Women, feminism, and art schools: the UK experience

In this paper, the author analyses the relationship between women, feminism, and UK art schools. The narrative of this relationship is usually told from an American perspective, grounded in the 1970s American women's art movement, and connected with particular programmes. However, the relationship is specific to local conditions and national educational legislation. The 1970s UK experience was different from that of the USA, with distinct educational structures – maintenance grants and single honours degrees – leading to different feminist art pedagogies and practices. Today, a system of fees, loans, debt, and institutional audit, gives another distinctive background to recent relationships between feminism and art. The discussion will be grounded first in the history and context of the UK experience, contrasted with the USA. It will explore the situation today, drawing upon publicly available data. It will explore the history of the feminist educational environment. Finally, it will propose some feminist pedagogical strategies.