BIP Summer School: Arts and Crafts Schools in the 19th century until 1939 (ERASMUS-BIP Spring School)

When industrialization in the 19th century fundamentally changed living and production conditions, schools of arts and crafts emerged as innovative centres for art education. Initiatives for the founding of arts and crafts schools were boosted by the world fairs which encouraged international competition in art, crafts and design. The schools’ curricula included, among others, ornamental and figure drawing, modeling, sculpting and decorative painting as well as special architecture classes . Around the same time arts and crafts museums were founded to promote good taste to the public, often in conjunction with close institutional ties to arts and crafts schools. Around 1900 arts and crafts schools began to focus on the connection between art, craftsmanship and technology whilst considering the interaction between material, object and space and, thus, becoming a driving force behind avant-garde movements .

The BIP - Summer School will look at the history of individual institutions in order to develop an understanding of the development of arts and crafts schools before the Bauhaus. The focus is on questions regarding the connection of arts and crafts to industry and economy, the relationship between fine and applied arts as well as the ties between arts and crafts schools and museums of applied arts and their collections. In addition, we will examine specific teaching concepts and contents of arts and crafts schools in Vienna, Prague and the Rhineland while addressing the question of women’s presence and the professionalization of female careers through arts and crafts schools. Furthermore, particular characteristics related to architecture and equipment in new buildings of arts and crafts schools will be examined, as well as the occurrence of arts and crafts artefacts in modernist literature. We will discuss the relevance of these topics for our time by looking at how the relationship between theory and practice as well as art and craftsmanship is reflected in contemporary art. 

Participating lecturers:

Thorsten Carstensen (German Literature, University of Amsterdam)

Sophie Geretsegger (Art History, University of Applied Arts Vienna)

Eva Kernbauer (Art History, University of Applied Arts Vienna),

Julienne Lorz (Expanded Museum Studies, University of Applied Arts Vienna)

Andrea von Hülsen-Esch (Art History, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf)

Marie Rakušanová (Art History, Charles University Prag)

Eva Maria Stadler (Art and Knowledge Transfer, University of Applied Arts Vienna)

Jürgen Wiener (Art History, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf)

- attendance at the preliminary meeting in February 2025 and the complete programme in May 2025
- contributing with presentations, in cooperation with students from the other universities
- active participation and contribution to discussions

The summer school will take place at the Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf and will be held in English.

The Spring School is fully booked. The 7 open spots were awarded after an application procedure in the fall of 2024.