What
Dartington College of Arts is threatened with closure. This centre for artistic innovation, recently ranked in the top 10 of the Art & Design Guardian University Guide 2008, is now fighting for its survival, due to the decision to move it to Falmouth and incorporate it into an institution roughly twenty times its current size.
The decision to fund the transferral to Falmouth is going to be made this week. There is still time to influence this.
It is vitally important that you take action today.
Why
- Small specialist colleges like Dartington are being shut all over the country. Such closures will be a disaster both for the arts and for the economy.
- The closure of Dartington will be a disaster for Devon, costing the local area alone, £5 million annually
- There has been a grave lack of democracy in the decision to close Dartington. It was initiated by a new principal, taken with irresponsible haste, with no local consultation, and without exploring all the options for keeping it onsite. Not one democratically elected local government institution was involved in the decision
The details
One of the main reasons for the closure of Dartington College onsite is a lack purpose built student accommodation. Yet Dartington Trust and Dartington College of Arts have recently rejected or ignored a number of financially viable suggestions on the grounds that “they have come too late”. These include a project proposed by the Duke of Somerset and another by a renowned architecture practice
Doesn’t it make sense to take the time to explore all the possible financial options to keep the College onsite, rather than rush through its closure, and then have to begin from scratch?
How
If you have one minute
Cut and paste the following into an email and send to:
John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills
denham.ps@dius.gsi.gov.uk
Dear
I am writing to ask you to support a year’s moratorium on the decision to relocate Dartington College of Arts, Devon, to Falmouth. This high-risk strategy jeopardises the future of one of Britain’s leading arts education institutions. Furthermore there has been a grave democratic deficit in the decision to move the college.
I am concerned about the risk of the proposed transfer. Even if the merger does succeed, there is no guaranteeing the quality of the resulting institution. Thus, I support the development of the South West region, though the creation of a University of the Arts in Cornwall and with Dartington College of Art remaining onsite.
Experimentation, creative innovation and thriving communities of practice are essential to foster the Arts. The closure of small artistic communities, the very places where this occurs, will have a huge impact on the quality of the Arts in the UK. Dartington College of Art is a beacon of artistic experimentation, and was recently ranked in the top 10 of the Guardian University Guide 2008. Its’ closure (or transferral and incorporation into a large general institution) will be a blow for creativity in the UK
Britain’s economy is increasingly dependant on creative potential and capital, which play a major role in the UK’s world-class status in creativity. The existence of small specialist colleges, and institutional diversity with the HE sector play an essential role in fostering such creativity. The closure of centres of artistic experimentation and innovation such as Dartington will be to the detriment of the UK’s creative economy.
The decision to attempt to transfer the college was initiated by a new principal, taken with irresponsible haste, with no local consultation, and without exploring all the options for keeping it onsite. The current government espouses the values of democratic participation and citizen engagement, yet this decision has been made without the participation of any local government institutions.
I am asking for a year’s moratorium, during which time there can be full local consultation, a thorough and transparent investigation of the options for keeping the college onsite and the participation of local government institutions in this process. I urge you to support the moratorium and to do all you can to ensure it occurs.
Yours sincerely
If you have three minutes
Do the above AND cut and paste the same email and send to:
James Purnell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
james.purnell@culture.gsi.gov.uk