On display from 7 April to 5 May 2025, the exhibition celebrates a decade of object-based learning (OBL) at Central Saint Martins.
Over the past ten years, has become an integral part of teaching at CSM, offering students and educators dynamic ways to engage with material culture. Through innovative teaching methodologies developed in collaboration with students, tutors, and museum professionals, it showcases the invaluable contributions of students who have not only taught with but also have been collected by the Museum & Study Collection (M&SC).
Objects have played a central role in art and design education for centuries, yet it is only in recent decades that this process has been formally recognised as object-based learning. At CSM, the M&SC has been at the forefront of developing this pedagogical approach by inviting students to engage with objects directly — whether through handling, discussion, or creative response.
Head of Museum and Contemporary Collections, Judy Willcocks, who introduced object-based learning to CSM, reflects on its significance:
“The objects in the collection reveal something of our rich community — not just what we make, but who we are. As we expand our approach to teaching, we strive to ensure that the objects we collect and the voices that engage with them reflect the diverse student body we teach today.”
Silke Lange, Reader Associate Dean of Learning Teaching and Enhancement, believes that engaging with objects at such in-depth level can make students think about the impact of their own creations. “It's an opportunity to tell your own story through an object,” she adds.
“You have a social responsibility to think about what impact these objects have on different people and how they are perceived by others depending on the culture they come from,” Lange explains. "As a form of experiential pedagogy, it ultimately relies on sharing emotions and reflections openly with one another."
Lange has seen various occasions where object-based learning has inspired students to change their design approach. “When people listen to each other, they suddenly recognise the many different ways of looking at things,” she says, emphasising that being open-minded truly is not just an academic skill, but one that applies to real life, too.
Historically, objects were acquired based on their perceived artistic merit or ability to inspire students in their own creative practice. The Special Collection of the Central School of Arts and Crafts originated in the Technical Education Board’s Schools’ Examples Collection when architect, William R Lethaby, was appointed Art Inspector in 1894. He was personally responsible for most of the purchases made using the 拢200 given from the Board in 1896 to purchase art samples for the proposed Central School of Arts and Crafts.
Today, however, the collection functions as a living resource, encouraging students to interrogate objects, challenge traditional narratives, and question the structures that shape museum collections. This shift also requires an ongoing critique of Eurocentric, heteronormative, and ableist biases, ensuring that the collection and its teaching methodologies foster inclusivity and representation.
Rather than a complete change of direction, it was a response to the way the community at CSM had changed. “The communities we would once have described as marginalised are now in the majority at UAL – we have more students who are BIPOC than not, round about half of our students are neurodivergent in some way, and the same amount don’t locate themselves as being at binary opposite ends of the gender spectrum,” Willcocks explains.
“In the times that we find ourselves in, it is essential to engage with different cultures and learn more about them, and objects can become catalysts for these difficult but important conversations,” Lange notes how objects can ultimately become mediators of ideas, feelings and emotions.
Over the past decade, staff and students at CSM have developed a range of object-based learning methodologies that draw on interdisciplinary research and critical pedagogies. These approaches include visual and forensic analysis, emotional and extra-rational responses, playful learning, neurodivergent-inclusive methods, and sustainability-focused engagement.
, informed by , encourages students to deconstruct how an image or object is made, composed, and circulated over time. based on invites students to take a methodical approach—first describing an object without bias, then making deductions, and finally forming hypotheses through imagination.
Meanwhile, encourage self-awareness, asking students to consider how their personal experiences, cultural backgrounds, and bodily sensations shape their engagement with objects.
introduces elements of chance and experimentation, often inspired by Surrealist games. Through object-based activities such as dominoes, snap, and improvisational storytelling, students form unexpected connections between materials, histories, and ideas.
"Using games that students are likely to be familiar with, and comfortable with, helps encourage them to relax and engage with playful thinking around objects,” Campbell explains. “The methods used don't involve gamification, where there are winners and losers, but rather focus on the act of play and sense of freedom that instils to relate to the objects in front of them."
Meanwhile, , rooted in and the , ensure that OBL is accessible to a broad range of students, offering multiple ways to engage with material culture. “We have always had a high proportion of neurodivergent students, and teaching practice at the M&SC has always been framed to reflect that,” says Willcocks. “Simple changes like providing written labels for objects used in teaching sessions make life easier for everyone so it’s a win-win approach,” she adds.
Finally, use objects as a lens to explore environmental responsibility, material ethics, and social justice, drawing on the .
"Students have told us that working with objects helps them understand their positionality as a designer and the potential of design practice to make positive changes in the world,” says Willcocks.
Besides, students have begun to carefully consider the complex interactions of privilege, expert status, role in amplifying the power of historically marginalised people.
Not only do students engage with the M&SC, but they actively contribute to its growth. Over the years, the collection has acquired numerous student works through the annual Graduate Award. For over three decades, the M&SC has purchased works from graduating students with the intention of improving representation in its storytelling and reflecting the diverse communities at CSM.
In 2020, the process was formalised into the Graduate Award, aiming to speak to the issues that are important to our students and their lived experiences, such as race, gender, sexuality, identity, and mental health.
"As someone who is taking objects into classrooms and studios on a regular basis, I see the positive impact of that representation,” says Willcocks. “It is so important for us to be sharing work by South Asian ceramicists, African diaspora fashion designers or Korean graphic designers because it is obvious when students recognise something of themselves in the collections and feel that their culture is valued and seen."
The were no exception and have been incorporated in workshops since then. (Foundation in Art and Design) recontextualises quilt-making, drawing on magical realism to explore historical narratives of American slavery. His work references how enslaved people used cornrow hairstyles as maps and coded messages, demonstrating the power of textiles as sites of resistance and storytelling.
“I find it fascinating how, through the inspiration of magical realism, the artist has recontextualised something that was the first and only acceptable form of art for American slaves to make. Gannon’s work displays cultural creativity, whilst also touching on a sensitive topic with such consideration and detail,” says Ruthann Mburu, Graduate Award 2023 winner鈦�.
Meanwhile, (To My Future, Non-Existent Children) explores the complexities of family within the queer community. His project invites queer individuals to write letters to the children they may never have, creating a poignant archive of love, longing, and imagined futures. Through this deeply personal yet collective act, Ayala Roche expands the conversation around kinship and legacy.
“Many of us have been rejected by our families in one way or another, go through the atypical process of selecting our own chosen family, and also have to deal with the legal and political barriers to having children of our own,” says Ray Chong, Graduate Award 2023 winner鈦�.
In (MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture, Jewellery) practice, she transforms discarded palm nut seedcases into jewellery, integrating intricate Kongo patterns. Her work highlights issues of waste culture while elevating overlooked materials into objects of cultural and economic significance. By drawing on traditional craft practices and contemporary design, Nkaya’s work bridges histories and geographies.
“The palm tree is renowned as one of the most profitable trees, especially in Africa. Its fronds are used for roofing, the trunk for furniture making, and the fermented sap for palm wine and alcohol. While the palm kernel is commonly used for products like palm oil and dry cakes, the potential of its shells has rarely been creatively explored. Nkaya's projects not only find an innovative way to craft jewellery from the palm nut seedcase, which is often discarded as waste but also imbue it with significant cultural value by incorporating intricate Kongo patterns,” says Wakrot Chinshaka, Graduate Award 2023 winner鈦�.
In addition to contributing to the collection, CSM students and alumni have played an instrumental role in developing and leading object-based learning sessions. Many of these sessions have been designed by Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), who bring fresh perspectives and experimental methodologies to OBL.
For example, Sara David developed an interactive workshop for BA Graphic Communication Design students that used museum objects, such as and , as conversation starters.
Her session adopted a ‘special course’ dining table format, where students sat together to reinterpret archival materials through collaborative storytelling and zine-making. This approach encouraged participants to think critically about authorship, representation, and collective knowledge-making.
“I was interested in the prospect of teaching directly with the M&SC objects and opening a conversation with students on how these could become prompts into wider conversations around how archives can be drawn from, reinterpreted, and understood in a collaborative and playful way," David comments.
Siyan Zhang first encountered the M&SC when she took part in a collaborative Curatorial Practices project as part of the MA Culture, Criticism, and Curation course. For her workshop, Zhang designed a three-hour seminar titled, Home, Place, and Identity, for London College of Fashion (LCF) MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming students. Siyan selected objects ranging from historical prints to contemporary jewellery, providing fresh perspectives on the museum collection.
Amandine Forest's participation was driven by her longstanding interest in teaching and her job as a graphic designer, which often involves working with archive materials. Amandine led a session that enabled students to interact with objects, including 14th-century books typically seen only under glass.
Reflecting on the scheme, Forest learned a lot about the preparation involved in organising a workshop and how to manage students who are the same age or older than oneself. “Creating a comfortable space where students feel they are learning and gaining something from the experience was crucial,” she comments.
As we mark ten years of object-based learning at CSM, this exhibition reflects on our journey—honouring the past, embracing new perspectives, and looking ahead to the future of creative education. By centring student voices, challenging dominant narratives, and expanding the ways we engage with material culture, we continue to redefine the role of objects in art and design pedagogy.
The exhibition runs until 6 May 2025 across all the windows in Central Saint Martins.