Today, my collaborator the sociologist Dr Katherine Appleford and I sat down and drafted the content for the website for our new research project exploring the history and legacy of British Art and Design Clubs, which we are calling The Foundations Project.

We have wanted to work together for a long time, and it was an absolute joy to put our conversations and plans into action. We are working with the software engineer Ana Meisel to build our project website and we are so pleased to be working with her on this important project.

In the current climate, the need for these clubs is more vital than ever. Earlier this year, it was reported by the artist Bob and Roberta Smith that fewer than thirty students took A-Level Art in Tower Hamlets in 2024 (Link).

Given that a report from 2018 notes that 74,000 children aged 0-19 years old live in this borough, and that there are 17 secondary schools, one all-through school, one post-16 school and one further education provider (Link), less than 30 students studying A-Level Art is a heartbreaking number.

This sharp decline reflects a border trend: a significant reduction in arts provision within state secondary education and a significant scaling back of Foundation Diplomas in Art and Design across the university sector. In response, artists and creative industry experts have called for a renewed ‘Campaign for the Arts’.

Our project seeks to uncover and document the history of these clubs: how they operated, their role in post-war Britain’s transformation and their impact on individuals and creative institutions.

By capturing the lived experiences of those who attended and taught in these early programmes, and by engaging with today’s Saturday Art and Design Clubs, we hope The Foundations Project will provide valuable insights on the vital connections between secondary and university arts education.

Our aim with this project is to learn lessons from the past, building on the legacy of Art and Design Clubs, to help shape a more inclusive arts education for the future.

If you would like to be involved, in any capacity — especially if you taught on or attended an Art and Design Club — do reach out to us through contact@foundations.art. We would love to hear from you.

Huge thanks to the Centre for Spatial and Digital Ecologies, part of the Institute for Inclusive Communities & Environments at University of Greenwich, for providing the seed funding for this project; and to my excellent colleagues Professor Ed Wall and Associate Professor Maria Korolkova for the wonderful support.

More work to come. But it is the start of something exciting.