Artefacts in General Education Schools: Open or Standardised Creative Work?

Abstract

The paper focuses on the artefacts produced and displayed by pupils in Lithuanian general education schools. Drawing on the empirical research “Dominant and demotic school culture: analysis of tensions fields” (2014–2015) the paper investigates the found visual artefacts in schools: artworks, paintings, and graduates’ farewell gifts. The visual data analysis seeks to find out what is the purpose and meaning of the displayed artefacts to the members of school community. On the one hand, these artefacts demonstrate pupils’ creativity, self-expression, and freedom to establish their private spaces in schools. On the other hand, pupils cannot avoid the existing norms, open or hidden control, which is maintained by teachers and school administration in order to restrict and standardize pupils’ creative work as it was showed by M. Foucault and other authors. The paper shows that one part of school community sees artefacts as a way to express oneself, demonstrate one’s world view or even resist existing restrictions and norms. Whereas the other part of school community sees artefacts only as a way to decorate school and create cosiness.