A recent post by Richard Branson about the positive benefits of art (and music) in an office got us reflecting on why we have always featured wonderfully rich, abstract artworks on our textbook covers and online resources; as well as on the office walls.
Why? Well, it’s partly because we love art and partly because we hope teachers and students will appreciate, either consciously or otherwise, the calming influence that art can have. According to Richard Branson’s recent thread, 78% of people say that art in the workplace makes them feel less stressed. Do you agree?
Art hangs on walls and now on whiteboards and desks. Textbooks sit on teachers’ desks for months, if not years on end. We thought, why not brighten them up with something cheerful and a departure from subject-related imagery. Students too, can interact with something which is likely to be a juxtaposition from their STEM-based subjects. A friendly, less daunting cover to turn before they delve into the simplicity and beauty of the subject material presented within.
We work with many very accomplished artists, several of whom have international acclaim. Others are as local as we can find to help support their work and provide a stage for their art in front of an audience of students, and indeed their parents, who may not usually take the time to see art. Howard Hodgkin once said “A lot of people... are afraid of pictures which have visible emotions in them. They feel calmer in front of pictures which are placid”. Our abstracts intend to be just that. Cheerful colours and textures to be at ease with.
For every art series that we use, we like to buy some of the original artwork which hangs in our offices. No stress here!
We have also had a go at making our own art and our Director, Rob Heathcote has got out his brushes again after 20 years since studying A Level Art.
We all enjoy working with the art that we use and we hope you will enjoy doing so too. Let us know what you think of our use of art on the covers of everything we do.
