Professional Documents
Culture Documents
It Smells worse than teen spirit, might have been a more appropriate title for the tirade produced by
Christopher Allen printed on Saturday 28 February. This poorly disguised critique of the ARTEXPRESS
exhibition reveals a more politically motivated account of secondary education in NSW. As a
secondary teacher I was interested in reading Allen’s account of the exhibition but it seems the
witticism was as borrowed and tired as the title itself (alluding to the 1991 song from pop group
Nirvana). Allen demonstrates what I would call an exercise in sloppy thinking. The notion that a critic
evaluates and elaborates upon artworks is paramount, at least in terms of what is taught in
secondary schools. However, Allen’s article seems to be caught up in his own “ideological
prejudices” (to quote Allen verbatim). There are glaring inaccuracies in terms of his account of the
NSW Stage 6 Visual Arts syllabus that would take too long to explain except perhaps he should
indeed go back to high school himself. Of grave concern is that people such as Allen, who are offered
the privilege of the public forum, have not undertaken more thorough research, especially in terms
of his sophistic account of the syllabus. More alarming is that Allen can be so blatantly unfamiliar
with the NSW Stage 6 Syllabus, given that he is lecturing at the only institution that has the privilege
of offering a Distinction Course for Visual Arts in the NSW syllabus. Rather than being a review of a
specific exhibition, to my surprise I found myself reading a systemic deconstruction of the repressive
state apparatus of secondary art teachers in NSW. Perhaps Allen needs to review his own practice
and question what motivates such a caustic account of a senior visual arts syllabus that has been in
operation with outstanding success in NSW. Landing ownership of the dreaded word ‘visuacy’ at the
feet of NSW Visual Arts teachers is another sign of poor research. Allen should look to Victorian state
bodies for the birthplace of this appalling term. Coupled with the spiteful attack on a specific
textbook in his review may suggests his own pique or envy given the poor sales for his book Art and
Australia in secondary schools in NSW, but that is another matter.
At a time when the National Curriculum is in its embryonic form a critical and timely dialogue about
Visual Arts education is in the public’s interest. However, the overhaul Allen calls for is as empty and
superfluous as a Faberge egg. We accept judgements that are made with knowledge and
consideration by someone who knows what they are talking about. Allen’s article Teen Spirit
indicates that he knows very little about the NSW curriculum and in addition offered little by way of
constructive critical dialogue about the exhibition.
Craig Malyon
President of Visual Arts and Design Educators Association