Art.School.Differences is a study that self-reflexively interrogates the domain of the art school and the rules by which it operates. It examines where it succeeds in being open and where there are closures. One of the projects’ results is the identification of proposals for the democratisation and pluralisation of art schools.
Born of an initiative of the Institute for Art Education, the Art.School.Differences project is implemented as a cooperation between three Swiss art schools: the Haute École d’Art et de Design – Genève (Geneva School of Art and Design, HEAD – Genève), the Haute École de Musique de Genève (Geneva School of Music, HEM Genève – Neuchâtel) and the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (Zurich University of the Arts, ZHdK). The project, which builds on a preliminary study, has enjoyed the support of the management of all three schools from its inception (see final report). Art.School.Differences is remarkable for the resolute way in which it links research and practice: the project involves scientific and participatory research and engages diverse players from the institutions as co-researchers. This co-research is accompanied by an educational programme on the topic of social inequality in the domain of the art school, consisting of five colloquia to which all interested persons from the school or other institutions are invited. On the basis of discussions led on selected texts during the five colloquias, a collection of texts – the Reader Art.School.Differences – that are introduced, commented and supplemented with a glossary is presented and made available to the participating schools as well as to a broader public to facilitate further work on the topic of inequality.
Project Design and Concept: Carmen Mörsch, Philippe Saner, Catrin Seefranz
Head of Project: Philippe Saner, Sophie Voegele
Team: Dora Borer, Maëlle Cornut, Serena O. Dankwa, Philippe Saner, Pauline Vessely, Sophie Voegele, Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa
Supervision: Carmen Mörsch
Partners: HEAD (Geneva), HEM (Geneva), ZHdK (Zurich)
Lead: ZHdK (Zurich)
Catrin Seefranz (October 13 – December 14) and Tina Bopp (January – December 14) were also part of the project team.
Team
Project partner
International Advisory Board
Instititutional Board