Finding a space for art

The article addresses a key issue raised by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) with regard to the working spaces within schools where children can develop their art, craft and design skills and knowledge. In this comparative study the researcher interviewed two artists and four early years/primary teachers to try and establish the importance of the working space in developing effective practice, either as an artist or teacher of art. The interviews were recorded and field notes taken en situ. It became clear that the existence of a successful space for artworking was dependent upon other factors, for example, the practitioner’s specialist knowledge of art, how ideas for art were initiated, the extent of preparation and organization for artworking and the crucial importance of ‘practice’ for artist, child and teacher alike.