Michael Newall wins Outstanding Monograph Prize

We are delighted to announce that Dr Michael Newall, Senior Lecturer in the History of Art, has just won the American Society for Aesthetics (ASA) Outstanding Monograph Prize for his recent book, A Philosophy of the Art School (Routledge, 2018).

The book gives an entirely new account of the underlying practices and ideas that have come to shape contemporary art school teaching in the UK, US and Europe. It analyses two models that, hidden beneath the diversity of contemporary artist training, have come to dominate art schools. The first of these is essentially an old approach: a training guided by the artistic values of a single artist-teacher. The second dates from the 1960s, and is based around the group crit, in which diverse voices contribute to an artist’s development.

Understanding the underlying principles and possibilities of these two models, which sit together in an uneasy tension, gives new insights into the character of contemporary art school teaching, demonstrating how art schools shape art and artists, and how they can be a potent engine of creativity in contemporary culture. The book draws on first-hand accounts of art school teaching, and is deeply informed by disciplines ranging from art history and art theory, to the philosophy of art, education and creativity.

Discussing the book, the ASA review committee said: ‘By analyzing concepts of art, originality, genius, artistic freedom, creativity, and education, Michael Newall argues persuasively that creativity can in fact be taught in today’s art schools through a judicious practice of group crits and master classes. Interweaving philosophical analyses with historical accounts and examples, his discussion is exceptionally clear, rigorous, and interdisciplinary in the best sense of the word. It will make a significant contribution to many areas of intellectual discourse.’

For more details about the book, please see the publisher’s page here:
www.routledge.com/A-Philosophy-of-the-Art-School-1st-Edition/Newall/p/book/9781138615984

For more details about the ASA Outstanding Monograph Prize, please see the page here:
https://aesthetics-online.org/page/MonographPrize