John Swift

former teacher

Dr. John Swift, NDD, ATD, MA, FRSA, FNSEAD

Emeritus Professor of Art Education, University of Central England in Birmingham

John passed away on Friday, 20th. May 2016 at Newton Stewart Community Hospital, a short distance from his home at Garlieston, Dumfries and Galloway. The cause of his passing was Bronchial Pneumonia, although he had suffered frailty for some time having grieved over the death of his wife, Jacquie on the 23rd. January 2013.

John's funeral service took place at 12pm on Wednesday the 1st. June at Roucan Loch Crematorium, Collin, Dumfries & Galloway.

John taught at Moseley Art School from 1964 to 1975, the last six or so years as Head of Arts and Crafts. He moved from Yorkshire to Birmingham, with a painting and teaching diploma, some teaching experience, and his wife, Jacquie and two sons, Marcus and Julius. He had not greatly enjoyed being taught and was a reluctant recruit to education. However, Moseley Road changed his attitude because it was family-sized, had interested and supportive staff, keen and visually able students, and a powerful and wide-ranging art and craft department.

This was an unusual situation which John soon learned to use, for example, for the annual exhibition the 6th form were released from academic classes, given a small budget, a deadline, and staff support, and jointly took responsibility for deciding and executing a themed exhibition for the entrance hall. Many of these showed outstanding ideas, technical ingenuity, and practical, social and artistic skill. In addition to teaching fine art and art history, John helped to form and run the art and design Foundation Course (the 6th form) prior to higher education or employment.

From the late 1960s, there was a protracted struggle by staff, students and well-wishers to retain the art school in the face of the comprehensive school movement. Eventually this was lost and the School was closed (merged) in 1975. John resigned in 1976 after a one year secondment at the School of Art Education in Birmingham. His wife, Jacquie had been an eloquent and energetic fighter trying to retain the school, and their eldest son, Marcus, although at a different school, came on most 'Broads Trips', and the youngest, Julius, was a pupil at Moseley during its change and still has many friends from the time.

In the mid 1970s, John and Jacquie became mature students at Birmingham Polytechnic, John gaining an M.A. Art Education and a Ph.D., Jacquie with a B.A. Sculpture and M.A. Art History. Jacquie then worked in several art colleges, full-time at Chesterfield and Stourbridge, and part-time at UWE Bristol and UCE. Meanwhile, John worked at Birmingham Polytechnic as the Head of the School of Art Education from 1985, and Professor of Art Education from 1990. When the Polytechnic became the University of Central England, he continued to run the School, teach, maintain the School of Art archives, supervise research students, address international conferences, and publish on the history and theory of art education. He and Jacquie produced a series of conferences and books on art education at UCE from 1995, and from 1993 to 2000, John was Editor of the Journal of Art and Design Education.

John was forced to retire due to ill health in 2000 and moved to southwest Scotland in 2001.

Following his move, he opened a small gallery in the smithy at the bottom of their garden, above which was Jacquie's studio, John's studio being in the main house overlooking the harbour. The gallery exhibited their work in the summer on Sundays. Their 'children' are now both over 40 years old, one working for Her Majesty's Prison Service, the other working as a probation officer. Both John and Jacquie were proud that their sons have a social conscience.

The very small coastal village where they lived is in a forgotten part of Scotland; it is a delight they would have recommended to anyone "who does not confuse what they do with what they are". John said "Here, previous status or title mean little, and judgment about us as incomers, is based on how our personalities, honesty, generosity, lack of side, are assessed - different sets of skills are called for up here. The landscape is breathtaking, the people welcoming, and when we get a rare urge to travel, we have the Scottish Book Town five miles away, and Glasgow and Edinburgh for galleries, libraries, etc., around 90 miles or more away. We are more likely to be found either writing or working in our studios, walking along the coast, bird watching, or reading, eating and drinking. Despite both of us having health problems we are happy and wished we had made the move much earlier".

John stayed with Graeme and Wendy Collins at their home in Worcestershire for a couple of weeks while John researched the material for his book "An Illustrated History of the Moseley School of Art: Art Education in Birmingham 1800-1975".

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