Co-operatives have long been committed to education alongside enterprise. Anti-capitalist, internationalist and organised democratically, early co-operatives sought to expand their (predominantly working-class) members’ and employees’ knowledge and worldview through debate, discussion and the provision of resources such as reading rooms, libraries and newspapers alongside vocational training in business.

These politics and values are celebrated by the editors of a new publication which brings together short essays, conversations and first-hand accounts discussing a range of initiatives that are loosely grouped together under the heading of alternative art schools. At a time when higher education – and particularly the arts and humanities – are in crisis, they consider the nature and purpose of art education and the potential for co-operative, grassroots and democratic initiatives to present an alternative to the dominant model of the neoliberal university, setting out a theoretical position and framework as well as strategies for its realisation.

Some of the featured projects respond to specific local contexts, circumstances and gaps in provision: The Other MA (TOMA) was established in Southend, Essex after the county was left without art courses at Masters level, and Feral Art School in Hull was founded by former lecturers from the city’s School of Art and Design following extensive cuts. While many foreground the importance of the studio as a site for experimentation and peer feedback, other alternative art schools have been hosted in domestic settings, as with Lincoln’s Alternative Art College and the Free University of Copenhagen, or online.

Although some of the initiatives offer conventional skills-based education, such as Turps School of Art, the extent to which they all provide art education is debatable; Lincoln’s Social Science Centre, for example, which ran between 2011 and 2018 (with a brief Manchester spin-off) focused on a broader social sciences curriculum. What unites them is a clear belief in the social purpose of art. Common across the contributors is an interest in the place of art in everyday life, the role of art education in teaching skills such as criticism (neatly termed ‘crap detection’ by artist and Feral Art School co-founder Dom Heffer) and a responsibility to respond to contemporary social challenges, from AI to climate change.

While some initiatives are formally constituted as co-operatives, others operate more informally along the lines of mutual support, exchange and collaboration, whether among individuals or between organisations, as in the case of TOMA (Reports AM443). Perhaps the most instructive chapter is by School of the Damned co-founder David Steans, who gives an insight into how the school works in practice as well as an honest appraisal of its challenges: particularly interesting are the concepts of time banking and the gift economy, which enable the school to operate without money changing hands.

A heady utopian spirit pervades the book, yet several tensions remain. Despite the contributors promoting non-hierarchical, communal forms of education, the movement for co-operative education often appears reliant on key, charismatic individuals acting as inspiration, catalyst and figurehead; the late Professor Mike Neary of the University of Lincoln and the Social Science Centre, who provides much of the theoretical grounding of the book – beginning with an eye-catching Vorticism-inspired diagram representing the maelstrom of the present moment – is a dominant presence throughout. Related to this are issues around scale, impact and sustainability; many of the initiatives outlined have been short-lived due to personal, financial or external factors and unsupportive legal or regulatory contexts. As Steans shows, succession and continuity of aims can be a challenge once founding cohorts move on. Another tension is the relationship between those inside and outside of mainstream academia. Several contributors speak from within the academy, and many alternative art schools have relied on the support of academics and teaching staff from conventional universities, or been closely aligned with existing institutions. There’s also a question around who alternative art schools are for and the students they attract – if participants already have undergraduate or Masters degrees, alternative art schools are a supplement to rather than replacement for existing provision. Furthermore, in calling themselves ‘schools’, and offering ‘shadow MAs’ some alternative art schools have sought credibility and legitimacy by mimicking the language and structures of the academy.

At £130, this book is likely to be out of the reach of those not within an institution and without access to an academic library. Here, though, nineteenth century co-operative antecedents, with their periodicals, reading rooms and libraries, provide another lesson, showing the value in pooling resources co-operatively and creating and sharing communal knowledge, outside of formal educational and learning settings.

Co-operatives have long been committed to education alongside enterprise. Anti-capitalist, internationalist and organised democratically, early co-operatives sought to expand their (predominantly working-class) members’ and employees’ knowledge and worldview through debate, discussion and the provision of resources such as reading rooms, libraries and newspapers alongside vocational training in business.

These politics and values are celebrated by the editors of a new publication which brings together short essays, conversations and first-hand accounts discussing a range of initiatives that are loosely grouped together under the heading of alternative art schools. At a time when higher education – and particularly the arts and humanities – are in crisis, they consider the nature and purpose of art education and the potential for co-operative, grassroots and democratic initiatives to present an alternative to the dominant model of the neoliberal university, setting out a theoretical position and framework as well as strategies for its realisation.

Some of the featured projects respond to specific local contexts, circumstances and gaps in provision: The Other MA (TOMA) was established in Southend, Essex after the county was left without art courses at Masters level, and Feral Art School in Hull was founded by former lecturers from the city’s School of Art and Design following extensive cuts. While many foreground the importance of the studio as a site for experimentation and peer feedback, other alternative art schools have been hosted in domestic settings, as with Lincoln’s Alternative Art College and the Free University of Copenhagen, or online.

Although some of the initiatives offer conventional skills-based education, such as Turps School of Art, the extent to which they all provide art education is debatable; Lincoln’s Social Science Centre, for example, which ran between 2011 and 2018 (with a brief Manchester spin-off) focused on a broader social sciences curriculum. What unites them is a clear belief in the social purpose of art. Common across the contributors is an interest in the place of art in everyday life, the role of art education in teaching skills such as criticism (neatly termed ‘crap detection’ by artist and Feral Art School co-founder Dom Heffer) and a responsibility to respond to contemporary social challenges, from AI to climate change.

While some initiatives are formally constituted as co-operatives, others operate more informally along the lines of mutual support, exchange and collaboration, whether among individuals or between organisations, as in the case of TOMA (Reports AM443). Perhaps the most instructive chapter is by School of the Damned co-founder David Steans, who gives an insight into how the school works in practice as well as an honest appraisal of its challenges: particularly interesting are the concepts of time banking and the gift economy, which enable the school to operate without money changing hands.

A heady utopian spirit pervades the book, yet several tensions remain. Despite the contributors promoting non-hierarchical, communal forms of education, the movement for co-operative education often appears reliant on key, charismatic individuals acting as inspiration, catalyst and figurehead; the late Professor Mike Neary of the University of Lincoln and the Social Science Centre, who provides much of the theoretical grounding of the book – beginning with an eye-catching Vorticism-inspired diagram representing the maelstrom of the present moment – is a dominant presence throughout. Related to this are issues around scale, impact and sustainability; many of the initiatives outlined have been short-lived due to personal, financial or external factors and unsupportive legal or regulatory contexts. As Steans shows, succession and continuity of aims can be a challenge once founding cohorts move on. Another tension is the relationship between those inside and outside of mainstream academia. Several contributors speak from within the academy, and many alternative art schools have relied on the support of academics and teaching staff from conventional universities, or been closely aligned with existing institutions. There’s also a question around who alternative art schools are for and the students they attract – if participants already have undergraduate or Masters degrees, alternative art schools are a supplement to rather than replacement for existing provision. Furthermore, in calling themselves ‘schools’, and offering ‘shadow MAs’ some alternative art schools have sought credibility and legitimacy by mimicking the language and structures of the academy.

At £130, this book is likely to be out of the reach of those not within an institution and without access to an academic library. Here, though, nineteenth century co-operative antecedents, with their periodicals, reading rooms and libraries, provide another lesson, showing the value in pooling resources co-operatively and creating and sharing communal knowledge, outside of formal educational and learning settings.