COMMENT
The above account focuses on The Departments of Complementary Studies and Photography at the time of the `sit-in’ and contains mis-statements. Many of the facts can be confirmed from Surrey County Council’s records for this period which are lodged at the Surrey History Centre, Woking.
The Principal and the Vice Principal were not dismissed: the Principal (Tom Arnold) continued in post eventually becoming Principal of the combined Guildford and Farnham Schools, known as `The West Surrey College of Art and Design’ until head-hunted to become Dean of Prahan School of Art in Australia. Likewise, the Vice Principal (Bernard Brett) continued in post, also becoming Vice Principal of the combined Colleges, until his normal retirement age.
Eight `Notable Former Students’ are listed, some of whom were not in fact students at Guildford - there is no mention of Elizabeth Frink 1946-9.
Courses at Guildford School of Art were mainly vocationally orientated. To state that the Summerson Committee found the school `beneath consideration’ is pejorative and suggests a misunderstanding of the criteria applied in validating the various types of academic awards: the diploma instituted at that time was not a `Guildford Diploma’ nor was any diploma ever put in place to `shore-up’ the school’s position – still less to `deceive’ students. Rather, the Surrey County Council, on the recommendations of the Surrey Art Academic Board, had instituted the three-year Surrey Diploma for all vocational courses in all Surrey Schools of Art.
These corrective comments contributed by:
W.C. Smale P. Parkinson. R. Flavell. P. Figg Dream Weaver.
(All members of the teaching staff at the time of the `sit-in’).
The above comments are supported by this statement from Tom Arnold’s widow:
“As Mr Arnold's widow, and on behalf of his surviving family members, I am much indebted to his former colleagues for their considerable personal effort in correcting this record. Rachel Arnold”
I was a student at what was then called West Surrey College of Art & Design (WSCAD) from 1970 to 1973 when I received a Surrey Diploma in Graphic Design, Pass with Upper Second Class Honours which I was told was Degree Equivalent. I can confirm that the principal during all that time was Tom Arnold, although he wasn't there much, concentrating on Farnham where the whole college subsequently moved to. I can also confirm the Bernard Brett was Vice-Principal, effectively running Guildford and he was a very nice man who did a good job. John Napper
Read more about this topic: Guildford School Of Art
Famous quotes containing the word comment:
“The best thing about Sassy Seats is that grandmothers cannot figure out how they work and are in constant fear of the child’s falling. This often makes them forget to comment on other aspects of the child’s development, like why he is not yet talking or is still wearing diapers. Some grandmothers will spend an entire meal peering beneath the table and saying, “Is that thing steady?” rather than, “Have you had a doctor look at that left hand?””
—Anna Quindlen (20th century)
“If I use the media, even with tricks, to publicise a black youth being shot in the back in Teaneck, New Jersey ... then I should be praised for it, and it’s more of a comment on them than me that it would take tricks to make them cover the loss of life.”
—Al, Rev. Sharpton (b. 1954)
“Making social comment is an artificial place for an artist to start from. If an artist is touched by some social condition, what the artist creates will reflect that, but you can’t force it.”
—Bella Lewitzky (b. 1916)