Art education about
to create a new target group.
Josianne Bremmer BA Thesis
Economics and Business
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Abstract
In this thesis research is done on whether art education for students, attending elementary schools in
disadvantaged, focus neighborhoods, is an effective marketing tool to create a new target group for museums in the future. A theoretical framework was formed about effective education, art education and marketing in the arts. Two projects were conducted to research what is kept on by students from art education, whether art education leads to brand equity and if the brand equity leads to word-of-mouth. In total there was spoken with 228 students in focus groups, and ten teachers and 51 students filled out surveys. It was concluded that art education for students attending elementary schools in disadvantaged, focus neighborhoods results in brand equity. Especially the perceived quality, brand image and value result in word-of-mouth in a familial
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Index
Abstract ... 2
Introduction ... 6
Vincent van Gogh and the museum dedicated to him ... 7
1. Theoretical Framework... 10
1.1. Effective ways of education ... 10
1.2. Art education... 13
1.3. Marketing in the cultural industry ... 15
1.4. The educational activities of the Van Gogh Museum ... 17
1.4.1. Tours ... 17
1.4.1.1. Tour with Camille – tour in the museum ... 17
1.4.1.2. Famille of Camille – tour in the museum ... 18
1.4.1.3. A letter to Vincent – tour in the museum ... 18
1.4.1.4. Looking at Vincent – tour in the museum... 18
1.4.2. Vincent’s travelling case ... 18
1.4.3. The treasure hunt ... 19
1.4.4. Van Gogh at school ... 19
1.4.5. Van Gogh goes to School ... 19
1.4.5.1. Group one and two – A pajama for Vincent ... 20
1.4.5.2. Group three and four – Vincent working ... 20
1.4.5.3. Group five and six – Vincent and the scarecrow ... 21
1.4.5.4. Group seven and eight – The chairs of Vincent ... 21
1.5. The marketing activities of the Van Gogh Museum ... 21
1.6. Model ... 22 2. Method ... 24 Project 1 ... 24 Project 2 ... 26 3. Results ... 27 Project 1 ... 27 2017 ... 27 Experimental group ... 27 Control group ... 27 2018 ... 28 Experimental group ... 28 Control group ... 29 Teacher ... 30 Summary ... 30 Project 2 ... 31 School 1 – Region 3 ... 31
Group 5 – Vincent and the scarecrow ... 31
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Group 7 – The chairs of Vincent ... 32
Group 8 – The chairs of Vincent ... 33
School 2 – Region 1 ... 34
Group 1 & 2 – A pajama for Vincent ... 34
Group 3 – Working Vincent ... 34
Group 4 – Working Vincent ... 35
Group 5 – Vincent and the scarecrow ... 36
Group 6 – Vincent and the scarecrow ... 36
School 3 – Region 1 ... 37
Group 7 – Vincent and the scarecrow ... 37
Group 8 – Vincent and the scarecrow ... 38
Summary ... 39
Discussion ... 42
Conclusion ... 43
Recommendation for the Van Gogh Museum... 45
Literature ... 48
Figures ... 50
Images ... 51
Appendix ... 52
1. Tour descriptions ... 52
Tour with Camille: ... 52
Famille of Camille: ... 53
A letter to Vincent: ... 54
Looking at Vincent ... 56
2. Survey ... 58
Project 1: Survey experimental groups (2017 & 2018) ... 58
Project 1: Survey control groups (2017 & 2018) ... 60
Project 2: Survey Van Gogh goes to School ... 62
Survey teacher ... 64
3. Neighborhoods ... 66
Region 1: Amsterdam ... 66
Region 2: Zaanstad ... 66
Region 3: Utrecht, Almere, Amersfoort and Alkmaar ... 66
Region 4: Culemborg and Lelystad ... 66
Region 5: Rotterdam and Den Haag ... 66
4. Questions ... 66
Cornfield with crows (1890) ... 66
The Potato Eaters (1885) ... 67
5. Figures ... 67 2017 ... 67 Experimental group ... 67 Control group ... 69 2018 ... 70 Experimental group ... 70
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Control group ... 72
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Introduction
On November 15, 2017 the most expensive artwork ever to be sold was sold at a Christie’s auction.
Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci was sold for a historic price of $450,312,500 (Christie’s, 2017). A
Dutch and French equivalent were the paintings of Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit by Rembrandt. Both the Dutch and the French state spent 80 million euros on the paintings (Steenhuis, 2018). The amount of money paid for a painting is substantially different, but the 80 million euros was essentially paid by the Dutch tax payer, which raised questions (Pontzen, 2016). Spending one’s spare time on art and in museums is not common for all citizens. Research has shown that most customers in the cultural industry are highly educated (Colbert, 2009). According to Chong (2010), one needs to be brought up with art to visit facilities in the cultural industry. Attracting visitors has less to do with the prices of the tickets but more with a certain lifestyle (Chong, 2010).
In 2016 fine arts museum were visited approximately 8.62 million times in the Netherlands by Dutch visitors. Approximately 685,000 of these visitors were children and youngsters, younger than eighteen years old, visiting with a school (Museumvereniging, 2016). According to data collected by Centraal Bureau van de Statistiek (CBS), Museumvereniging (MV) and Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) (2018), fine arts museums are the second most visited museums by schools. However, in 2016 there were 3,818,499 inhabitants in the Netherlands with ages below 20, which means approximately 3.1 million youngsters did not visit a fine arts museum in 2016 (CBS, 2018).
In the same year the city of Amsterdam decided to make 100,000 euros available for schools in certain disadvantaged neighborhoods. The selected schools dealt with students, who struggle with problems like language deficiencies, poverty at home and a lack of support from the parents (Parool, 2016). Research has shown a relationship between income and museum visits: a higher income results in more museum visits (Cultuur in Beeld, 2016). The previous facts combined, leads to the idea that there is a group of youngsters, who do not visit high arts museum with school, neither with their parents and will most likely not be brought up with the high arts. However, research has also shown the importance of artistic education for both a personal and emotional development of students, their visual consciousness and an initiation in cultural heritage (Hargreaves, 1983).
Sommerer (2018) argued more of the cultural industry’s money should be invested in education. High arts can be experienced as difficult, inaccessible, uncomfortable. Art might refer to art by other artists, a theme, a historical event; something beyond the knowledge of the viewer (Sommerer, 2018). Vincent van Gogh was not famous during his life, because the viewers did not understand his art. It stayed that way, until his sister-in-law decided to publish the letters Vincent van Gogh wrote throughout his life. The viewer was suddenly able to grasp his art by being able to step into his world (Van Gogh Museum, n.d.).
In this thesis it is researched whether art education for elementary school students, attending schools in disadvantaged focus neighborhoods, is an effective marketing tool to create a new target group for museums in the future. First, an overview is given of what is considered to be effective education for children, according to previous research. Then a closer look is taken on what art education entails and how it can be taught effectively. A connection is made with marketing in the cultural industry. Secondly, an overview is given of all the activities of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam on both an educational and marketing level. Two projects have been conducted with elementary school children, attending school in disadvantaged focus neighborhoods. The results of these projects combined with the theoretical information lead to more answers concerning the research question and suggestions for the Van Gogh Museum.
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Vincent van Gogh and the museum dedicated to him
On the 30th of March 1853 Vincent van Gogh was born in a village called Zundert in Brabant. His family
consisted of his parents, two brothers and three sisters. Religion was early on a part of his life since his father was a preacher in a small community in the south of the Netherlands. His interest in nature probably also found its origin in his youth since he spent much time in nature with his family.
Vincent van Gogh’s life story is rather turbulent. At the age of sixteen, after dropping out of school, he started working in the international art trade at the art dealer Goupil & Cie, where his brother Theo also started working. The job at Goupil & Cie brought Vincent to London, where he got the chance to visit museums like the British Museum and the National Gallery. During his time in London, he observed art by Francois Millet and Jules Breton, and read lots of literature and poetry. His interest in religion was stimulated again when he was transferred to Paris in 1875, a year before he was fired by Goupil & Cie. Vincent returned to the United Kingdom, where he was able to work as a teacher and preacher. However, at the end of 1876 he returned to Brabant on the advice of his father. Back in the Netherlands, he found a job at a bookseller, but his parents started to worry since he had still not found a purpose in his life. After a little while he started with theology at the university in Amsterdam, which turned out not to suit him. He left Amsterdam to become a preacher in a poor environment in Belgium. He lived soberly between the miners and preached for them, but he failed to form a close, devout community. On the advice of his brother Theo, who Vincent frequently corresponded with via letters since 1872, he starts to draw more. Theo initially wanted Vincent to become an illustrator, but Vincent decided on becoming an artist instead. He moved to Brussels in 1880, where he practiced his drawing skills and met fellow artists. Theo supported him morally and financially every once in a while, which became more frequent once Theo became company director of Goupil & Cie in Paris. Vincent’s life did not proceed like Theo’s; between 1881 and 1883 he moved to The Hague, to Brabant, to Drenthe and back to Brabant and had two failed romantic relationships. He did however get the chance to learn from Anton Mauve and practice his skills in the nature in Drenthe.
Vincent started with, what he called, his first master piece The Potato Eaters (1880) shortly after his father passed away (Appendix 6: image 2). Theo had already promised to sell Vincent’s paintings in Paris, but Vincent’s paintings were too sober and dark for Paris’ liking. That was one of the reasons for Vincent to move to Paris, with a short detour to Antwerp, where he spent some time at the art academy. In Paris he would soon learn how to use color and to start enjoying life itself. Vincent got familiar with colorful paintings by Claude Monet and met Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Emile Bernard in the atelier of Fernand Cormon. These painters were part of the avant-garde in Paris at that time and the influence of this modern art could soon be seen in Vincent’s paintings. He started using brighter colors, different subjects, and he developed a characteristic way of painting. Vincent made many portraits, which were popular at the time, mostly of himself, so he did not have to pay for a model.
The hectic city life, accompanied with lots of alcohol, friends and prostitution, became too much after two years. Vincent sought for a calm place where he could retrieve his self-esteem. He desired the countryside, the sun and the colors of Japanese landscapes, which brought him to the Provence. On the 20th of February 1888, Vincent arrived in Arles. The change of scenery had a positive
influence on his work and he started painting passionately. His way of painting became looser and more expressive. He also decided he wanted to start a painters’ community in Arles: the atelier of the south. With the painters’ community in mind, he rented a yellow house on Place Lamartine.
‘I’ve rented a house painted yellow outside, whitewashed inside, in the full sun.’
The first to arrive in Arles for the painters’ community was Paul Gauguin. He initially was not eager on the plan but decided to leave Paris for Arles because of a financial incentive, given by Theo van Gogh. Vincent was over the moon: he prepared the house for Paul’s arrival and painted many paintings to
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decorate the empty walls. One of these paintings was The Sunflowers (1888) (Appendix 6: image 3), which he made especially for Paul because he knew Paul liked the sunflowers a lot.
Vincent wanted to create a learning environment; a place where artists could learn from one and other. Vincent and Paul shared thoughts, but because of their differences in character and in ideas there was a lot of tension. Vincent started showing signs of confusion and when Paul said he thought about leaving Arles, Vincent cracked under the pressure. He threatened Paul with a razorblade and later that night he cut off his own ear. He wrapped the ear in paper and delivered it to a prostitute in the prostitution neighborhood. The next morning his dreams of a painters’ community were scattered: Paul had left, and Vincent was admitted to the hospital. When he left the hospital in January 1889, he started painting again but his mental health fluctuated. He voluntarily admitted himself to the mental hospital Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy. During the time in the mental hospital he was able to paint when he was relatively healthy. In the beginning he painted within the walls of the mental hospital and later on he was allowed to go outside, accompanied by a nurse. He painted approximately 150 paintings in a year. One of these paintings was the Almond Blossom (1890) (Appendix 6: image 4), which he made for the birth of his nephew.
At the time his nephew was born, Vincent’s work also became more widely appreciated. He had taken part in some exhibitions throughout the years but the first work to be actually sold at an exhibition was in 1890. The first painting to be sold was The Red Vineyard (1888) (Appendix 6: image 5) and was bought by fellow artist Anna Boch.
In May 1890, Vincent moved to Auvers-sur-Oise, close to Paris. The location made it easier to visit Theo and there were other painters living in that neighborhood. There was a doctor, who was also an amateur painter, who monitored Vincent’s health and who recommended to paint as much as possible. Vincent made almost a painting a day in that period and it seemed like his mental health was improving. However, the news that Theo thought about leaving Goupil & Cie and start his own business, was very disturbing to Vincent. Vincent depended a lot on Theo both mentally and financially and a new business would bring financial insecurity. This insecurity about the future and about his mental health, drove him to suicide. On the 27th of July 1890, Vincent shot himself in the chest in the
middle of a cornfield. Two days later Vincent died of his injuries.
Image 1 Vincent van Gogh, Self-portrait with grey felt hat, 1887, oil on canvas, 44,5 cm x 37,2 cm, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Stichting)
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Theo, his wife and their newborn were left with approximately 850 paintings and 1,300 works on paper. Theo passed away of the consequences of syphilis only a few months after Vincent’s passing. Theo’s widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, became the rightful owner of all Vincent’s paintings. She made sure that Vincent’s paintings took part in many exhibitions, both nationally and internationally, when she had moved back to the Netherlands. In 1914 she also first published the letters Vincent and Theo had written to each other over the years. Those letters gave much inside in the life of Vincent and gave an extra understanding of his artworks.
After Jo passed away, the art collection was passed on to her son, Vincent Willem van Gogh. He gave the paintings on loan to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam until he offered the art collection to the Dutch state, under the condition that a Vincent van Gogh museum would be initiated. In 1973 the museum, designed by Gerrit Rietveld, was opened on Museumplein.1
1 The information was gathered through partaking in tours for elementary school children in the museum, the
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1. Theoretical Framework
1.1. Effective ways of education
According to Piaget, at the age of two, children develop semiotic functioning. Hereby the child develops the ability to make a mental symbol, word or object represent something, which is not present. At that stage, the child is not restricted to only act upon what is in the direct environment. The semiotic functioning is an internal imitation of the environment, which provides the child with a scheme of symbols (Ginsburg & Opper, 1979). In the course of time these symbols will evolve into words. These words will be idiosyncratic and personal to the child in the beginning. A development in the use of language by the child can be observed: a word starts out as a mental symbol to evolve to a tool of communication. However, communication is not the only purpose of language for children, according to Piaget. The use of language can also be observed when the child is mimicking an adult, as a form of exercising verbal schemes. Other kinds of use are the monologues children might show when alone but also when they are in company of other children. Gradually, the child will develop a more sophisticated form of speech and will be able to form coherent stories (Ginsburg & Opper, 1979).
This development can also be seen in thought. According to Piaget, three different stages can be observed with children with ages between three and twelve years. In the first stage, children integrate a form of animism in their explanation of phenomena: since people are alive, the phenomenon must be alive as well. The second belief is a form of artificiality: an outside agent must have a role in the phenomenon. The third belief is the idea of participation: there must be a connection between the phenomenon and human beings (Ginsburg & Opper, 1979). In the second stage, the animism and artificiality are less prominent, but still present. In the third stage, the child gives up notions as animism, artificiality and participation. A reason might be the effect of education on the child and an educated, more scientific view on phenomena in the world (Gindsberg & Opper, 1979).
To develop a logical reasoning, children form classifications of phenomena in their environment. Piaget presented children in the range of two to eleven years old with an array of objects to be classified. In the first stage, children with approximately ages from two to five years old, the objects were not classified in a consistent way, based on clear rule. In the second stage, ages approximately between five and seven years old, the objects are classified on a basis of reasonable property and rule. A hierarchical classification is formed but, in this stage, children fail to include relations. These first stages are called preoperational. In the third stage, the concrete operational stage, with ages approximately from seven to eleven years old, the objects are classified by defining properties and understanding relations between classes and subclasses. The sequence of the stages is fixed, according to Piaget, but the time spent by children in the several stages is variable. A note must be made that there is a focus on the classification of well-defined objects and a lack of attention is paid to the ambiguity of classifying objects (Gindsberg & Opper, 1979).
The classification plays a part in the development of mathematical skills, imagery and memory. These facets are also influenced by the intelligence of the child. In the different stages, described by Piaget, the child discovers different abilities, which further the understanding of reality by the child. The child becomes capable of developing a more accurate view of the surroundings and a more detailed rendering of events, with an effect on the reasoning of the child (Gindsberg & Opper, 1979). Furthermore, there are four factors important in the development of children: maturation, experience, social transmission and equilibration. Maturation focuses on the effects of the physical development on the intellectual development of the child (Gindsberg & Opper, 1979). An example is the brain of a newborn is immature in its physical condition, which has an effect on the cognitive functioning. The growth of the child enables the brain to form new connections within the brain, which stimulates the development of cognitive functioning (Ward, 2015). Secondly, there is an influence of the contact with the environment: experience. To develop language, the child hears talking. To develop classifications, the child observes objects. There are different types of experience, which all stimulate development of the child. The third influence is social transmission, which means in a broad sense the influence of the culture on the child’s thought. Examples of social transmission are the parent
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explaining something to the child or a teacher giving instructions in class. Social transmission provides the child with extraordinary cognitive tools: counting numbers, language, the alphabet. The last factor is equilibration, which refers to the child’s self-regulatory processes. This factor is the backbone of mental growth and integrates the previous mentioned factors (Gindsberg & Opper, 1979).
The development of the child has a relation with learning. Piaget proposes two different types of learning: 1. the acquisition of new information and knowledge, 2. the acquisition of general thought structures, which are applicable in many situations. The last type resembles development in a sense and this type is more important according to Piaget. The first type enables the child to gain new experiences, which can be used in the last type of learning (Gindsberg & Opper, 1979).
For effective education it is important to note that Piaget’s research shows a difference between a child and an adult. It is therefore important to incorporate the differences in approaching reality, the ensuing views on the world and the use of languages in education – education must stem from a child’s perspective. Secondly, a child learns best from self-initiated activity. Every child develops in their own way and this should be taken into account as much as possible. If there is a discrepancy between the offered education and the child’s mental and physical state, it is unlikely that much real and lasting learning will occur. Lastly, the interaction between individuals leads to the development of learning experiences. The interaction with other children might for example lead to growth of egocentrism. When one child talks to another, he might come to realize his point of view might not be the only perspective (Gindsberg & Opper, 1979).
Even though there are differences in the development of children, theory has been written about effective education in the classroom (Marzano, 2011). Marzano (2011) carried out a meta-analysis of research written on education and formulated a theory, consisting of eleven elements on three different levels, which need to be taken into consideration for effective education.
The first level is the one of the students and consists of the home situation, the background knowledge and motivation. Karl White (1982) suggests that there is a strong connection between the achievements of the student and what is called the socioeconomic environment. There are four elements that are particularly important in this context: the income of the adult at home (the parents), the education level of the adult, the profession of the adult and the atmosphere at home. Of these four elements the atmosphere at home is most essential for the academic achievements of the student (White, 1982). Influencing the previous elements is difficult but there are some factors that can be influenced, which have a positive effect on the achievements (Marzano, 2011). The first factor is the communication about school at home. Commonly used criteria to describe this kind of communication are: whether the adult discuss homework frequently, whether the adult stimulates the student to do homework and the adult offers help to do homework (Fan & Chen, 2001). Fan and Chen (2001) suggest supervision as a second important factor for the academic achievements. The adult’s supervision on the student’s behavior has a positive effect on the student’s academic achievements. Especially the supervision on the time spent to do homework, when the student comes home and how much television the student watches, are important for a positive effect (Marzano, 2011). A third important factor according to Marzano (2011) are the expectations of the parent regarding the student’s achievements. Both an adult’s high expectations and the perception of high expectations are positively correlated with high achievements. The applied parenting style seems to be crucial to communicate the adult’s expectations (Fan & Chen, 2001). There are three parenting styles that can be distinguished: tolerant, authoritarian and democratic. The authoritarian style can be characterized by house rules, which are formulated without consulting the children. The tolerant style is the opposite of the authoritarian style, which means parents compose a few or no house rules and rarely reprimand the children for unsuitable behavior. According to scientific research, the democratic style is preferable since it is characterized by a consequent application of house rules by the parents, no tough punishments and there is a consistency in the parenting (Marzano, 2011).
Another important aspect on the student’s level is the background knowledge, since it is assumed there is a positive correlation between intelligence and academic achievements (Marzano, 2011). There are two types of intelligence: intelligence as knowledge (crystalized) and intelligence as cognitive processes (fluent). Examples of crystalized kind of intelligence are knowledge of facts,
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generalizations and principles. The fluent kind are mental procedures and intellectual ability, which entails abstract reasoning, capacity of the working memory and its efficiency. The intelligence as cognitive processes is believed to be congenital and the intelligence as knowledge to be acquired. The fluent intelligence can enable the student to acquire the crystalized of intelligence more easily. The background knowledge is to be considered part of the crystalized kind of intelligence, which has a greater direct effect on the academic achievement than fluent intelligence (Marzano, 2011).
The last aspect on the student’s level is motivation according to Marzano (2011). When student is not motivated to learn the materials, offered by the teacher, the student’s academic achievements will also be limited. Motivation is a complex phenomenon of several elements, a combination can either motivate or demotivate the student. An important element to distinguish is the drive theory, which means the student strives to succeed or is afraid to fail. These two incentives begin to work simultaneously but the student develops a preference for either one of them. In general, a success-oriented student is more likely to take on new challenges and assignments, because of the expected emotional rewards. A failure-oriented student is less likely to do so, since this student is afraid to experience negative emotions (Marzano, 2011). Another important element is the perception of the cause of success or failure by the student. Usually success is attributed to competence, effort, luck and the difficulty of the specific task or challenge. Seligman (1991) argues this explanatory system to be innate and a negative explanatory style can be changed to a more success-oriented, positive explanatory style. The elements can however not be seen separately from the importance of the feeling of self-worth of the student, emotions and self-systems, like Maslow’s pyramid (Manzano, 2011; Maslow, 1968).
The second proposed level is the one of the teachers, which consists of didactic strategies, pedagogically responsible acting and class management, directing and redesigning the teaching program. The effect of an individual teacher has a much greater effect on the student’s academic achievements than the school, and these previous mentioned elements determine the effectivity of the teacher (Marzano, 2011). The first element are the effective didactic strategies, which can be used. There are nine strategies that are accepted as effective: 1. identifying similarities and differences, 2. summarizing and making notes, 3. confirming efforts and giving recognition, 4. homework and practice, 5. non-verbal representation, 6. cooperation, 7. goal setting and offering feedback, 8. formulating questions and testing hypotheses, 9. activating prior knowledge. A combination of these strategies is most effective in education (Marzano, 2011).
However, the didactic strategies do not have the biggest effect on the academic achievements. Research has shown that the effects of class management and pedagogically responsible acting of the teacher are more important for the academic achievements. A very chaotic class situation with a poor teacher’s class management may have a negative effect on the students’ academic achievements. There are four aspects the teacher may act upon to improve the class environment: 1. formulating rules and routines, with an eye for compliance, 2. implementing reprimands for disturbing behavior, 3. taking care of a trustworthy, effective student-teacher relationship, 4. assuring a correct mental attitude (Marzano, 2011).
Marzano’s (2011) last element on the teacher’s level is the directing and redesigning of the teaching program. There are three aspects that should be taken into account when considering the teaching program: the sequence of the teaching materials, the pace of offering specific elements and, the experiences the student are offered. The way in which the teaching materials are offered to the student and the possibilities to process the new information is crucial for the academic achievements of the student. Cognitive psychology theories are a trustworthy basis for redesigning teaching programs. There are however a few aspects that have been proven to be effective in the teaching programs. The first aspect is that learning is improved by specifying types of knowledge, identifying and appointing them. Secondly, to make the student keep on the given information the student should be offered structured, similar assignments. Lastly, effective teaching requires planned repetition and complex interaction, via for example stories or group conversations, with the offered teaching materials (Marzano, 2011).
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The third and last level is the school’s level, which consists of an achievable program, challenging goals and effective feedback, involvement of parents and community, a safe environment, collegiality and professionalism. Most important on the school’s level is to enable the opportunity to
learn. This opportunity to learn consists according to Manzano (2011) of both the school’s intended
educational program, the teacher’s executed educational program and the student’s acquired educational program. The intended educational program is a strategy, in which the chosen teaching materials, the available amount of time, the sequence of subjects, the possible disturbances and discrepancies are taken into account. The formulated strategy should be broadly communicated, to the students as well so they know what will be expected of them (Marzano, 2011). Clarity about the expectations improves the academic achievements. This is similar to successfully implementing a new strategy in an organization: every layer of the organization should be aware of the goals and the importance of reaching these goals (Hamel & Prahalad, 1989; Bourgeois & Brodwin, 1984). Especially goal setting for each level will improve efficiency and consistency. However, feedback in the process is essential for a well-functioning on all levels (Marzano, 2011).
1.2. Art education
Van Heusden (2010) addresses the difficulty of defining art education in the beginning of his paper. It is often not clearly understood what art or culture education means. Culture education is a national, Dutch definition used for different terrains: art education, heritage education, media education. Van Heusden (2010) described culture education as ‘all forms of education in which culture is either the goal or the means. In general, introduces culture education people to art and cultural expressions and creates insight into these expressions.’ However, in the thesis is chosen for the term art education, since there is a direct focus on a fine arts artist and his paintings. There is a heritage aspect to the subject but that is considered to be of less importance.
According to Van Heusden (2010), the difficulty of defining culture education and the corresponding terms results in a struggle to form a culture education policy plan. When it is difficult to determine what culture, art and heritage are, it is most certainly difficult to determine what is important to include in education. The lack of a clear idea has resulted in a form of education that is often experienced by the student as non-committal, fun and irrelevant (Van Heusden, 2010). If art education would be given more time and importance, the power of the student to experience and enjoy art could be enlarged. There are only few students who are open-minded towards art and have developed an interest in art throughout their years in school (Hargreaves, 1983). One might wonder what the importance is of experiencing art.
Hargreaves (1983) argues six important aspects of art education. The first is personal and emotional development. The art education can result in a healthier emotional development of the students because of the stimulant of self-expression. The second aspect is the development of visual consciousness, which advances the power to observe natural and cultural object in the surroundings. Third, art education trains the students in new skills, both in practical art classes as in art appreciation classes. The fourth aspect is the function of refuge, because there is more room for the emotional students might find it easier to express themselves during art classes. Fifth is the preparation on life. School has the purpose on its own to prepare a student for life, art education does so by possibly showing students the profession of being an artist or art historian and by introducing students to a way to spend spare time. The last aspect is the introduction to cultural heritage (Hargreaves, 1983; Penketh, 2017). In a rapidly changing time and a greater globalization, it is valuable to research what aspects of the past are important to remember and treasure. Questions like which past forms society to what is today, how does the past achieve this, what does society do with the past and what else would society like to do with the past, are important questions to ask to deal with a rapidly changing world (Van Heusden, 2010).
The LOKV (Nederlands Instituut voor Kunsteducatie) distinguishes three kinds of art education: active, receptive and reflective. The active kind consists of students working with artful materials and technics. Reflective is the contemplative kind. The student takes a distance from the direct, active
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happening and it is observed what is seen, a connection is made between theory and the visible, and one’s own activities can be connected to activities by a professional artist. Receptive education entails visiting art expressions, like theatre, museums, dance, cinema, etc. A combination of the three kinds of art education is assumed to be most effective. Especially the reflective aspect can easily take place during the active and receptive aspects of art education (Wijdenes & Haanstra, 1997).
Since the 80s of the last century, research has been done on effective art education. In the United States the Discipline Based Art Education (DBAE) movement was active. The movement argued art education should consist of four disciplines: art production, art history, art criticism and aesthetics. In an ideal situation these four disciplines were combined (Wijdenes & Haanstra, 1997). The movement was followed by a project called Arts PROPEL, which distinguished three competences: production, perception and reflection (Gardner, 1989). This model is similar to the one proposed by the LOKV, except there is a difference between perception and reception, in the sense that with perception there is not a focus on looking at professional art (Wijdenes & Haanstra, 1997).
However, much art education is mostly active with a hint of receptive (Hargreaves, 1983; Wijdenes & Haanstra, 1997). According to Hargreaves (1983), the lack of reflective aspects in art education is due to the complexity of art appreciation classes. The teacher might have the idea art appreciation classes are solely taught in a classical manner, without direct contact between teacher and student. The teacher might also experience the feeling of a lack of experience in talking about an aesthetic experience and a lack in background knowledge about art. The students might find it difficult to express themselves about art, because of a shortage in vocabulary or because of a feeling of shame (Hargreaves, 1983). Bourdieu (1967) wrote art education is for the higher class because they are raised with what he called ‘cultural capital’. A phenomenon that cannot be learnt by students with a workers’ background (Bourdieu, 1967). According to Bourdieu to successfully master artistic competence there are two important elements. The first, one needs economic means to invest in educational time, which is reserved for the higher classes. The second, to develop cultural practice and artistic production, one requires a wide range of cultural references and one needs to devote time to do so (Bourdieu, 1984). However, the most important element of teaching art appreciation classes is to offer the time to take a look, not to ask questions immediately and to give room to developing opinions. Art appreciation and criticism is not like exact sciences: there is no right answer (Hargreaves, 1983). Read (1931) said the power of art lies in the intuitive feeling of art, not in the direct observing of art. Art is not present in one’s thoughts but in one’s feelings: it is a symbol and not a direct representation of the truth. A concrete analysis of an artwork cannot lead to pleasure in art. The pleasure comes from the ray of surprise of the artwork and what it makes one feel (Read, 1931).
An essential element in the learning of aesthetics is the traumatic experience (Hargreaves, 1983). In a psychoanalytic context this means a disruption of the mental balance, which could also take place during an aesthetic experience. One could compare it to a religious conversion, in both cases there is a sudden experience, which will never be forgotten. The trauma can either be conversive or aversive. A conversive trauma is characterized by a sudden, dramatic, intensive process of conversion (Hargreaves, 1983). There are four elements, which can indicate a conversive aesthetic trauma. The first element is the rise in concentration. One becomes fully absorbed by a fascination for the artwork. In case of a strong conversive trauma one can lose all sense of time and place. The second element is the revelation. A new reality is experienced and considered to be important. Emotions take over and cognitions and intellectual features are of less importance. Third is the incapability to speak and describe what is experienced, neither to oneself nor to another. Some do not want to talk about the conversive trauma. The emotional aspects can be overwhelming. The last element is the need for more, one wants the experience to last forever or to find it again (Hargreaves, 1983). One can refer to arts consumption as additive, the arts consumer attempts to maximize the satisfaction (Chong, 2010). The traumatic experiences happen in nuances, not every traumatic experience is dramatic. For education it is most important to initiate the need for more. A motivational aspect is an important factor since one needs to be motivated to experience the trauma again (Hargreaves, 1983).
The traumatic experience ensures a difference between education in other subjects and art education. The cumulative learn processes as assumed in the steps by Marzano (2011) do not apply to
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art education. In art education there is no systematic development from simple exercises to difficult exercises. However, there are some stadia after the conversive trauma, which one could see as a kind of cumulative system. The first stadium is the conversive trauma leads to commitment. In the second stadium the gained commitment leads to exploration. In first instance the exploration will be an attempt to return to the first traumatic experience, caused by a specific painting or another kind of artwork for instance. Later a treasure hunt will lead to more art by the same artist, same art forms or art in the same art movement. The exploration will lead in the third stadium to the formation of critical taste. One will learn to distinguish between several aspects of a specific artwork, between different artworks by the same artist or between artists themselves. A revaluation of the first artwork takes place. The taste has developed, which will probably lead to believing the first artwork is not as good in quality as thought before, but the love for the artwork will remain. In the last stadium the critical taste will lead to the gathering of relevant background information to learn more (Hargreaves, 1983) The traumatic conversive experience might have resulted in a lifelong interest and vocation – it sparked an interest to learn (Csikszentmihalyi & Hermanson, 1999).
Learning is more than the acquisition of knowledge. It involves an open process of interaction with one’s environment. This process enables and allows one to discover aspects of oneself, which were previously unknown, and includes, besides intellectual aspects, sensory and emotional elements. When the learning process is enjoyable, also called intrinsically rewarding, one will be motivated to pursue further learning (Csikszentmihalyi & Hermanson, 1999). The difference between intrinsically and extrinsically rewarding is that intrinsically rewarding comes from within, for one’s own sake and extrinsically rewarding comes from outside, the performance is a means to an end to obtain praise or avoid punishment. For effective art education intrinsic rewards and motivation are most relevant. One can only process a limited amount of information at the same time. Attention is a scarce resource and the amount of information a person is faced with, is more than one can deal with. Information is chosen. Two drivers to choose information are curiosity and interest. Curiosity refers to an individual’s likelihood to invest psychological energy in novel stimuli and interest refers to the investing of psychological energy to a set of stimuli rather than to other stimuli. Interests are partly universal but are also partly a result of one’s experiences and personal history. Universal interest is for example the interest in food and reproduction. Situational interest can be evoked by encounters with tasks of environments with a degree of uncertainty, challenge and novelty. These situational interests are linked to curiosity. The situational interest, uncertainty and intrinsic motivation are essential for learning about art (Csikszentmihalyi & Hermanson, 1999).
1.3. Marketing in the cultural industry
Marketing is the art of putting oneself in the shoes of the customer, trying to find out who the customers are, how they make their decisions, and what motivates and interests them. Once these elements are sufficiently understood, marketing is also reaching the customer and offering a suitable product in an effective manner (Colbert, 2009). However, marketing cannot create demand or a market for a product (Kotler, Armstrong & Cunningham, 2005). According to Colbert (2009), the market for art organizations is saturated. It is said the market is saturated when demand ceases to grow while new products and organizations keep emerging. Colbert (2009) continues by describing the typical target group of a museum: female, higher education and higher income. This resulted from the baby boom generation, whose incomes increased, whose working hours decreased, higher education was more accessible, and women participated more in social, cultural life. The number of cultural organizations grew. However, in the 80s and 90s of the last century the market became saturated, according to Colbert (2009).
Marketing in arts is more than promoting a product of quality. Organization in arts’ main product is not a tangible one. They might have tangible products in the form of museum merchandize, but the main product is an experience. According to Pine and Gilmore (1998), there are four realms of an experience: entertainment, educational, aesthetic and escapist. Entertainment is the most commonly known experience, like visiting a concert. This is a passive interaction, whereby the
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customer is absorbed rather than immersed. Educational experiences are for example taking skiing classes. These experiences tend to be more active than entertainment experiences, but the customer is still not entirely immersed in the experience. The escapist experience is like playing in an orchestra or hiking in nature, there is an immersion in the experience and there is active participation necessary. The fourth experience is the aesthetic, which can be experienced in a museum or art gallery. The customer is immersed in the surroundings but plays no active part and merely views. The best, memorable experiences for customers are the experiences that combine all the realms (Pine & Gilmore, 1998). There is another hurdle concerning the main product being an experience. Although an experience frequently provides long-term happiness, one prefers a tangible, material good, when feeling financially constrained. Even though, the happiness of a material purchase is usually short lived, the purchase itself will tangibly remain. However, that is not the only reason: experiences have a possible negative outcome and there is a social aspect to experience (Tully, Hershfield & Meyvis, 2015). These previously mentioned elements provide arts organizations with a less diverse audience. It was also believed another reason for a less diverse audience in museum for instance was due to the pricing of the tickets (Chong, 2010). However, according to Chong (2010) the main reason people do not visit museums is it is not part of their lifestyle. Possibly so-called emotional barriers prevent from visiting museums. An example of such an emotional barrier is the architecture of many museums designed in the past, the buildings are monumental and impose grandeur. Nowadays architects try to avoid these elements for contemporary museum buildings. Prince (1990) believes there is a potential for new customers. The most important mediating factors about reluctant attitudes toward museum visits are class factors, peer group, and culture self-recognition and allegiance (Prince, 1990). An important way to change the reluctance is word-of-mouth. The word-of-mouth may lead to social replication by friends and family of the arts customer (Chong, 2010).
Another way to change attitudes it by education via outreach programs. A visit to the potential customers also lowers a barrier for the potential customer since one does not have to go to the museum building itself yet, but one can get an introduction in art in a safe haven. Another advantage for the arts institutions is getting a clearer idea of the personal beliefs and perceptions towards arts participation by potential customers (Chong, 2010).
Additional to the introduction and further understanding of the potential customer, art education on side enables brand equity building as well as in the museum. Philip Kotler (1999) considers the art of marketing largely to be the art of brand building. Add to this the ideas of James Twitchwell (2004) that branding is a form of corporate storytelling and a perfect mix emerges for museums. When done well, the brand can become an icon in a form of myth making. Myths are like simple stories with compelling characters and resonant plots, which help people make sense of the world. Icons make myths tangible and by iconizing brands, customers experience to become one with the myth. These icons can become power brands as well. A power brand consists of two important elements: personality and presence. Personality means the extending beyond a functional relationship to the customer, so the customer develops an emotional bond with the brand. This is a form of anthropomorphism (Chong, 2010). The brand personality creates a uniqueness, which distinguishes the brand from the competitors (Camerero et al., 2010). Presence refers to a high visibility in the market (Chong, 2010).
To continue, brand equity is the perceived quality of the product or service, brand value, brand loyalty and brand image. Brand equity can result in repetitive visiting of customers, can be helpful in fundraising, and allows higher prices. Brand loyalty can be explained as a deeply held commitment to rebuy or repatronize a preferred product or service by a specific brand in the future. Previously experienced cultural experiences of a brand become cultural capital, which will lead to more cultural consumption to satisfy the cultural needs (Camerero et al., 2010). Important for the brand loyalty is the perception of quality perceived by the customer. In a cultural organization this usually means the cultural experience fits the expectations of the customer. This expectation leads to the next aspect of the brand equity: the brand image. According to Camerero et al. (2010), the brand image can be defined as the perceptions of the brand, which reflect the customer associations in the mind of the
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customer. A strong brand image can be connected to expectations of quality, reliability and trust. The brand value can be seen as the personality (Camerero et al., 2010).
One way to monitor at least a few aspects of brand equity is word-of-mouth. Word-of-mouth communication has been accepted as having an important influence on buying behavior decisions and takes place when customers share their experiences and opinions about products, services or brands (Terblanche, 2015). According to Terblanche (2015) do customers especially trust word-of-mouth when it is about services, because of the intangible and experiential character of services. Buying a service has a higher risk because there are no guarantees or warrantees (Terblanche, 2015; Tully, Hershfield & Meyvis, 2015). Marketers also realize the importance of word-of-mouth, especially with regard to the implications of trust by the customer and associated outcomes (Sweeney, Soutar & Mazzarol, 2012). Word-of-mouth and storytelling is a natural way to organize one’s experiences. Storytelling also has a long history of producing and passing on meaning and is likely to inspire participation (Terblanche, 2015). The vividness of the message through words and body language has an effect on the strength, content and delivery. Aristotle already identified three aspects, important for persuasion: the first is ethos, which relates to the speaker’s ethical and personal needs, including the ways the speaker projects his or her personal qualities to elicit a sense of believability from a listener; the second is pathos, the speaker’s underlying emotions appeals; and third is logos, the speaker’s logical appeals (Sweeney, Soutar & Mazzarol, 2012). The use of the three aspects of Aristotle and the use of less abstract words positively affects the intentions to follow the speaker’s lead by the listener. The speaker is more likely to be positive about the service when the experience is corresponding with the previous expectations and the speaker is satisfied about the experience. When the experience differs from the expected, the word of mouth will most likely be more of a what-happened story than a recommendation (Terblanche, 2015).
1.4. The educational activities of the Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum offers a diverse range of educational activities, meant for elementary school students, which ages from four to twelve years old. The activities differ from activities in the classroom, to activities in the museum with museum educators or with friends and families.
1.4.1. Tours
The Van Gogh Museum offers four different tours, and each tour is designed for a specific age group. The tours, available for elementary school children in group 1 to 5, can be booked directly at the website of the museum.
The tours in the Van Gogh Museum, available for elementary school children in group 6 to 8, can be booked by schools either via the Museumpleinbus or directly at the museum. The
Museumpleinbus can be used by schools when the school is located within sixty kilometers of
Amsterdam. A selection of programs both in the Van Gogh museum, Stedelijk Museum and Rijksmuseum is offered by the Museumpleinbus (Museumpleinbus, n.d.). The use of the bus is free of charge, so the schools are only charged for the programs in the museums. The programs in the Van Gogh Museum are a combination between a tour through the museum and a workshop in the atelier (Museumpleinbus, n.d.). The difference between the Museumpleinbus-program and the museum’s program is the size of the group, while taking the tour with a museum educator: the Museumpleinbus allows fifteen students in one group, whereas the museum only allows twelve students.
Another initiative for schools, located in Amsterdam, to visit cultural institutions in Amsterdam is the Cultuurbus. The Cultuurbus facilitates free transport either by bus or by boat to several cultural institutions. The initiative is part of the Mocca foundation and is subsidized by the city of Amsterdam (Cultuurbus, n.d.).
1.4.1.1. Tour with Camille – tour in the museum
The tour Tour with Camille is meant for group 1 and 2 and the tour lasts approximately one hour (Van Gogh, n.d.). The tour is based on the book Vincent and Camille (2009), which tells a story about Camille
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Roulin, who helped Vincent van Gogh in Arles and who was portrayed by him (Appendix 6: image 6). The tour starts with a museum educator reading the book to the students. Then the students are shown approximately four important paintings by the museum educator, who tells stories about the art by the use of a hand puppet, based on Camille (Appendix 6: image 7).
1.4.1.2. Famille of Camille – tour in the museum
The tour Famille of Camille is a theatrical tour meant for group 3 to 6, for students with ages from six to ten years old. The students and their guides are welcomed by two actresses, performing as the granddaughters of Camille Roulin. Camille Roulin is portrayed by Vincent van Gogh in Arles, France, in 1988 (Appendix 6: image 6). The tour lasts approximately one hour.
The common thread of the tour is the mystery around a rumor, which has been spread through the museum. According to the rumor, the portrait of Camille told other paintings that Vincent van Gogh could not properly paint, did not own shoes and lived on the streets. The students are asked to help the granddaughters investigate whether the gossip is true and who started the gossip. The actresses take the students through the different levels of the museum, showing them the core collection of the museum, and interactively teaching them about the basics of art historical terminology and visual analysis (Appendix 6: image 8). Besides the discussing the paintings and life of Vincent van Gogh, a connection is made with the artworks and the philosophy of Paul Gauguin.
Before the students visit the museum itself, the teachers are given the possibility to prepare the students with digital materials, offered on the website of the museum (Van Gogh Museum, n.d.).
1.4.1.3. A letter to Vincent – tour in the museum
The tour A letter to Vincent is a tour meant for groups 3 to 8. During the tour the students will discover information about the letters Vincent van Gogh wrote throughout his life and about his paintings. The tour finishes in the atelier, where the students draw on their own postcard with East-Indian ink. The tour and workshop together last for approximately an hour and a half.
The tour starts on the third floor of the museum, where the students get an introduction in the letters Vincent van Gogh wrote and, what pencils and ink he used. Vincent van Gogh wrote over six hundred letters during his life and he frequently included drawings in his letters. The letters, drawings and paintings are showed and discussed, so they can inspire the students for their own creative exercise in the atelier. The guide includes basic lessons in art historical terminology and visual analysis in the tour: the students are familiarized with a horizon, brush strokes, textures, etc. These lessons are taken to practice during the workshop (Appendix 6: image 9).
1.4.1.4. Looking at Vincent – tour in the museum
The tour Looking at Vincent is a tour meant for groups 3 to 8. The purpose of the tour is to show paintings, made in all the different periods of Vincent van Gogh’s life. The tour starts on the second floor of the museum with the painting The Potato Eaters (1885) (Appendix 6: image 2), which he made in the period he lived in Brabant and was fascinated by the rural life of peasants. It then continues in the hall with paintings made in Paris, which smoothly emerges in a section with paintings made in Arles. The museum educator offers information about both the paintings and the events, that happened in Vincent van Gogh’s life by the time he made the paintings. On the next floor, the focus lies on his mental health and the paintings he made when he was mentally unstable.
There are one or two practical exercises included in the tour. The standard exercise is to ask the students to draw based on a painting they have seen, for example The Sunflowers (1889) or
Gauguin’s chair (1888) (Appendix 6: images 3, 10 & 11). An optional assignment is to ask the students
to make the sounds they believe one would hear when standing in the painting.
1.4.2. Vincent’s travelling case
The Van Gogh Museum offers the travelling case as a family activity at the information desk in the museum. There are two versions of the travelling case: one for ages six to ten years old, the other for
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ages eight to twelve years old. The use of the travelling case is free of charge. The main difference between the two different travelling cases is the difficulty of the assignments in the travelling case.
A family is given a travelling case, a map and passports, with the purpose of creating the feeling of travelling for the participants. In the traveling case several exercises can be found: meeting Vincent van Gogh, finding your favorite painting, observing dots and stripes, talking about the painting, puzzling, looking at self-portraits, tracking. There is not a certain sequence to do the exercises and the purpose of the variety of exercises is to give the participants the chance to pick the exercises that are most appealing to them.
An example of one of the exercises is when the participants are asked to track paintings in the museum. The participants are given a selection of fragments of paintings in the museum. The paintings are on all the different levels of the museum. By using the fragments, the participants can track the different paintings and by doing so they will visit the museum in a playful way.
A closer look is taken at the paintings by the puzzle the participants can make, by finishing a copy of a paintings with stripes and dots, by talking about the paintings by using specific questions, which can be found in the traveling case. Each exercise offers new information about the life and work of Vincent van Gogh (Appendix 6: image 12).
1.4.3. The treasure hunt
The treasure hunt is another tool created by the education department of the Van Gogh Museum to visit the museum in a playful, more interactive way. The treasure hunt is available at the information desk in the museum. On each level of the museum the participant is invited to search for information about Vincent van Gogh and his work (Appendix 6: image 13). For example, on the first floor, questions are asked about the self-portraits, on the second floor about The Potato Eaters (1885) (Appendix 6: image 2) but also about Vincent van Gogh’s fascination with Japan, on the third floor the participant is taken to Arles by the questions and on the fourth floor one of the questions connects Vincent van Gogh with the painter Jean-Francois Millet.
In each answer, that is written down, one letter is chosen, and all the letters together form a new word at the end of the treasure hunt: specialist. At the end of the treasure hunt, the participant is a Vincent van Gogh specialist and the rewards are a specialist-sticker and a postcard of one of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings.
1.4.4. Van Gogh at school
Van Gogh at school is a facility offered on the website of the Van Gogh Museum, which is widely
available in several languages and free of cost. The purpose of Van Gogh at school is offering elementary school and high school teachers the opportunity to use digital, pre-fabricated art lessons about Vincent van Gogh. The advantage of Van Gogh at school lies in the fact that not all teachers have knowledge and affiliation with art, but by using the pre-fabricated art lessons they are able to teach their students about Vincent van Gogh (Hargreaves, 1983). The teacher will only have to read the instructions, which are given on the website with the chosen art lesson and open the art lesson on the computer in the classroom (Van Gogh Museum, n.d.).
1.4.5. Van Gogh goes to School
Van Gogh goes to School is a project meant for schools in so called focus neighborhoods. Schools
cannot book the project themselves via the website, but they have to get an invitation by the Van Gogh Museum. The invitation is based on whether the criteria are met.
One of the criteria is the school has to be located within sixty kilometers of Amsterdam. The museum works with five different regions: 1. Amsterdam, 2. Zaanstad, 3. Utrecht, Almere, Amersfoort and Alkmaar, 4. Culemborg and Lelystad and, 5. Den Haag and Rotterdam. In these regions certain neighborhoods are chosen based on the criteria determined by the municipality. The different municipalities do not have concrete criteria they use to determine a focus neighborhood (Gemeente Amsterdam & Rotterdam). The city of Amsterdam uses as a main criterion the income earned by the
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parents. In certain neighborhoods, more families make ends meet with an income close to or beneath the wettelijk sociaal minimum (WSM) (legal social minimum). Amsterdam wants to stimulate art education possibilities for children growing up in a so-called minimum-family. A connection is made between several initiatives like BTO (talent development), WPI (poverty reduction) and initiatives working with opportunities in primary education (Gemeente Amsterdam, 2017). However, this is not the only criterion. In 2016 the city of Amsterdam made approximately 100,000 euros available for certain schools in disadvantaged, focus neighborhoods. These schools were selected based on language deficiencies, poverty and lack of support from the parents (Parool, 2016).
The city of Rotterdam selects their focus neighborhoods differently. Every two years a neighborhood profile is formed about every neighborhood in the city. In these profiles a safety index, social index and physical index are taken into account. The index numbers are both based on qualitative data and qualitative data, collected by surveying the inhabitants of the neighborhoods. The safety index includes elements like theft, violence, vandalism and disturbance. The physical index includes elements like facilities, environment, real estate and public spaces. The social index includes elements like participation, capacities and living environment (Wijkprofiel 2018, n.d.).
Formerly, focus neighborhoods were appointed as such when there was one-sided housing, a lower score on quality of life and a feeling of unsafety. The inhabitants of the neighborhoods have in general a lower education level, do not have a job but live of a benefit, low incomes, more debt and less healthy compared to inhabitants of other parts of the city. The neighborhoods can differ a lot from each other: some are multicultural, others are workers’ districts. When specifically looked at more multicultural neighborhoods, integration in Dutch society was also taken into account (CBS, 2010).
To conclude, common criteria, used by municipals to address a neighborhood as focus neighborhood, are the average income of the inhabitants in the neighborhood, quality of life, living conditions and safety (Appendix 4: neighborhoods).
The classes of the Van Gogh goes to School-project for each group cluster have the same structure: the classes last approximately one hour and a half and includes both a theoretical part and an active, creative part. The theoretical part always entails information about a part of Vincent van Gogh’s life and the origin of the museum in Amsterdam.
1.4.5.1. Group one and two – A pajama for Vincent
The class, offered for the youngest students in elementary school, is based on The Bedroom (1888) (Appendix 6: image 14). The theoretical part of the class has a focus on the period Vincent van Gogh lived in the south of France. The museum educator explains Vincent van Gogh rented the yellow house to create a painters’ community. However, in the beginning he lived there alone, and the students are asked to make him a pajama. The students are explained about Vincent van Gogh’s way of painting with stripes and are asked to do the same with their creative assignment.
The second, creative part of the class starts with the shaping of a pajama with paper. The students are asked to tear paper in strips and form the parts of the pajama with separate pieces of paper (Appendix 6: image 15). When the student is satisfied with the paper pajama, he can glue the pajama on cardboard. Once the pajama is glued on the cardboard, the student is asked to color the pajama with stamps. The stamps imprint is a stripe and there are different colors, so the students can bring Vincent van Gogh’s manner of creating into practice.
1.4.5.2. Group three and four – Vincent working
The class is based on Vincent van Gogh’s fascination with peasants. The class starts with an assessment of the knowledge of Vincent van Gogh’s work and life of the students in the attending group. The students are shown a selection of paintings and sketches by Vincent van Gogh, which show the way he depicted peasants. The shapes and postures of the figures on the images by Vincent van Gogh are observed and a mannequin is used to further elaborate on the posture. These images and the mannequin are used as the basis of the creative, practical assignment the students are given in the second part of the class.
