Derek Horton
Encyclopedia
Derek Horton, born 24 June 1956, is an artist, writer, publisher and teacher. He worked in the jewelry trade, then as a wood machinist, and as a lorry driver, before becoming involved in community art
s and urban adventure playgrounds in the 1970s. This world of inflatables and telegraph poles resulted in an interest in sculpture that saw him making and exhibiting work in the 1980s before beginning a long period in university art education
in the 1990s. With Chris Bloor he set up a ground-breaking new undergraduate programme in 1997 at Leeds Metropolitan University
that encouraged students from diverse backgrounds and often with few formal academic qualifications to make art in ways that were not dependent on conventional studio practices nor on the critical theory
that weighed down so many art degree courses
at that time. This course reflected his interests in the relationship of art and popular culture
, the inter-relationship of digital technologies and manual production methods in contemporary art
, and in ephemeral, nomadic and improvisatory approaches to creative action. He was subsequently a Principal Lecturer and the head of Research in Contemporary Art at Leeds Metropolitan University until December 2007. He co-founded the online journal ‘/seconds’ with Peter Lewis in 2005 and with him was its editor for its first seven editions, remaining still on its editorial board
.) In 2009 he began publishing the online magazine
‘Soanyway’ which he co-edits with Lisa Stansbie. Soanyway is a site bringing together words, pictures and sound that tell stories in the broadest possible sense of the term.
Community art
Community Art could be loosely defined as a way of creating art in which professional artists collaborate more or less intensively with people who don't normally actively engage in the arts. Community arts, also sometimes known as "dialogical art", "community-engaged" or "community-based art,"...
s and urban adventure playgrounds in the 1970s. This world of inflatables and telegraph poles resulted in an interest in sculpture that saw him making and exhibiting work in the 1980s before beginning a long period in university art education
Art education
Art education is the area of learning that is based upon the visual, tangible arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practical fields such as commercial graphics and home furnishings...
in the 1990s. With Chris Bloor he set up a ground-breaking new undergraduate programme in 1997 at Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
that encouraged students from diverse backgrounds and often with few formal academic qualifications to make art in ways that were not dependent on conventional studio practices nor on the critical theory
Critical theory
Critical theory is an examination and critique of society and culture, drawing from knowledge across the social sciences and humanities. The term has two different meanings with different origins and histories: one originating in sociology and the other in literary criticism...
that weighed down so many art degree courses
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
at that time. This course reflected his interests in the relationship of art and popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
, the inter-relationship of digital technologies and manual production methods in contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
, and in ephemeral, nomadic and improvisatory approaches to creative action. He was subsequently a Principal Lecturer and the head of Research in Contemporary Art at Leeds Metropolitan University until December 2007. He co-founded the online journal ‘/seconds’ with Peter Lewis in 2005 and with him was its editor for its first seven editions, remaining still on its editorial board
Editorial board
The editorial board is a group of people, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take.- Board makeup :...
.) In 2009 he began publishing the online magazine
Online magazine
An online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
‘Soanyway’ which he co-edits with Lisa Stansbie. Soanyway is a site bringing together words, pictures and sound that tell stories in the broadest possible sense of the term.