DOI Heft:
No.9 (December, 1893)
DOI Artikel:The Birmingham Municipal School of Art, with many illustrations of its students' work, I
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17189#0102
The Birmingham Municipal School of Art
T
HE BIRMINGHAM MUNICIPAL duct Branch Schools in twelve Board Schools of
SCHOOL OF ART WITH the district, showing at the present time a noble
MANY ILLUSTRATIONS OF total of 3'°5 fsktudents f?r *892' c°mPai*d ™th
ttq ct[iriFNTC vimvv t 1439 ln l88s' the year of the transfer> and 846 m
lib blU DL.N i b WORK. I. ^84, besides the control of the teaching in fifty-two
___ Board Schools. That the Schools are not mainly de-
r^JfeS^^yjoOKixG at its Offi- p6"^nLffr tWS 1lIgh aSgreSate uP°n. the amateur
1 T«C I n 1 bi 1 wno dabbles in the Arts for a pastime is easily
sfTT vaVt^jm! 1 ■ proved by the large number of artisans who attend
% 1 V£fc-4!1 and comparing \, / . ° , , , .
A OrilVll th ous the evening classes, and by the high percentage of
\v (?> ^u/i jyil branches of awards gained in the National Competition where,
South Kensine whatever its enemies may assert, the incapable
. v -° dilettante is obviously out of the running,
ton, we recognise T , . r „ } \. , 5 .
it Anrp thn? the In order to fully estlmate and appreciate the
Birmingham \rt niagmtude of the work already done at Birming-
c, u__i t \ ham, extracts from a recent report may be quoted.
, , Among other facts therein we find :—
considered by r^P , , . .., , . , , .
itself for it is in work begins with the lowest standard in
no w'a 'at' ical tne ^°ys' Departments of Board Schools within
specimen of our the city- The Art instruction Siven in these is
from a design by sidney heath
provincial
mmm schools. Special
circumstances
have resulted in
permitting it peculiar independence of action ; and
local generosity has provided not merely an adequate
but a sumptuous building for its work. Liberty of
action, and ample space, are important factors in the
making of a School; and when you add to these a
head-master who is not only enthusiastic but capa-
ble, not merely an artist but also a born teacher,
one who has the gift of directing and controlling a
big venture, success, if not absolutely a foregone
conclusion, is well-nigh certain. But to note
the flourishing state of the Birmingham Schools to-
day, with no recognition of the labours, unceasing
and unselfish, from professionals and lay sympa-
thisers who have made them what they are, would
be unfair to less fortunate institutions who by no
fault of their own lack any one of the factors we
have seen to be largely concerned in success.
Neither money nor energy separated can hope to
do more than fight against odds, but united they
may venture on wider enterprise with results that
could hardly have been foreseen even by the most
sanguine of their promoters.
Somefewyears ago a successful movement resulted
in the corporation taking over the old School of Art
and forming their own system of Branch Schools;
not, however, breaking connection with that Govern-
ment system of Art Education which it is conve-
nient, if not quite accurate, to call ' South Kensing-
ton.' The
Sch ools
now oc-
cupy two
finebuild-
ings of
their own
in Mar-
garet and
Vittoria
S treets,
from a drawing by winifred smith and COn- from a drawing by c. m. gere
90
1
T
HE BIRMINGHAM MUNICIPAL duct Branch Schools in twelve Board Schools of
SCHOOL OF ART WITH the district, showing at the present time a noble
MANY ILLUSTRATIONS OF total of 3'°5 fsktudents f?r *892' c°mPai*d ™th
ttq ct[iriFNTC vimvv t 1439 ln l88s' the year of the transfer> and 846 m
lib blU DL.N i b WORK. I. ^84, besides the control of the teaching in fifty-two
___ Board Schools. That the Schools are not mainly de-
r^JfeS^^yjoOKixG at its Offi- p6"^nLffr tWS 1lIgh aSgreSate uP°n. the amateur
1 T«C I n 1 bi 1 wno dabbles in the Arts for a pastime is easily
sfTT vaVt^jm! 1 ■ proved by the large number of artisans who attend
% 1 V£fc-4!1 and comparing \, / . ° , , , .
A OrilVll th ous the evening classes, and by the high percentage of
\v (?> ^u/i jyil branches of awards gained in the National Competition where,
South Kensine whatever its enemies may assert, the incapable
. v -° dilettante is obviously out of the running,
ton, we recognise T , . r „ } \. , 5 .
it Anrp thn? the In order to fully estlmate and appreciate the
Birmingham \rt niagmtude of the work already done at Birming-
c, u__i t \ ham, extracts from a recent report may be quoted.
, , Among other facts therein we find :—
considered by r^P , , . .., , . , , .
itself for it is in work begins with the lowest standard in
no w'a 'at' ical tne ^°ys' Departments of Board Schools within
specimen of our the city- The Art instruction Siven in these is
from a design by sidney heath
provincial
mmm schools. Special
circumstances
have resulted in
permitting it peculiar independence of action ; and
local generosity has provided not merely an adequate
but a sumptuous building for its work. Liberty of
action, and ample space, are important factors in the
making of a School; and when you add to these a
head-master who is not only enthusiastic but capa-
ble, not merely an artist but also a born teacher,
one who has the gift of directing and controlling a
big venture, success, if not absolutely a foregone
conclusion, is well-nigh certain. But to note
the flourishing state of the Birmingham Schools to-
day, with no recognition of the labours, unceasing
and unselfish, from professionals and lay sympa-
thisers who have made them what they are, would
be unfair to less fortunate institutions who by no
fault of their own lack any one of the factors we
have seen to be largely concerned in success.
Neither money nor energy separated can hope to
do more than fight against odds, but united they
may venture on wider enterprise with results that
could hardly have been foreseen even by the most
sanguine of their promoters.
Somefewyears ago a successful movement resulted
in the corporation taking over the old School of Art
and forming their own system of Branch Schools;
not, however, breaking connection with that Govern-
ment system of Art Education which it is conve-
nient, if not quite accurate, to call ' South Kensing-
ton.' The
Sch ools
now oc-
cupy two
finebuild-
ings of
their own
in Mar-
garet and
Vittoria
S treets,
from a drawing by winifred smith and COn- from a drawing by c. m. gere
90
1