
About Scratching the Surface
The selection of drawings in this exhibition was made from the larger Marking Time: A Century of Drawing in Art Education exhibition, that was held at Batley Art Gallery in 2012, and offered another opportunity to consider how drawing informs and shapes teaching and learning.
The images on display, as well as books, teaching guides and other documentation, gave a glimpse into the wealth of material held in the National Arts Education Archive (NAEA). They also offered the opportunity to reflect on the way in which drawing has served, and continues to serve, the needs of children, students, teachers and artists in shaping an understanding of both ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ worlds and as a means of recording and refining ideas, information, thoughts and feelings.
This work did not follow the chronology of the original exhibition, but brought together examples from different periods in art education that illustrate the dynamic and influential nature of drawing, its aesthetic energy and the place it occupies in the growth and development of children and adults alike.
Drawings were selected from the following collections:
Franz Cizek | William Johnstone | Mary Martin Thomas | Alexander Barclay-Russell | Sir Alec Clegg | Victor Pasmore | Rosemary Devonald | Philip Rawson | Stourbridge College of Art | Learning through Drawing | Thurcroft School | Hatfield School
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