Incorrectly Drawn Hen: a reflection on education in (and through) the arts

Incorrectly Drawn Chicken (Spatne namalovana slepice, 1963), also known as Gallina Vogelbirdae, is a Czechoslovak animated short film made by Jiri Brdecka (1917-1982), which became popular internationally after winning the Grand Prize at the Annecy Festival (France) in 1963. The short film stood out for its modern aesthetics, its efficient narrative and, above all, for its courageous message on artistic education in the classroom, highlighting such essential issues as the importance of fostering creativity, the need to tear down prejudices around what we consider "artistic" and "talent", and demanding tolerance and adaptation towards those who have different needs. All these aspects made this short film a classic and essential piece in the History of Animation, which provides very interesting perspectives for Art teachers. Incorrectly Drawn Chicken was proposed in class to the students of the Animation Theory and Analysis subject, of the Degree in Design and Creative Technologies at Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, during the 2020-21 academic year, as a pretext to reflect on topics such as education, the role of criticism, artistic originality, deepening their own experiences, both in Primary and Secondary Education, and at the University. This article collects these impressions about Incorrectly Drawn Chicken, clearly demonstrating the validity of the critics exposed by the short film six decades after it was made.