Design Education in Pakistan - Essay Example

Design (art and craft) Education in Pakistan The history of Design (art and craft) Education in Pakistan s back to the industrial revolution in Britain, which was colonizing Pakistan at the time. The pressures of industrial revolution caused the rise of the Arts & Crafts Movement, which was a reaction to the rise of industrialization that introduced machineries as the basis of industrial production (Macdonald, 2004:77). The introduction of reliance on machineries for production under the industrial revolution negated the role of the human craft that the movement sought to restore. Pakistan was a part of the British colony under the British India territory, which was then split into two independent nations of India and Pakistan (Great Britain, 2013:21). Thus, the Mayo School of Industrial Art was set up in Lahore, Pakistan alongside the Lahore Museum in 1875, as a reaction to the pressure that was piling up on the British crown from the Arts & Crafts Movement in promoting art and craft, at the expense of the mass production principle of industrialization (Bresler, 2007:36). The school of art was established to preserve the art and craft traditions that were threatened by the industrial revolution, and thus its major aim was to teach artists and designers the critical role that arts and craft played in home and cottage production, thus avoiding the full reliance on industrial revolution to sustain the common needs (Evans, et al., 2014:12). The institution was also meant to fill the gap that existed in the society for artists, designers and architects, thus helping the Pakistan society develop a new generation of profession that was not existing before. The school was later renamed the National College of Arts in 1958, with the mandate to expand its educational provision as an education-based institution, as opposed to the previously industrial-based school (Kanwal, 2001:36). Nevertheless, the British art and craft Education had started much earlier, where the Royal College of Arts was established in 1835, as a response to the pressure that were rising towards the need to preserve the human craft and art industry against being wiped out by the industrial revolution and its mass production principles (British Library, 2010:n.p.). However, the debate over the form of curriculum that this institution was to offer remained a debate for long, until later in 1858, when the actual art, design and fashion branding were introduced into the curriculum of arts and craft in Britain (McRobbie, 2003:46). The major factor that hindered the rise and quick growth of the fashion, art and craft education in Britain is due to the strength of the industrial revolution culture, which was rigidly based on machine production of mass commodities. This culture negated the small human art and craft industry as less relevant in the 19th century civilization. Nevertheless, the British art and craft education eventually became a key pillar for the development of the clothing and apparel industry starting the mid 19th century (Heller, 2011:n.p.). Nevertheless, the need to improve and customize on the fashion designs that were produced from the industry gave the human art and craft industry a new breath of life, and consequently the art, craft, design and fashion education in Britain has grown exponentially throughout the second half of the 19th century and into the 20th and the 21st century (British Library, 2010:n.p.). The development of the Design art and crafts Education in Pakistan has been rapid since the establishment of the first art and craft school in 1875, notably due to the fact that the Pakistani economy has a higher potential for the textile industry, but there was a shortage of the professionals who could drive the textile industry towards substantial economic contribution (Bresler, 2007:51). Thus, in the early 1990s, the need for the development of professionals who could guide the textile industry in Pakistani to become a dependable sector of the economy led to the rise of the Pakistan School of Fashion Design (PSFD) that was created in 1995 (PIDF, 2013:n.p.). This institution was established in a rented space with just one program being offered, after the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan partnered with a private investor, having realized the need for a large number of design and fashion professional that would contribute to the fast growth of the textile industry in the country (TDAP, 2014:n.p.). The institution continued to grow with time and also expanded its courses offering from the initial textile design, to incorporate fashion design, fashion marketing and accessories production, making the institution be awarded a charter for the offer of degree programs in the field in 2007 (Tarar, 2011:17). However, the award of the degree charter to the PIDF followed the award of the same status to National College of Arts, the oldest art and craft institution in the country in 1985, when the National College of Arts was awarded the charter to offer degree programs in fine art, architecture and design (Sinclair, Bleaney & García, 2012:44). Nevertheless, following the need for more graduates in this field, and owing to the fact that the two institutions could not offer enough professionals to drive the textile industry in Pakistan to the desired status of the main driver of the Pakistani economy, more Design art and crafts education institutions in Pakistan have continued to emerge. These institutions are targeted at meeting the need of the country to exploit its full potential of the textile industry (Qureshi & Lowry, 2014:n.p.). Thus, while these institutions of higher learning are offering degree programs in the art and craft education, the National College of Arts continues to lead in Pakistan as the premier education institution for art, crafts and design, having been granted a charter to offer masters level programs in interior design starting 1999 (Naqvi, 2012:31). The art, craft and design sectors have formed the bulk of the economic activities that women have been engaging in historically in Pakistan, but the scenario is now changing, with the rise of the visual arts as the major component of the art industry highly contributing to the Pakistan economy (Muborakshoeva, 2012:89). The rise of the visual arts as a major contributor to the economy of the country has seen the rise of different institutions seeking to teach the visual arts education in Pakistan at diploma and degree levels. However, this has been preceded by the initiation of the doctoral programs in visual arts, communication and multimedia arts starting 2001 in the National College of Arts (Tarar, 2011:12). The doctoral programs are targeting to produce high caliber professionals for the music, film and television industries, as well as highly trained professionals for cultural management of artifacts in the country (Qureshi & Lowry, 2014, n.p.). The continued growth of the cultural and creative industries as main players in the economic growth and also employability of the Pakistan population has led to the rise of varied degree programs in arts and crafts education in Pakistan (Evans, et al., 2014:2). The recognition of the need to enhance the appeal of the industrial manufactured designs has led to the emergence of degree courses that seeks to combine the arts and crafts aesthetic capacity with the dexterity of the industrial production, to form a product that satisfies the needs of the consumers (McRobbie, 2003:62). The Pakistan School of Fashion Design has aligned its program offering with the international design, fashion and arts industries, such that the institution seeks to produce skilled manpower in textile design, accessory production and fine arts. The technical know-how of these professionals is not only intended to serve the Pakistan textile and fashion industry needs, but also those of the international community (PIDF, 2013:n.p.). The other major educational institutions that have dedicated their curriculum towards the production of skills and know-how in the design, art and craft education include is the Lahore School of Fashion Design, whose art programs are purely targeted at satisfying the cultural and creative industries needs of the Pakistan economy (Evans, et al., 2014:47). References Bresler, L. (2007). International handbook of research in arts education. Dordrecht: Springer. British Library. (2010). National Life Stories: An Oral History of British Fashion. British Library Board. Available at: http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/sound/ohist/ohnls/nlsfashion/fashion.html Evans, K. et al. (2014). Cultural and Creative industries in Pakistan. British Council. 1-66. Great Britain. (2013). Pakistan. London : The Stationery Office. Heller, S. (2011, May 26). Pakistan: An Emerging Design Nation. The Atlantic. Available at: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/05/pakistan-an-emerging-design-nation/239505/ International Monetary Fund. (2010). Pakistan: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. Washington, D.C: International Monetary Fund. Kanwal, Aisha. (2001). Education Heritage of Pakistan. Nawaz Hussain. Macdonald, S. (2004). The history and philosophy of art education. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press. McRobbie, A. (2003). British Fashion Design: Rag Trade or Image Industry? Routledge. Muborakshoeva, M. (2012). Islam and Higher Education: Concepts, Challenges and Opportunities. Routledge. Naqvi, S. (2012). Art, Crafts and Calligraphy. Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC). 1-71. Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD). (2013). From PSFD to PIFD. Available at: http://www.pifd.edu.pk/textile_design/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=119 Qureshi,A. & Lowry, D. (2014, October 22). How important are the arts to Pakistan’s economic and social future? British Council. Available at: http://blog.britishcouncil.org/2014/10/22/how-important-are-the-arts-to-pakistans-economic-and-social-future/ Sinclair, S., Bleaney, C. H., & García, S. P. (2012). Bibliography of art and architecture in the Islamic World: Volume 1. Leiden: BRILL. Tarar, N. (2011). From Primitive Artisan to Modern Artists, Colonialism, Culture and Art Education in Punjab. South Asian Studies. Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). (2014). The Fashion Industry in Pakistan. Available at: http://www.tdap.gov.pk/fashion.php Read More