03/05/2024
🎨 Hey everyone! I want to share a little story about Mr. Ackroyd.
This is my art teacher from high school in the 80s. Last week, I caught up with him and his wife in Cornwall, where they’re living the artist’s dream in what’s basically a studio-home combo.
I chose to study fine art at O level, and I soon realised I wasn’t a natural painter, but I had a knack for graphics. When I wanted to switch to graphics for A-level, Mrs King, the graphics tutor, wasn’t keen as I didn’t have the matching O level. But Mr. Ackroyd stepped in and made it happen!
It was the start of my journey into design and graphic communication, all thanks to these incredible teachers.
I’ll never forget the school trip to London in Mrs. King’s Green MGB, much to the envy of my classmates who travelled in the rattling minibus. Art teachers were cool. They made being creative fun, they took us to art galleries and museums via a pub or snooker hall. They told us if our work was awful or… they were rock stars, they took no prisoners. They were real artists in their own right who also chose to teach.
It’s sad to see less support for the arts in schools nowadays. Let’s keep advocating for creativity in education!
