David Shrigley installs giant praying mantis sculpture at former school

Indy100

28 Oct 2024

Article
by Claire Hayhurst

Last year, it emerged that the number of children studying for an art GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had dropped by 47% since 2010.

Over the same period, enrolment for art A-levels declined by 29%.

Shrigley said he hoped The Mantis Muse would spark a national conversation about the importance of the arts in schools and urged the Government to safeguard arts education for future generations.

“There’s been a huge decline in students taking A-level art,” he said.

“The conversation is really about art being a vital part of education, you need to have creative subjects as part of a balanced education.

“Art and the arts are the only subjects that give kids agency within their education, (where) they set their own path and get to be really creative.”