Held by a Thread: What's the Value of Art in Schools?

by Anna Cutler

What was your experience of art in school? Was it all doilies, cheap paint, and crusty brushes? Or was it better than that but you still wondered why it seemed to be the runt of the educational litter. In this humorous, engaging, and thought-provoking book, Anna Cutler, a leading figure in art education, takes you on a journey through her personal experiences and reflections on the value of art in schools. By the end you’ll come to realise that the stakes are surprisingly high for the social, emotional, and intellectual development of our children. It is an impassioned plea to nourish, within and beyond schools, the one resource that will never run the human capacity to create.

“Engagingly informal and on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, this wise and witty book can be absorbed quite effortlessly in one sitting. It leaves you with the sense that you’ve enjoyed one-on-one tuition from the favourite teacher you never had.” Dr Shane Kinghorn, Manchester Metropolitan University.

“I learned a great deal reading this book and laughed in all the right places. It is a powerful, persuasive ‘Call to Arts’.” Andrew McGuinness, author.

78 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2024

Reviews

[Millie Barrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another must read for art teacher! She addresses the importance of art in the classroom, not only for teaching creativity, it instills the importance of curiosity, forming your own opinions, accountability in the classroom, freedom of expression, life lessons like cleaning and tidying after self, experimentation, innovation, there’s no such thing as failure - just learning.

It’s a lovely read that ends with a call to action of how we can push for the government to increase funding for the arts rather than cutting it, and it all starts by making a direct impact in the space around you.