Paul Devautour on 30 Years of Art Pedagogy and the Future of Art Schools
In an interview featured in art press, Paul Devautour, an artist, shares insights from his three-decade-long teaching journey, which began at the age of 22 in middle schools across Paris. His teaching tenure includes Villa Arson from 1990 to 2000 and PS1 in New York, where he also focused on drawing. Devautour compares his education at Paris-1 with his time at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. Notable projects he has worked on include the Studio d'essai at Villa Arson, Lascaux2 (1999), Scan, Atelier en réseau, and Collège invisible at ESBAM Marseille. He reflects on his role as director at École d'Art de Bourges and promotes collaborative initiatives among schools. Devautour critiques the Bologna Process and neoliberal reforms, asserting that art schools can create innovative environments. This interview appeared in art press 2 n°22 (August-September-October 2011).
Key facts
- Paul Devautour has been teaching for 30 years, from kindergarten to postgraduate levels.
- He taught at Villa Arson from 1990 to 2000, with a break for a PS1 residency in New York.
- At PS1, he taught drawing at Lyceum Kennedy, a Franco-American private school.
- He studied at Paris-1 University and also attended the sculpture workshop of Michel Charpentier at ENSBA.
- He initiated the Studio d'essai at Villa Arson in 1991, the first experimental school gallery integrated into the curriculum.
- With Jérôme Joy, he organized the exhibition Lascaux2 in 1999 and co-founded the Scan (Studio de création en arts numérique).
- He created the Atelier en réseau (www.491.org) while a visiting professor at ENSBA.
- At ESBAM Marseille, he transformed the post-diploma into the Collège invisible, an online research group for eight graduates annually.
- He became director of the École d'Art de Bourges after his candidacy for Villa Arson was opposed by faculty.
- His current project XiYiTang in Shanghai is a platform for exchange and research for fourth-year and post-diploma students.
- He cites the Freinet school in Vence as a pedagogical model.
- He criticizes the Bologna Process and neoliberal reforms (Hadopi, Lopsi, LOLF) for stifling creativity.
- He argues art schools should foster free, open creative zones to meet the challenges of the knowledge society.
- The interview was published in art press 2 n°22 (August-September-October 2011).
Entities
Artists
- Paul Devautour
- Michel Charpentier
- Christian Bernard
- Dominique Angel
- Noël Dolla
- Joseph Mouton
- Jean-Marc Réol
- Jean-Philippe Vienne
- Jérôme Joy
- Alfred Pacquement
- Michel Enrici
- Alain Leloup
- Maurizio Lazzarato
- Yann Moulier Boutang
- Bernard Stiegler
- David Cascaro
- Élise Freinet
- Célestin Freinet
Institutions
- Villa Arson
- PS1
- Lyceum Kennedy
- École des Beaux-Arts de Paris (ENSBA)
- Paris-1 University
- ESBAM Marseille
- École d'Art de Bourges
- École d'Art d'Amiens
- École d'Arles
- École d'Aix-en-Provence
- Nancy School of Art (Artem)
- Mamco (Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain de Genève)
- Centre Pompidou
- art press
- XiYiTang
- Collège invisible
- Studio d'essai
- Scan (Studio de création en arts numérique)
- Atelier en réseau (491.org)
- Freinet school in Vence
Locations
- Paris
- New York
- Nice
- Marseille
- Bourges
- Amiens
- Arles
- Aix-en-Provence
- Nancy
- Shanghai
- Vence
- France
- United States
- China
- Switzerland
Sources
- artpress —