Early punk and art schools in the Netherlands

There is no consensus on the relationship of punk to art schools.

Some say punk is essentially a working-class grassroots movement, not aligning well with predominantly middle-class art schools.

As the 1977-1979 line-up of Siouxsie and the Banshees broke up in Aberdeen on 7 September 1979, Siouxsie furiously said from the stage:

“Two original members of the band [she herself and bassist Steven Severin, who both had no art school background] are here tonight. Two art college students [guitarist John McKay and drummer Kenny Morris] fucked off out of it.”

On the other hand, there are arguments that punk was, to a large extent, a movement rooted in the art school scene. Or: that art schools were one of the few ways for working-class kids to get a good education.

How was it in practice for Dutch punks in the 1970s and early 1980s? A few examples, not pretending to be an all-around overview.

Saskia aka Syama de Jong (1944-2025) was the earliest Dutch punk, already in 1975-1976. She applied to go to art school. But the art school management said: “No, you are too young and from a working-class family”. She became the drummer of the Lou’s and the Miami Beach Girls: her bandmates had no art school background.

Terry, founder of the first all-girl Dutch punk band PVC and later of Hideous and Cheap ‘n’ Nasty, was told at secondary school that she was good at drawing and should go to art school. But she preferred becoming an architectural engineer. Her bandmates had no art school background.

Diana Ozon in 1977 enrolled at Amsterdam art school. After a few weeks, the school management found out that she was an editor of pioneer Dutch punk fanzine Koekrand. Immediately, the management told Diana: “Either that punk nonsense or the art school. You have to choose! ” Diana chose punk.

Jan Pieter Kuil founded the first punk fanzine in the eastern Netherlands, Aambeeld, and the band Kut in 1977. He, like his bandmates, was an art school student.

Of the four 1978 founders of the Leiden Pin fanzine, not one had an art school background; however, one was in the graphical branch of a pre-vocational school, somewhat similar to an art school for working-class 12- to 16-year-olds.

One may conclude, provisionally: one can hardly say there is a universal relationship or non-relationship between punk and art schools. It depends on differing individuals, differing cities and different countries.