Following a review earlier this year it was agreed the funds provided to OCASA would be substantially increased to encourage both a wider distribution of funds to students and to encourage a diversification in the types of activities available to students.
Reflecting on your work underpins your entire practice; it is essential to be able to look objectively at your work and really review things such as- why you have done something, how does it work, is it a success or does it require more development/thought, how would it be improved, and the specifics of why it has worked/not worked.
At the recent assessment a large drawing caught the eye of the assessment team and I wanted to single out this piece as an example of what can happen when a student follows the logic of their research. I was lucky enough to be Gwenyth’s tutor for Drawing One and during a Google Hangout session for the third submission it was clear that one subject — a large rock near her home in Sweden — meant a lot to her.
Beginning my first Level Two course last year, I had confidence I would be just fine; happily settled after receiving a pleasing result at assessment for my previous course at Level One. I flew through L2 Developing Creative Textiles, sure I knew what my path and career specialisation would be. As far as I was concerned, I had developed my “style”… All I had to do was repeat it.
A stark shock came at assessment, when I got a much lower mark than expected. Why? I questioned; with my confidence in tatters.
OCA tutor and assessor Doug Burton looks at the work of BA (Hons) Creative Arts student Christa Hotham.
The underlying theme of this work — migration — is to be found throughout the Biennale but Dawood filters it through a lens of dystopian fiction and biology which has the effect of questioning rather than recounting stories of exodus and displacement.
Join OCA tutor Keith Roberts on the 19 August at Tate Liverpool. We will visit Portraying a Nation: Germany 1919–1933.
Kaarina Kaikkonen studied at the Academy of Fine Arts between 1978 and 1983. She has become one of the leading artists of Finnish art thanks to her work in sculpture and installations using clothing. Her research is primarily distinguished by using old clothes, which are bearers of stories and anonymous memory.
OCA tutor and assessor Cheryl Huntbach looks at the work of BA (Hons) Painting student Susan Gedda.
We are delighted to announce on behalf of the Board of Trustees, that Will Woods has been appointed the new Principal & Chief Executive Officer for Open College of the Arts.
In tutorials with my students we often discuss scale. Many of them are afraid of trying to work large and usually feel more comfortable painting and making on a smaller scale. In this blog post I will show you 3 exciting textile artists and their installations – pieces that exploit the possibilities of textiles on a very large scale.
