Above: Roger Barnard( OS 1962) in the Art room
Right: Bob teaching emerged from turbulent times outside the school, and their creative energy, identified at Sevenoaks, has carried them forward to be leading figures in the cultural life of their times.
There have been other‘ constellations’ of creativity during my teaching life at Sevenoaks, particularly in the early days when scholarship pupils brought a different kind of creative energy to enrich the school. Then came the introduction of international students, particularly in my time from Europe, who definitely had their own way of responding to the school which found outlet and expression in the Art department. The movement to co-education seemed the most natural thing and a very welcome mix for the school.
The pupils who passed through the Art department gave so much to the school and I do exchange emails and occasionally meet for lunch. Though we are all‘ of an age’ we still have the passion for creating and discussing art!
Bob White, Head of Art 1957-93
“ My experiences at Sevenoaks School were the most foundational experiences of my life … I think at the heart of the school creativity goes hand in hand with the academic excellence: the rigour of an academic structure and the space and the opportunity to explore creativity. For me that meant making films and paintings and prints and photography, and those basic skills were, broadly, the building blocks for my working life. The Art room was recognisably as it is today, but it was less formal a space. When we were in the Sixth Form, Bob White used to give us a key so we could use it in the evenings and truthfully, that Art room and this school was the key that unlocked the world for me.”
Paul Greengrass( OS 1973)
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