The Pancho Lasso Art School is as old as the Cabildo of Lanzarote, both founded in 1913, a difficult historical moment for Spain and particularly for the island. At that time, in Lanzarote, there were only primary schools, 80% of the population was dedicated to the agricultural sector and illiteracy rates were very high.
The local bourgeoisie of the time, eager to facilitate access to education for the working classes and represented in figures such as the writer José Betancort Cabrera and the doctor José Molina Orosa, then the first director of the School, made use of their good offices in Madrid, and managed to get Alfonso XIII to sign the Decree by which the School was created, which was a educational revolution on the island.
The director of the School, Manuel Perdomo, with a degree in Fine Arts and a professor of Technical Drawing, shares the ins and outs of a School to which "former students always return".
And it is not surprising, it is enough to enter the Pancho Lasso Art School to feel a wonderful sense of welcome, thanks to the diaphanous spaces of the building, the work of the architects Enrique Spínola and Trapero, and above all, its magnificent garden with abundant shade, where the ficus that was planted in 2013 on the occasion of the centenary of the School continues to grow.
"My son has never been as happy as when he was studying at the Art School"
"The characteristics of this property promote quality of life, it is a great building," explains Perdomo. "Both for good professional and vital practice. Just as a good house favors your quality of life and your level of happiness, the continent of this School allows students to feel in optimal conditions here."
"Our students, after having passed other training stages, always come back. And their families also come back, especially those of students who were singled out in previous stages for their clothing, or because their life option was not the norm. Several families have told us 'my son has never been as happy as when he was studying at the Art School'.
"Here we do not have problems with harassment and both students and teachers who have been in other art schools highlight the well-being they feel in this center. This is very important for the formation of the human being in each of the students."
Artistic baccalaureate, 13 cycles and 25 nationalities
This year there are a total of 228 students in high school and another 228 in the intermediate and higher level cycles. Among them there are 25 different nationalities. There are 31 foreign students in high school and 37 in the cycles.
That international dimension is also reflected in its participation in the Erasmus program, both for students and teachers. "Mostly in Europe, especially Italy, the countries of Central Europe, Malta and occasionally France. In addition, we can now also do it with countries of the American continent such as Mexico," summarizes Perdomo.
Asked about the most demanded courses, Perdomo highlights, among the higher cycles, historically that of Photography, and this year in particular, that of Jewelry, which is introduced for the first time this year and has almost 30 students, when the average of the higher cycles is 12 students.
The offer is completed by the higher cycles of Clothing Modeling; Artistic Ceramics; Comics; Illustration; Interior Design; Graphic Advertising and Audiovisual Graphics..
Among the intermediate degrees, the director shares, the greatest demand "oscillates between Graphic Design, Calcographic Engraving and Textiles". In addition, the School offers Arts applied to the Wall.
Adapting to demand while preserving traditional trades
The cycles change frequently, adapting to the times. "There are cycles that are exhausted. Having a handmade mahogany table is no longer a trend. This year we have changed Cabinetmaking for Artistic reproductions in wood."
The cycles adapt to the demand, but also attend to preserving trades that are part of the culture of the island and that are being lost. For example, in the textile field where two years of weaving alternate with two years of upholstery and carpets.
"When the tradition of transmitting the trade within the family is broken, art schools can provide an answer to the loss of these traditional trades." Perdomo explains that the teachings of the School have led to "ten looms operating on the island in four years".
The contribution of the School to recover the figure of Pancho Lasso
In 1986 the School takes the name of Pancho Lasso, who had been a student and then a teacher at the center. Thus, explains Perdomo, "a figure was recovered who touched all the avant-gardes and was a remarkable artist at a European level and who had disappeared from the social and cultural panorama of the island."
As a result, "the Cabildo acquires what are now the Pancho Lasso funds in the International Museum of Contemporary Art of Lanzarote (MIAC)."
Access Requirements
To access an intermediate degree you can arrive from 4th of ESO and also, you must pass an aptitude test to demonstrate that you have skills to study artistic teachings.
For a higher level cycle you access through the baccalaureate, which, if it was not artistic, must be complemented by the applicant also with a skills test.
In addition, for those who do not have the academic requirements, you can access by passing two tests, from 17 years for the intermediate degrees and 19 for the higher ones.
