are relatively small in comparison with the total number of consumers in the country, the school generations quickly pass and, given the right kind of education, the cumulative effect of a demand for goods of better design on the part of those now in school and of their successors will inevitably become considerable before many years have elapsed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our main conclusions and recommendations may be summarized as follows :—

(i) Time given to Art. In senior, central and secondary schools Art should have the same measure of attention as is given to languages, science or mathematics. In junior and infant schools we have found a consensus of opinion among witnesses in favour of approximately one-fifth of the total school time for art. We think that serious consideration should be given to the matter from this point of view. Periods devoted to Art should be fairly long and the size of the class limited. Facilities should be given for voluntary work outside school hours.

(ii) Importance of design in wood and metal work and association of Art with other subjects. Wood and metal work provide a means of learning to appreciate good design, and should be made to constitute a lesson in design. An end should be put to the present divorce between the teaching of wood and metal work on the one hand and the remaining subjects in the Art curriculum on the other, by the proper association of these subjects in the training of the teachers and the arrangements for inspection. Art should influence the teaching of handwriting and the illustration of lessons in history, geography, literature, nature study and domestic science.

(iii) The School Certificate Examination. In order to counteract the present tendency towards lopsided secondary and public school education, Art should be given a more important place as a subject in the School Certificate examination— possibly as a “ major ” subject for pupils most gifted artistically and as a subsidiary subject for other pupils. Some alternative to a paper examination might be considered.

(iv) The training in Art of general teachers. Art should be a compulsory subject in the training colleges. Short courses for existing teachers whose training did not provide adequately for instruction in the teaching of Art should be further developed. The “ Art and Handicraft ” section of the proposed revised edition of the Board of Education “ Suggestions for Teachers ” should be published without delay.

(v) The employment of specialist teachers. The employment of specialist teachers of Art should be
Design For Today   3   1935  Page: 406
 
 From The Report of The Council for Art and Industry
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Kauffer, Edward McKnight [1890-1954. USA/UK. Graphic/Theatre Set and Costume Designer/Illustrator]
Footnotes:
Two new posters for the L.P.T.B. by E. Mcknight Kauffer
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encouraged in senior and central elementary schools as well as in secondary schools. Teachers of wood and metal work should be able to teach their pupils the appreciation of good design. Opportunity should be given to specialist teachers to teach general subjects.

(vi) The supply and training of specialist teachers of wood and metal work. The supply of teachers of wood and metal work from Loughborough, Shoreditch and other training colleges undertaking specialized courses should be increased. The provision of third year courses at these training colleges in collaboration with the Art Schools should be extended. Further provision should be made for courses for existing teachers and for classes for teachers at the local Schools of Art. The School Certificate or Matriculation requirement for entry into a training college should be relaxed for the bona-fide entrants from industry. The training colleges should extend the range of handicraft now taught. The City and Guilds Institute should consider the desirability of adding to their examinations for teachers of wood and metal work tests in design and the cultural aspects of handicraft (the certificate granted to the candidate being endorsed accordingly) and of imposing an age limit on candidates.

(vii) The supply and training of other specialist teachers of Art. The training colleges should provide a three-year course for all specialist teachers of Art, and the third year might with advantage be worked in conjunction with a local Art School. The Art Schools should also be developed as a training ground for specialist teachers of art and craft for senior and central elementary schools as well as for secondary schools.

(viii) Accommodation and Equipment. Local Education Authorities should give serious consideration to the improvement of the children’s surroundings, and particular attention should be paid to the redecoration of old school buildings which it is not possible to replace. There should be separate commodious and suitably furnished Art rooms, adjacent to the handicraft rooms, in the schools wherever possible. Authorities should regard it as a matter of urgency to provide elementary schools with collections of well-designed common objects for the lessons and suitable facilities should be available for the display of such objects and of pictures.