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Careers for creative people

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This article has been updated.
If you think creativity is only for artists, think again. People use creativity every day in all kinds of ways, whether to tell a story about that time your car broke down or to develop a mobile app.

For some people, creativity is an essential part of their work. "To be creative is the most exciting thing you can do," says Chris Triola, owner of a textile design studio in Lansing, Michigan. "It's as necessary to me as eating and breathing."

But making creativity your job typically requires practice, risktaking, and trial and error. For workers who do it on their own, it also means learning how to market themselves and run a business.

This article covers selected careers in which creativity is key. It discusses the creative process, highlights selected occupations that require creativity, and offers employment and wage data for these occupations. The article also explains some of the rewards and challenges of creative work, describes how to get started in a creative career, and lists resources for more information.

The creative process

Creativity can be defined as the ability to produce something of value that did not exist before. You could harness creativity to design a product, make a blueprint, or write a script, for example. The outcomes of creative work may be wildly different among individual people or disciplines, but there are often similarities in the process.

The creative process often starts with a spark of inspiration: An idea. It can come at any time and from anywhere, such as from nature or people. When thinking of ideas for a fabric pattern, for example, Triola looks in unexpected places, including cracks in ice or the lines on a cabbage leaf.

But inspiration alone is not enough for creating. Creativity requires hard work and patience to turn ideas into viable output. Workers increase their chances of success through planning, assessing, revising, and reflecting on their work.

Planning is important because it helps creative workers find focus and use their time wisely. By setting aside time for practice and research, for example, workers can improve their craft and connect ideas.

Planning can also make a project seem less daunting. For example, workers may break up a project into several small tasks and schedule time to create every day. Steady effort often leads to noticeable results. "When I look back, I realize that my art is constantly evolving," says freelance illustrator Daniel Dufford of Cincinnati, Ohio. "As long as you keep working, you'll keep getting better."

Throughout the creative process, workers should assess and revise their work. For example, a writer proofreads an article draft to ensure that its message is clear with no gaps in logic. Making a timeline and requesting feedback from clients, collaborators, and others may help workers stay on track.

After completing creative tasks, successful workers reflect on what they've learned during the process. They may review, for example, how often they practiced and what helped them do so more consistently. By applying these lessons to future creative endeavors, workers can improve their efficiency in finishing tasks.

Occupations for creative workers

Most occupations involve some form of creativity. A retail salesperson, for example, might design a more engaging product pitch, and a physicist might devise some new way of understanding nature.

In some occupations, creativity is an integral part of the job. Among these occupations are those for artists and related workers, designers, and media and communication workers. (For a list of other occupations that may involve creative skills, including some that you might not expect, see the box.)

Artists and related workers

Artists and related workers create aesthetic pieces that try to capture certain beliefs, feelings, or ideas. For example, a painter may try to express happiness through a watercolor landscape of a summer day. These workers typically develop a unique style.

The occupations described in this category include art directors, craft artists, fine artists, and multimedia artists.

Designers

Designers make original creations that have practical or aesthetic purpose. Businesses in nearly all industries rely on designers to develop and implement ideas for products or services. Designers may start a project by sketching ideas on paper or creating a computer prototype. Feedback from clients and staff members helps refine the ideas into a final product.

The following design occupations described are commercial and industrial, fashion, floral, graphic, interior, and set and exhibit designers.

Commercial and industrial designers. These designers focus on how customers interact with technical products and services, such as cell phones and online marketplaces. By researching and collecting data on customer behavior and market needs, these workers improve artistic design and ease of use, and ensure integration with existing products or services.

Commercial and industrial designers usually work on teams with engineers, managers, and other designers.

Fashion designers may oversee production of the garments, ensuring that workers such as seamstresses follow the designs. Often, they market their products to retailers and customers at fashion and trade shows.

Floral designers. These designers create arrangements with live and dried flowers and foliage. For each arrangement, they must consider the occasion-such as a wedding or birthday-and the customer's needs, budget, and preferences.

Floral designers may order flowers from wholesalers or grow their own. They must learn each flower's properties, including its season and colors, the sentiment it conveys, and how to care for it.

Graphic designers usually work for an art director or for a client directly. They also may work closely with people in advertising, communications, and marketing.

Interior designers. These designers plan and furnish the insides of residential, commercial, and industrial spaces. They consider the aesthetics, safety, and function of each space, as well as the client's needs and budget.

Interior designers create a plan to specify design elements, such as lighting fixtures, furniture, and flooring. The plan also estimates the project's cost and timeline.

Interior designers often work with architects, engineers, and builders. They may specialize in a particular style or field, such as sustainability, renovation, or kitchen design.

Designers collaborate with workers in charge of lighting, special effects, props, and construction. They also consult with experts to understand elements from a style or period, and they inspect the finished set or exhibit to ensure that it matches their design.

Media and communication workers

Media and communication workers use words or images to convey information and ideas. Some write fictional stories, and others capture information or actual events, such as breaking news.

Among these creative occupations are editors, photographers, technical writers, and writers and authors.

Many photographers are freelancers, but others work for an employer, such as a newspaper or magazine. Photographers are often grouped by the type of images they create. Examples are news, medical, and portrait photographers.

Technical writers. These writers communicate complex information to a general audience. They write instruction manuals, supporting documents, and other types of explanatory text. Increasingly, they incorporate graphics and, in electronic resources, sound and video to improve readers' comprehension.

Technical writers often collaborate with other workers, such as product designers, engineers, and customer support specialists. These other workers help writers understand the product and obtain data for diagrams and charts; they also offer feedback on drafts and the final product.

To get started, writers often research their subject matter. They also brainstorm ideas to create an outline that gives their draft structure. With the help of editors, writers and authors revise a draft until it is ready to be published.

Examples of writers and authors are screenwriters, biographers, playwrights, novelists, copy writers, and bloggers.

Wages, employment, and outlook

Wages, employment, and outlook vary among creative occupations. In most of the occupations described in this article, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that wage and salary workers earned more than the $35,540 median annual wage for all workers in May 2014.

But those data do not include wages for the many self-employed workers in nearly all of these occupations. And, although employment growth is projected to be slow for most of them, the need to replace workers who leave the occupations is expected to result in opportunities.

Wages

According to the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics survey, wages were higher than the overall median in nearly all of these occupations in May 2014. (See table 1.) However, these estimates do not include wages for self-employed workers, whose incomes may vary more widely than those of wage and salary workers overall.

Wages varied by geographic location, with workers in some metropolitan areas typically earning more than those in other cities. For example, graphic designers in the San Francisco metropolitan area earned a median annual wage of $74,930, compared with the median annual wage of $49,110 earned by graphic designers in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Wages also varied by industry. For example, technical writers in the specialized design services industry earned a median annual wage of $86,990, compared with technical writers in the newspaper publishers industry who earned a median annual wage of $54,600 per year.

Employment and outlook

According to data from the BLS Employment Projections (EP) program, employment size was relatively small in 2012-the base year for the most recent projections data-in many of the creative occupations discussed in this article. Employment projections data include self-employment, which was common in these occupations. Job openings are projected to vary between 2012 and 2022. (See table 2.)

Employment

Percent self-employed

Job openings due to growth and replacement needs

Artists and related workers

Media and communication workers

In 2012, employment for the occupations in table 2 was almost 1.1 million. Employment by occupation varied across industries. For example, nearly half of all floral designers were employed by florists. By comparison, editors' employment was less concentrated in a single industry: 18 percent worked for newspaper publishers, 10 percent were self-employed, and the rest found work in numerous industries, including advertising and TV broadcasting.

Most occupations listed in the table had a significantly higher rate of self-employment than the 6.5 percent rate for all occupations. This may be because many creative occupations lend themselves to self-employment, which includes freelance workers and business owners. For example, writers and authors, photographers, and craft artists -occupations listed in the table with the highest rates of self-employment-may be able to generate enough income working for themselves if they can successfully sell their creative product.

Employment growth is projected to be slow for most of these occupations over the 2012-22 decade. Reasons for slow growth may vary among occupations but include foreign competition and the decline of related industries such as publishing media.

Employment for technical writers is expected to be faster than the average for all occupations. But even in occupations that have limited growth, job openings are projected because of the need to replace workers who retire or leave for some other reason.

Rewards and challenges of creative work

As with any career, working in a creative job has pros and cons. This section outlines some of them.

Rewards

There are some rewards that are common to most creative work. These include the outlet for being creative, the flexibility of the work, and the opportunity to collaborate with others.

Being creative. Engaging in a creative activity is, for many workers, its own reward. Workers do interesting or unique projects while adding their own style.

Producing something that didn't exist before leads to a sense of accomplishment. "Being creative is really fulfilling," says wedding photographer Kyle Carnes of Portland, Oregon. "You can express yourself and take pride in what you create." News editor Gerri Berendzen of Columbia, Missouri, agrees, adding that she enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes with trying to break a big story-and getting the facts right.

Flexibility. Compared with workers in some other career fields, creative workers may have more flexibility in choosing tasks or setting schedules-especially if they are self-employed.

Often, workers have the creative freedom to explore a project or topic as they like. For example, a cartoonist sketching a new superhero character might decide to combine existing ideas, such as a cape, with his or her own elements, such as the idea of a child superhero. For many workers, exploring and remixing interesting ideas is part of the fun.

Collaboration. Creativity often benefits from collaboration, and many people enjoy working with others toward a common goal. "I find it really satisfying to help an author's writing get better," says Berendzen.

Even when working alone, people in creative occupations often learn from others. Freelance illustrator Dufford, for example, browses online art communities and blogs, taking elements of others' art ideas and reinterpreting them in unique ways. "If you surround yourself with good art," he says, "you'll be inspired to create good artwork."

Challenges

As with almost any career, creative workers may face challenges in their jobs that they need to overcome. To succeed, they must be able to handle stress and frustration, accept criticism and failure, and learn to persevere.

Stress and frustration. Creative workers may feel pressure to constantly produce new or better ideas, sometimes immediately. But inspiration doesn't arrive on demand-and the added stress may inhibit creativity even more.

It also may be common to work on tight deadlines for long stretches of time or to work at odd hours. And because competition for these jobs is often intense, workers may have a hard time finding enough creative work to earn an adequate income.

In some jobs or on certain projects, artistic freedom may be limited. "You have to remember that you're creating for other people, not yourself," says Dufford of working for a client. And restricted autonomy may be even more frustrating when a client changes project requirements without sufficient notice or compensation.

Self-employed workers usually face additional frustrations, including managing staff problems, assessing financial risks, and balancing work-life demands. Deciphering complex laws related to business ownership is also difficult. "I have to pay business, art, and local taxes on top of commercial photography and business licensing fees," Carnes says. "It can be hard to figure out what you're supposed to pay."

Criticism and failure. Creative workers imbue a little of themselves in their creations. Some workers may have difficulty separating from their work, which may make them more sensitive to criticism and prone to self-doubt.

But in many creative careers, criticism is necessary. Feedback from clients, friends, and peers is often part of the creative process. Among that feedback may be negative comments that could lead to a different approach.

And creativity takes a lot of trying-and failing-before an idea comes to fruition. "You have to risk failure and rejection to find success," says Triola.

Workers should be prepared to put hours of thought or effort into an idea, only to have nothing come of it. "Out of 10 ideas, only 1 might make it," says industrial design firm owner Austen Angell. "You can't get attached to an idea. Keep an open mind."

Perseverance. Often, the polished end product of creativity belies the struggle that went into achieving it. Turning an idea into a finished product doesn't happen overnight: creativity takes a lot of work and perseverance.

By focusing on the end result, workers can learn to push themselves. "Creative people are all about ideas, but that's the problem: it can be hard to finish one," says Carnes. "I really enjoy the feeling of accomplishment I get when I complete a project."

Getting started

You'll need some combination of skills, education and training, and experience to get started in a creative career. Networking and promoting your work are also important.

Skills

Creative workers need technical skill relevant to their occupation, which may involve use of certain equipment. For example, a craft artist who specializes in woodworking needs to be able to make bevel and groove cuts with a saw and a chisel, among other tools.

Communication skills are also important for creative workers. Having ideas is not enough; workers must be able to share those ideas through writing or speaking. "The single most important skill in a creative field is to learn how to use words to describe what you're doing so others can understand your vision," says Triola.

And for many people in creative occupations, business skills are pivotal to success-especially for those who are self-employed. "A lot of artists struggle because they're more concerned with their art than their accounts," Carnes says.

The Small Business Administration and the nonprofit SCORE offer information for small business owners through free or low-cost resources and services, including workshops, networking events, and one-on-one mentorships.

Education and training

According to BLS, most creative workers typically need a bachelor's degree to qualify for entry-level jobs. And workers in about half of these occupations receive on-the-job training to help them hone their craft. (See table 3.)

Getting an education helps workers build a solid technical and artistic foundation-and may improve employment prospects, even in occupations that don't typically require a formal program. "My college education really helped me," says Dufford. "It taught me how to have the discipline to sit down and work on something continuously."

The more technical the occupation, the more important a college degree may be. For example, beginning art directors, multimedia artists, and industrial designers typically need a bachelor's degree in a field related to their specialty. Additional coursework in math, the sciences, information technology, and other disciplines-such as psychology and sociology-may help jobseekers stand out from other candidates.

Creative occupations that usually require a high school diploma at the entry level, such as craft and fine artists and floral designers, also typically require on-the-job training. For example, a fine artist might work under the supervision of a master painter for several years to learn a variety of styles and techniques.

Creative workers in a few of these occupations, such as illustrators and photographers, may gain experience by starting out as assistants or apprentices. "Journeying with different people is really useful because you get to see how they work," says Carnes.

Still other creative workers learn from library or Internet resources or by studying others' work.

But whatever path creative workers take to their career, a common bond is the need for lifelong learning. As with workers in many fields, workers in creative jobs need to keep up with changes in technology and styles, such as by acquiring new skills, taking classes, or following blogs. "You have to constantly work on improving your skills," Dufford says. "Keep learning until the day you die."

Experience and networking

As table 3 also shows, most creative occupations don't require work experience in a related occupation to qualify for entry-level positions. Among the few who do need experience are editors, who typically gain experience by working in a related occupation, such as editorial assistant, writer, or reporter.

Even if experience is not required, however, creative workers usually benefit from hands-on learning, whether paid or unpaid. For example, some workers start out as hobbyists, then turn their passion into a career after discovering a market for their work.

More importantly, gaining experience helps workers gain professional connections. Creative workers must often take the initiative to network with peers and employers. This process is often difficult in the beginning, when these workers don't have a large portfolio or many professional connections. But networking gets easier as they build a reputation.

And networking should include potential clients as well as employers. "You must constantly market yourself," says Dufford. "I mail out promotional posters to studios and then try to make appointments to meet people at those studios. Ninety-nine percent of the time I won't hear back, but I live off the work that I get from the 1 percent of people who do respond."

Having an online portfolio and a social media presence may help potential clients find your work. Keep in mind that developing a solid career might take years, so be proactive-and patient. "Each year builds on the one before," Triola says. "It doesn't happen overnight."

For more information

To learn more about the creative occupations in this article-and hundreds of others-see the Occupational Outlook Handbook ( OOH). Each OOH profile includes information about job duties, employment, wages, job outlook, and more.

The National Endowment for the Arts promotes and funds creativity and art through grants for people and organizations in artistic fields. The endowment also offers a variety of resources, including podcasts, webinars, and events.

Professional associations offer additional career information and resources, such as job boards and networking events. Some occupations may have related associations that cater to a specific industry or group, such as minorities or residents of a particular state. The main professional associations for the occupations discussed in detail in this article are listed below.

Artists and related workers

For information about art directors, visit:

For information about craft artists, visit the American Craft Council.

There is no single association that caters to fine artists as a whole. Instead, look for associations that cater to a specific type of artist. For example, illustrators may visit the Society of Illustrators and sculptors may visit the International Sculpture Center.

As with fine artists, no single association represents multimedia artists, but there are associations for specific types of artists. For example, graphic designers may visit the American Institute of Graphic Arts. And workers in interactive entertainment, such as computer animators and game designers, may visit the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.

Designers

For information about commercial and industrial designers, visit the Industrial Designers Society of America.

For information about floral designers, visit the American Institute of Floral Designers.

For information about graphic designers, visit:

For information about fashion designers, visit the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

For information about interior designers, visit:

For more information on set and exhibit designers, visit:

Media and communication workers

For information about editors, visit the American Copy Editors Society.

For information about photographers, visit the American Society of Media Photographers.

For information about technical writers, visit the Society for Technical Communication.

And for information about writers and authors, visit:

Dennis Vilorio is an economist in the Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, BLS. He can be reached at (202) 691-5711 or vilorio.dennis@bls.gov.

Suggested citation:

Dennis Vilorio, "Careers for creative people," Career Outlook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2015.

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Careers for creative people : Career Outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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This article has been updated. If you think creativity is only for artists, think again. People use creativity every day in all kinds of ways, whether to tell a story about that time your car broke down or to develop a mobile app. For some people, creativity is an essential part of their work.

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MOCK INTERVIEW

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- travel (experience)
- challenges (exhibitions & museums)
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Csm - 28th next week

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awaiting email to confirm my place - exhibition to take place in the summer

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ucl : portfolio review dates full - will possibly have to do it next year

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Most universities and colleges welcome applications from students who have taken, or who are thinking of taking, a gap year - here are your options when applying.

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DDM

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This unique course enables you to study art and design in an renowned academic environment. Art and design theory is studied alongside a wide range of media that includes painting, sculpture, drawing, digital media, video and installation. You will also develop professional skills for your career.

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oxford uni

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The Ruskin School of Art offers a three-year studio-based BFA course in which students work alongside each other in collaboratively organised studios. Whereas many fine art courses run in an environment devoted exclusively to art and design, Ruskin students, as members of a collegiate university, have the advantage of contact with their contemporaries on all of Oxford's other courses.

The Ruskin course aims to develop strong independent points of view and a mature grasp of the range of critical debate surrounding contemporary art and its many international histories. Oxford's short terms, coupled with the ambitious atmosphere at the Ruskin, suit highly motivated and resourceful students with a good sense of how to organise their time both in and out of Oxford.

The first year of the course is structured to introduce students to each other, to the resources of the school and to the staff involved in teaching and running the Ruskin. Students will familiarise themselves with their fellow students' work, take part in group criticism and engage in intensive dialogue with tutors and visiting artists.

The intimate working environment of the school, arranged in two buildings, allows art history, theory and criticism to be treated as integral to the development of studio work. The Ruskin also enjoys a strong and constructive relationship with Modern Art Oxford and students have full access to the many exceptional University libraries and museums, including the Ashmolean.

Fine Art Careers

After graduation, most students go on to work in fine art as practising artists, teachers and art writers, or as curators in public and private galleries and for arts councils and organisations. Many also pursue careers in academia, architecture and the film industry.

We maintain close ties with former students and keenly follow their developing careers.

Jack Stanton, who graduated in 2013 and now works as a professional artist, recalls: 'I think the most important element of the Ruskin is the seriousness with which your work is considered by tutors and fellow students. It is because of this mature reception that students are left with no choice but to develop a strong capacity for self-criticism and an astute awareness of the interpretations their work can induce. The freedom I was given to pursue any creative avenue was initially dizzying - but became thrilling. The Ruskin gave me an invaluable set of mental skills that I employ daily to navigate my own ideas and communicate fruitfully with others in a wide variety of collaborative projects.'

Many Ruskin students have been shortlisted for the prestigious Saatchi New Sensations Award, and two alumni were award winners: Jack Stanton in 2013 and Oliver Beer in 2009. Emily Motto and Melanie Eckersley were amongst the Bloomberg New Contemporaries for 2014 and 2015 respectively. Helen Marten has been nominated for the 2016 Turner Prize.

Related courses

Students interested in this course might also like to consider History of Art.

A typical weekly timetable

1st year

Courses

Students develop their studio work in discussion with the school's lecturers, tutors and visiting staff. They are allocated a tutor at the outset, who monitors progress, sets targets and directs them in their studies. Work is regularly presented and discussed at group crits involving staff and students from across the school. Alongside this, workshops and projects designed to introduce a range of techniques and approaches are offered throughout the year. In addition, students attend taught practical classes in drawing and human anatomy as well as lectures, seminars and tutorials in art history. Experimentation is highly encouraged.

Assessment

Practical studio-based work, human anatomy
Three submitted essays
One written paper in the history and theory of visual culture

2nd and 3rd years

Courses

Years two and three are similar in structure and continue the tutorial system introduced in the first year. All students are required to continue the study of art history and theory and to submit three essays during the course of the second year. In the first term of the third year they agree an extended essay title with their tutor. This essay is submitted at the end of the second term of the third year as part of the Final Examination. Students are expected to establish a strong bond between the interests of the essay and their studio studies.

Assessment (2nd year)

Satisfactory record in all areas of the course
Assessment (3rd year)
A final exhibition and a supporting portfolio of work made during the second and third years
An extended essay
One written paper in the history and theory of visual culture since 1900

It is highly recommended for candidates to have studied Art to A-level, Advanced Higher, or Higher Level in the IB or another equivalent and to take an Art Foundation course.

Applicants interested in applying for Fine Art who are studying for a BTEC National Extended Diploma (BTEC) will have to submit a portfolio of work, and any offer will require candidates to achieve DDD grades. As the Fine Art degree also includes a substantial history and theory component, BTEC applicants will be expected to have successfully completed a range of modules that include art history.

Fees

Home/EU

£9,000

£0

£9,000

Islands
(Channel Islands
& Isle of Man)

£9,000

£0

£9,000

Overseas

£17,555

£7,135

£24,690

Additional Fees and Charges Information for Fine Art

In the first year of the BFA course, students are provided with basic materials such as paint, canvas, cartridge paper, glue, etc. There is no expectation for students to arrive with any additional equipment or materials beyond those they may already possess.

Each student receives a materials grant of £450 from the Ruskin School of Art for each year of the course. Finalists also receive a further materials grant of £275 for their work in the final show. Students in the second and third years of the course are expected to meet any additional costs for materials, applying to their college for support in the first instance. Colleges may also provide support for student projects and travel, including the optional work experience programme for second year students who take part in the Ruskin's Professional Practice Programme.

Throughout the course, students are able to borrow an extensive selection of equipment on a sign-up basis. In the first week of the first term, all students pay an equipment deposit of £100. The deposit system is to secure against the borrowing of departmental equipment and the deposit is returned to the student at the end of the course. There is also a returnable £10 deposit for the key fob to the Ruskin buildings.

Final year students normally stage a public exhibition of their work following the final examination and they collectively raise funds for this through sponsorship, drawing sales, and other activities.

All candidates must follow the application procedure as shown in applying to Oxford. The information below gives specific details for students applying for this course.

Portfolio

Portfolios must be submitted to the Ruskin School of Art by 6pm (UK time) on Friday 4 November 2016. There is no prescription for editing a portfolio, but candidates should aim for any range of work which gives a sense of their interests and appetites. Portfolios may contain original works, photographs, slides or digital images of paintings and sculptures, personal notebooks, short videotapes or CDs, drawings, soundworks etc. We value signs of the ability to engage in critical and inventive discussion, but above all we are looking for a strong visual curiosity.

Please note that the University may use the work which you submit to the extent necessary for the conduct of the admission process. The University is not in a position to verify the contents of portfolios, or to make any special arrangements for care, custody or return. The University cannot therefore accept responsibility for any loss or damage. Read more about the submitting a portfolio.

Interview and practical test

All candidates, including overseas candidates, who are shortlisted for this course are encouraged to come to Oxford for interview in December. The interview will include a practical test, where candidates are asked to complete two pieces in a variety of media from a number of possible subjects. Candidates themselves do not need to make any special arrangements for the test, as this will be organised for them by the Ruskin.

Selection criteria

Candidates may wish to refer to the selection criteria for Fine Art.

Suggested reading

The following list is suggested as a starting point and is not exhaustive and nor does it mean that you must read these.

Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography by Roland Barthes (Vintage)

The Rise of the Sixties: American and European Art in the Era of Dissent by Thomas Crow (Everyman )

Contemporary Art: A Very Short Introductions by Julian Stallabrass (Oxford University Press)

Contemporary Art: World Currents by Terry Smith (Laurence King Publishing)

We strongly encourage all students to attend exhibitions and look at art works as much as possible. Public art galleries like Tate Modern, the Whitechapel, and the Serpentine in London, the Ikon in Birmingham, the Liverpool Tate, the Whitworth in Manchester, the Baltic in Gateshead, the Arnolfini in Bristol, and Tramway in Glasgow are all excellent places to see contemporary art and to find out more about it.

Other excellent resources include:

It is also a good idea to look at journals such as:
Apply

Watch a series of short videos of students talking about some aspect of their time at Oxford.

Joel, 2nd year
'I was really excited to be somewhere that kept something academic as integral to the fine art process. I really don't believe that they can be kept apart... I like to get in depth in the concepts and ideas around the creative process.' 'This work was made as a response to Jeff Wall's 'Picture for Women' (1979) which itself is a photographic recreation of Manet's 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère'. Whereas Wall's photograph is portraying the gaze of the male artist onto the model and his control over it, in 'Picture for Jeff' there is no difference made between photographer and photographed subject.

The second picture negates the Fernweh (sense of longing for an unknown, faraway place), revealing that the person is not looking and longing for the possibilities the ships in front of her might represent, but is literally re-locating her contemplation on herself. As opposed to Wall's image where the focus lies in the relationship between the male artist, and Friedrich's painting where it lies in the unknown, in 'Picture for Jeff' the essence of the work seems to lie in the almost self-obsessed (re)presentation of the self.'
Jan, who graduated 2012, on his work, 'Picture for Jeff'

Natasha Peel (BFA 2009-2012) and Amba Sayal-Bennett (2009-2012) were shortlisted for the Saatchi New Sensations 2012 award. Natasha and Amba add to the succession of Ruskin alumni who have reached the top 20 in the last few years including Kira Freije (BFA 2008-11) and Charlie Ogilvie (BFA 2002-5) in 2011, Mimi Norrgren (BFA 2005-2008) in 2010 and Oliver Beer (BFA 2006-2009), the award winner in 2009.

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The Ruskin School of Art offers a three-year studio-based BFA course in which students work alongside each other in collaboratively organised studios. Whereas many fine art courses run in an environment devoted exclusively to art and design, Ruskin students, as members of a collegiate university, have the advantage of contact with their contemporaries on all of Oxford's other courses.

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DDM

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Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester School of Art Manchester School of Art / Foundation

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BA (Hons) Fine Art - Manchester School of Art

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BA (Hons) Fine Art course details, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

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uxbridge college

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Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( French: [ɡystav kuʁbɛ]; 10 June 1819 - 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and the Romanticism of the previous generation of visual artists.

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Alexandre-Jean Dubois-Drahonet

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129-806-4002

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Admission to the V&A is free

Some exhibitions and events carry a separate charge.
Exhibitions are free for Members.

Become a member

Museum opening hours

Daily: 10.00 - 17.45
Friday: 10.00 - 22.00

Last entry to exhibitions is 17.00 (21.00 on Fridays).
Exhibitions close 15 minutes prior to museum closing.
Reduced gallery openings on Fridays after 17.30.
Closed 24, 25 & 26 December.
Room 10C is temporarily closed.

Tunnel entrance

Daily: 10.00 - 17.40
Friday: 10.00 - 22.00

Study Room opening hours

Eating & Drinking

Enjoy a wide selection of food and drink in a choice of three exceptional spaces: the world's oldest museum restaurant with its beautifully designed period rooms, the Garden Cafe or our new Courtyard Cafe in the Exhibition Road Quarter.

Find out more about our cafés

Main Café

Daily: 10.00 - 17.10
Friday: 10.00 - 21.15

The Garden Café

The Garden Café is open year-round, weather permitting in December and January.

The Courtyard Café

Daily: 08.30 - 17.45
Friday: 08.30 - 20.30
Please note: The Courtyard Café opening are subject to change.

More information: v&a@benugo.com

Family visits

Visit the V&A for a fun and creative day out for all the family

Free activities are available every day and special workshops run during school holidays.

Find out more

Lunch time

Children's meal deals and high chairs are available in our cafés.

Packed lunches can be eaten in the Sackler Centre for arts education Lunchroom or in The John Madejski Garden.

Breastfeeding

You are welcome to breastfeed throughout the Museum. Quiet spaces are available for those who prefer privacy.

Maps

Use our interactive map to discover the many treasures in our galleries, find out where events are happening in the Museum or just check the location of the café, shops, toilets, lifts or cloakrooms.

Printed maps are available at all entrance points of the Museum, and you can also print a map of the V&A before your visit.

Interactive map of the V&A

Toilet facilities

Toilets can be found on levels 0 to 4. Baby changing facilities are found on levels 0, 1, 2, and 4.

Accessible Toilets:
Level 0 - Exhibition Road | Sackler Centre
Level 1 - Sackler Centre | Grand Entrance | Room 33
Level 2 - Room 56
Level 3 - Room 66
Level 4 - Room 123 | Lecture Theatre

Cloakrooms

Cloakrooms can be found in the Grand Entrance and Exhibition Road Quarter.
All large bags and wheeled cases must be checked in.

Luggage is charged per item:
£1 - Coats, small bags, umbrellas, child scooters, prams and pushchairs.
£3 - Cabin bags (56cm x 45cm x 21cm).
£5 - Large bags, folding bikes and adult scooters.

Items cannot be accepted 30 minutes prior to the Museum closing.

A dedicated pushchair storage area is available in the Exhibition Road Quarter.

Access

Our galleries are fully accessible and we have a wide range of services for disabled visitors

Find out more

Assistance dogs are welcome. Wheelchairs, walking frames, sound enhancement equipment for guided tours, large print maps and a full access guide to the Museum are available from the information desk in the Grand Entrance.

The V&A shop

Find inspiration in our incredible range of exclusive gifts, jewellery, books, fashion, prints & posters, fabrics and much more...

Shop online now

Shop & bookshop

Daily: 10.00 - 17.30
Friday: 10.00 - 21.30

Other opening hours

The National Art Library

Daily: 10.00 - 17.30 (closed Sunday & Monday)
Friday: 10.00 - 18.30
Plus seasonal closures
Find out more
Study Rooms

Prints and Drawings, RIBA Architecture, Ceramics and South & South East Asia
Access by appointment only
Find out more
Archives

Archive of Art & Design, the V&A Archive, Beatrix Potter Archives and Theatre & Performance Archives
Access by appointment only
Closing 18 December 2020
Find out more
Clothworkers' Centre for the Study and Conservation of Textiles and Fashion

Access by appointment only
Closing 18 December 2020
Find out more

Gallery closures

*Jewellery, Rooms 91 - 93, partial closure 7 - 12 November 2019
*Rapid Response Collecting, Room 74a, closed 11 November 2019 until June 2020 for refurbishment
*20th Century, Rooms 74 & 76, closed 11 November 2019 until June 2020 for refurbishment

If you are coming to the Museum to see something in a specific gallery, you are advised to contact us in advance of your travel.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 2000
Monday - Sunday, 09.30 - 17.30

Book a tour

Get closer to the Museum and its collections with our programme of free and private group tours

Find out more

Photography and sketching

Photography and sketching are welcomed throughout most of the Museum, except in some temporary exhibition spaces.

Gallery guidelines

Discover South Kensington.
Explore amazing exhibitions, inspiring events and great places to eat.

Find out more

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Admission to the V&A is free Some exhibitions and events carry a separate charge. Exhibitions are free for Members. Become a member Daily: 10.00 - 17.45 Friday: 10.00 - 22.00 Last entry to exhibitions is 17.00 (21.00 on Fridays).

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Work with an art curator and pay no advisory fees

Whatever artworks you are looking to purchase, your Saatchi Art curator will select works tailored to your needs, space, and style. Depending on your request, your curator will suggest a carefully chosen selection of around 30 works for you to browse through online. No other art advisory program offers this time-saving service to both individuals and trade professionals free of charge.

If you would prefer to browse our curators' collections by style and price please click here for a wide selection of curated works.

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Whatever artworks you are looking to purchase, your Saatchi Art curator will select works tailored to your needs, space, and style. Depending on your request, your curator will suggest a carefully chosen selection of around 30 works for you to browse through online.

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oxford university

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The Ruskin School of Art offers a three-year studio-based BFA course in which students work alongside each other in collaboratively organised studios. Whereas many fine art courses run in an environment devoted exclusively to art and design, Ruskin students, as members of a collegiate university, have the advantage of contact with their contemporaries on all of Oxford's other courses.

The Ruskin course aims to develop strong independent points of view and a mature grasp of the range of critical debate surrounding contemporary art and its many international histories. Oxford's short terms, coupled with the ambitious atmosphere at the Ruskin, suit highly motivated and resourceful students with a good sense of how to organise their time both in and out of Oxford.

The first year of the course is structured to introduce students to each other, to the resources of the school and to the staff involved in teaching and running the Ruskin. Students will familiarise themselves with their fellow students' work, take part in group criticism and engage in intensive dialogue with tutors and visiting artists.

The intimate working environment of the school, arranged in two buildings, allows art history, theory and criticism to be treated as integral to the development of studio work. The Ruskin also enjoys a strong and constructive relationship with Modern Art Oxford and students have full access to the many exceptional University libraries and museums, including the Ashmolean.

Fine Art Careers

After graduation, most students go on to work in fine art as practising artists, teachers and art writers, or as curators in public and private galleries and for arts councils and organisations. Many also pursue careers in academia, architecture and the film industry.

We maintain close ties with former students and keenly follow their developing careers.

Jack Stanton, who graduated in 2013 and now works as a professional artist, recalls: 'I think the most important element of the Ruskin is the seriousness with which your work is considered by tutors and fellow students. It is because of this mature reception that students are left with no choice but to develop a strong capacity for self-criticism and an astute awareness of the interpretations their work can induce. The freedom I was given to pursue any creative avenue was initially dizzying - but became thrilling. The Ruskin gave me an invaluable set of mental skills that I employ daily to navigate my own ideas and communicate fruitfully with others in a wide variety of collaborative projects.'

Many Ruskin students have been shortlisted for the prestigious Saatchi New Sensations Award, and two alumni were award winners: Jack Stanton in 2013 and Oliver Beer in 2009. Emily Motto and Melanie Eckersley were amongst the Bloomberg New Contemporaries for 2014 and 2015 respectively. Helen Marten has been nominated for the 2016 Turner Prize.

Related courses

Students interested in this course might also like to consider History of Art.

A typical weekly timetable

1st year

Courses

Students develop their studio work in discussion with the school's lecturers, tutors and visiting staff. They are allocated a tutor at the outset, who monitors progress, sets targets and directs them in their studies. Work is regularly presented and discussed at group crits involving staff and students from across the school. Alongside this, workshops and projects designed to introduce a range of techniques and approaches are offered throughout the year. In addition, students attend taught practical classes in drawing and human anatomy as well as lectures, seminars and tutorials in art history. Experimentation is highly encouraged.

Assessment

Practical studio-based work, human anatomy
Three submitted essays
One written paper in the history and theory of visual culture

2nd and 3rd years

Courses

Years two and three are similar in structure and continue the tutorial system introduced in the first year. All students are required to continue the study of art history and theory and to submit three essays during the course of the second year. In the first term of the third year they agree an extended essay title with their tutor. This essay is submitted at the end of the second term of the third year as part of the Final Examination. Students are expected to establish a strong bond between the interests of the essay and their studio studies.

Assessment (2nd year)

Satisfactory record in all areas of the course
Assessment (3rd year)
A final exhibition and a supporting portfolio of work made during the second and third years
An extended essay
One written paper in the history and theory of visual culture since 1900

It is highly recommended for candidates to have studied Art to A-level, Advanced Higher, or Higher Level in the IB or another equivalent and to take an Art Foundation course.

Applicants interested in applying for Fine Art who are studying for a BTEC National Extended Diploma (BTEC) will have to submit a portfolio of work, and any offer will require candidates to achieve DDD grades. As the Fine Art degree also includes a substantial history and theory component, BTEC applicants will be expected to have successfully completed a range of modules that include art history.

Fees

Home/EU

£9,000

£0

£9,000

Islands
(Channel Islands
& Isle of Man)

£9,000

£0

£9,000

Overseas

£17,555

£7,135

£24,690

Additional Fees and Charges Information for Fine Art

In the first year of the BFA course, students are provided with basic materials such as paint, canvas, cartridge paper, glue, etc. There is no expectation for students to arrive with any additional equipment or materials beyond those they may already possess.

Each student receives a materials grant of £450 from the Ruskin School of Art for each year of the course. Finalists also receive a further materials grant of £275 for their work in the final show. Students in the second and third years of the course are expected to meet any additional costs for materials, applying to their college for support in the first instance. Colleges may also provide support for student projects and travel, including the optional work experience programme for second year students who take part in the Ruskin's Professional Practice Programme.

Throughout the course, students are able to borrow an extensive selection of equipment on a sign-up basis. In the first week of the first term, all students pay an equipment deposit of £100. The deposit system is to secure against the borrowing of departmental equipment and the deposit is returned to the student at the end of the course. There is also a returnable £10 deposit for the key fob to the Ruskin buildings.

Final year students normally stage a public exhibition of their work following the final examination and they collectively raise funds for this through sponsorship, drawing sales, and other activities.

All candidates must follow the application procedure as shown in applying to Oxford. The information below gives specific details for students applying for this course.

Portfolio

Portfolios must be submitted to the Ruskin School of Art by 6pm (UK time) on Friday 4 November 2016. There is no prescription for editing a portfolio, but candidates should aim for any range of work which gives a sense of their interests and appetites. Portfolios may contain original works, photographs, slides or digital images of paintings and sculptures, personal notebooks, short videotapes or CDs, drawings, soundworks etc. We value signs of the ability to engage in critical and inventive discussion, but above all we are looking for a strong visual curiosity.

Please note that the University may use the work which you submit to the extent necessary for the conduct of the admission process. The University is not in a position to verify the contents of portfolios, or to make any special arrangements for care, custody or return. The University cannot therefore accept responsibility for any loss or damage. Read more about the submitting a portfolio.

Interview and practical test

All candidates, including overseas candidates, who are shortlisted for this course are encouraged to come to Oxford for interview in December. The interview will include a practical test, where candidates are asked to complete two pieces in a variety of media from a number of possible subjects. Candidates themselves do not need to make any special arrangements for the test, as this will be organised for them by the Ruskin.

Selection criteria

Candidates may wish to refer to the selection criteria for Fine Art.

Suggested reading

The following list is suggested as a starting point and is not exhaustive and nor does it mean that you must read these.

Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography by Roland Barthes (Vintage)

The Rise of the Sixties: American and European Art in the Era of Dissent by Thomas Crow (Everyman )

Contemporary Art: A Very Short Introductions by Julian Stallabrass (Oxford University Press)

Contemporary Art: World Currents by Terry Smith (Laurence King Publishing)

We strongly encourage all students to attend exhibitions and look at art works as much as possible. Public art galleries like Tate Modern, the Whitechapel, and the Serpentine in London, the Ikon in Birmingham, the Liverpool Tate, the Whitworth in Manchester, the Baltic in Gateshead, the Arnolfini in Bristol, and Tramway in Glasgow are all excellent places to see contemporary art and to find out more about it.

Other excellent resources include:

It is also a good idea to look at journals such as:
Apply

Watch a series of short videos of students talking about some aspect of their time at Oxford.

Joel, 2nd year
'I was really excited to be somewhere that kept something academic as integral to the fine art process. I really don't believe that they can be kept apart... I like to get in depth in the concepts and ideas around the creative process.' 'This work was made as a response to Jeff Wall's 'Picture for Women' (1979) which itself is a photographic recreation of Manet's 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère'. Whereas Wall's photograph is portraying the gaze of the male artist onto the model and his control over it, in 'Picture for Jeff' there is no difference made between photographer and photographed subject.

The second picture negates the Fernweh (sense of longing for an unknown, faraway place), revealing that the person is not looking and longing for the possibilities the ships in front of her might represent, but is literally re-locating her contemplation on herself. As opposed to Wall's image where the focus lies in the relationship between the male artist, and Friedrich's painting where it lies in the unknown, in 'Picture for Jeff' the essence of the work seems to lie in the almost self-obsessed (re)presentation of the self.'
Jan, who graduated 2012, on his work, 'Picture for Jeff'

Natasha Peel (BFA 2009-2012) and Amba Sayal-Bennett (2009-2012) were shortlisted for the Saatchi New Sensations 2012 award. Natasha and Amba add to the succession of Ruskin alumni who have reached the top 20 in the last few years including Kira Freije (BFA 2008-11) and Charlie Ogilvie (BFA 2002-5) in 2011, Mimi Norrgren (BFA 2005-2008) in 2010 and Oliver Beer (BFA 2006-2009), the award winner in 2009.

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The Ruskin School of Art offers a three-year studio-based BFA course in which students work alongside each other in collaboratively organised studios. Whereas many fine art courses run in an environment devoted exclusively to art and design, Ruskin students, as members of a collegiate university, have the advantage of contact with their contemporaries on all of Oxford's other courses.

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An Open Day immerses you in the university experience, dropping you into a vibrant campus that’s buzzing with activity. Our next Open Days take place on Saturday 18th June, Saturday 9th July, and Saturday 3rd September 2016

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Wednesday 19 October 2016

Wednesday 9 November 2016

Wednesday 16 November 2016

This starts promptly at 2pm in a venue to be confirmed. There is no requirement to book in advance.

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Goldsmiths University - DDM

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UCAS
W190

Length
3 years full-time

Department
Art

This degree aims to equip you with creative, interpretive, critical and analytical skills, so that you can participate in and contribute to the expanding field of contemporary art.

This course is no longer accepting applications for 2017 entry. Applications for 2018 entry will be opening this autumn.

Why study BA Fine Art at Goldsmiths?

You'll make and study contemporary art in a dynamic, critical and interdisciplinary environment

We'll equip you with the skills that will help you develop independent thought and confidence in your practice, as well as transferable skills suitable for employment in the creative industries

You'll have your own studio space from day one, and will have access to excellent facilities including specialist research laboratories

All staff on the programme are practising artists, curators and writers, here to respond to the work that you make and to help you understand how it contributes to, and challenges, the critical debates that exist in the study area and beyond

Since 1990, former Goldsmiths students have been nominated for the Turner Prize more than 30 times, and have won the prize on seven occasions

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dawn Mellor (Home/EU applicants) or Lucy Clout (international applicants)

What you study

The programme has two elements:

Studio Practice (75% of the course)

You'll have your own studio space from day one, and will have access to excellent facilities and technical advice. Studios are not divided by year or discipline, so you will be studying alongside students from all stages of the programme working in a wide variety of media, including:

Drawing

Painting

Constructed textiles

Printmaking

Sculpture

Stitch

Fabric

Photography

Printed textiles

Video

Installation

Performance

Studio teaching is supported and complemented by workshop areas, which will introduce you to the techniques and skills relevant to the practical development of your work.

You'll have regular individual and group tutorials with your own tutor, with other tutors, and with visiting artists. You will also present your work for discussion with a larger group of students each term.

Critical Studies (25% of the course)

The lecture and seminar series in Year 1 offers a space for exploring and examining the historical and critical context in which art is made, seen and understood. The seminar options from which you can choose in Year 2 engage and extend your critical skills, enabling you to develop your ability to analyse, judge and write about contemporary art. Tutorials will guide your essay writing in Years 1 and 2, and will support the completion of your dissertation in Year 3.

All staff on the programme are practising artists, curators and writers, here to respond to the work that you make and to help you understand how it contributes to and challenges the critical debates that exist in the study area and beyond. We support your development and creativity and help you acquire independent learning skills. This approach requires you to be committed, to thrive on constructive criticism exchanged between staff and students, and to participate in discussing your own work and that of others.

Assessment

Studio practice coursework is continuously assessed through individual tutorials and group seminars. This is complemented by studio presentations at Year 1, viva voce at Year 2, and a final exhibition at Year 3. Critical Studies is assessed through essays (Years 1 and 2) and a dissertation (Year 3).

Download the programme specification, relating to the 2017-18 intake. If you would like an earlier version of the programme specification, please contact the Quality Office.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Our entry requirements for this programme are usually:

Successful completion of three A-levels, International Baccalaureate or an equivalent qualification

PLUS successful completion of an Art and Design Foundation diploma

Portfolio of work

OR
Successful completion of a Foundation diploma, BTEC Extended Diploma in Art and Design (completed by the end of the academic year preceding entry).

Please note, students applying directly from A-Levels who have not completed an Art and Design Foundation or BTEC Extended Diploma in Art and Design will not be eligible for this programme.

After submitting your application you'll be asked to upload a portfolio online. If selected for interview, you'll be asked to bring along a portfolio of recent work and an essay. Find out more about the electronic portfolio requirements.

Mature students without formal qualifications who have relevant experience are also welcomed.

Equivalent qualifications
We accept a wide range of qualifications equivalent to the ones listed above. This includes:

Scottish qualifications: Successful completion
European Baccalaureate: Successful completion
Irish Leaving Certificate: Successful completion

If your qualifications are from another country, find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

English language requirements
If English isn't your first language, you'll need to meet our English language requirements to study with us.

For this programme we require:

IELTS 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0

If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for degree-level study.

Read more about our general entrance requirements.

We have a world-leading reputation that brings together
students and researchers from all over the globe

Art
We specialise in making, curating and writing about contemporary art in a dynamic, critical and interdisciplinary environment.
And we work with a network of artists, curators, galleries and museums in both London and internationally to create an inspiring and dynamic place in which to study and develop an artistic practice.

Our alumni go on to do great things. Many of them are among the most recognised names working in art today, and since 1990 they've been nominated for the Turner Prize more than 30 times, winning the prize on seven occasions.

Find out more about the Department of Art.

Facilities

Our spectacular Ben Pimlott Building provides purpose-built teaching space on campus, including some of the art studios, lecture theatres, and digital media labs. The studios benefit from generous floor-to-ceiling windows. The department provides space for:

art studios

performance work

installations

temporary projects and exhibitions

a range of research laboratories

You also have access to College-wide facilities.

Studios

All students have their own studio space. This is a place in which to work, to meet and spend time with other students, and to have tutorials. It's also a base from which to organise your work in other parts of the college - such as the various research laboratories, the workshops, and the library - as well as your research visits to galleries and exhibitions in London.

The studios are occupied by students from all three years of the course. This arrangement maximises opportunities for conversation and exchange, and helps to encourage sharing of knowledge, interest and experience between students.

Read more

On this degree you'll be taught through intensive studio and research laboratory practice, tutorials, and mixed-year studio practice presentations. This will enhance your academic knowledge of the subject, improve your communication skills, and develop your technical and creative skills. You'll also attend lectures and seminars where you'll hear about ideas and concepts related to specific topics, and where you'll be encouraged to discuss and debate the issues raised.

But this is just a small proportion of what we expect you to do on the degree. For each hour of taught learning, we expect you to complete another 5-6 hours of independent study. This typically involves carrying out research and producing work. This emphasis on independent learning is very important at Goldsmiths.

Studio teaching

Each year you'll be allocated a studio space that will be the focal point of your activities. All the studios are mixed, with students from all three levels sharing the studio spaces, providing valuable peer support. You will determine the nature of your practice and, with guidance from the tutorial staff, be encouraged to work in any medium that you choose. Studio teaching is enhanced by technical support, which introduces you to techniques relevant to the practical development of your work. You'll also be expected to research the appropriate context and debates around your chosen area of working practice.

Studio practice

In Studio Practice each year you're assigned a tutor who will be part of a group of staff with overall responsibility for supporting and assessing your progress. Throughout the programme you will be taught through individual tutorials in your studio space and mixed year group presentations and discussions. This enables a valuable exchange of ideas between all students on the programme.

Critical studies

In Critical Studies, lectures and seminars will introduce and develop key issues, which inform contemporary art practices and encourage you to extend your ability to discuss, analyse and write about contemporary art. This provides a framework for judgement so that you can develop your work in the critical context of art practice.

The programme seeks to engage and extend your critical faculties as a practising artist and to enable you to develop your ability to talk about, analyse and judge contemporary art. You'll be taught through a systematic programme of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Contemporary Critical Studies takes a distinct form in each year that allows you to work towards developing an independent research programme.

Find out more about these learning and teaching approaches.

Skills

All our undergraduate programmes will give you the skills to develop independent thought and confidence in your practice. These skills will also be of use in other career paths you may wish to follow. You'll develop the following transferable skills:

critical and analytical skills

creative and practical skills

ability to express ideas clearly

IT skills

We provide you with a series of opportunities for specialist advice and further information to complement your studies and prepare you for professional life after graduation. Our students actively seek opportunities to exhibit their work beyond Goldsmiths through external networks while they are here.

Careers

Many graduates have continued to be successful, practising artists long after graduating, winning major prizes and exhibiting around the world. The Turner Prize shortlist has consistently included at least one of our former undergraduates, including Angela de la Cruz in 2010. Six of the prize-winners have studied here: Grenville Davey, Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, Steve McQueen and Mark Wallinger.

The interdisciplinary nature of the programme will enable you to work in a variety of fields (eg media, museums, education, the music business, and academia) and progress to a variety of careers, including:

practising artist

art historian

arts administrator

gallery curator

arts journalist

teacher

lecturer

writer

conservationist

designer

You can read more about potential career paths after graduation on our Department of Art careers pages. Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.

Similar programmes

Around the university

See more profiles for this programme

Read more

"My work has developed so much as I've been allowed to pursue my own interests and ideas with good critical feedback from both tutors and students."

"I first found out about Goldsmiths when I was searching for well-regarded art degrees in the UK and there was certainly a lot of discussion about the BA course here. After coming to an open day, seeing the studios and learning about the very self-directed nature of their studio practice, I was certain the structure at Goldsmiths was perfect for me. I'm just coming to the end of my second year now, and I feel my work has developed so much as I've been allowed to pursue my own interests and ideas with good critical feedback from both tutors and students.

The atmosphere at Goldsmiths has also definitely helped my confidence as it's a very accepting place where you're encouraged to be yourself, even if it's a bit weird. Being a student ambassador has been equally beneficial and has allowed me to develop a lot of useful skills which I can actually apply to my career as an artist.

I hope to be able to carry on making art after I graduate, supporting myself with part-time or freelance jobs until I'm able to do an MA. I think the entrepreneurial spirit at Goldsmiths has really given me the best chance at succeeding in the art world, as well as the skills to do things by and for myself.

I'm currently organising an group exhibition around ideas of fiction and boundaries that will be held at Lewisham Arthouse. I was able to fund this project through a successful application to the Annual Fund at Goldsmiths. The show will include work from students in several different creative departments at the college."

"For me, art is not about objects of high monetary exchange - it's about reasserting our first-hand experience in present time."

Acclaimed sculptor Antony Gormley, recently knighted in the 2014 New Year Honours list for services to the arts, studied BA Fine Art at Goldsmiths in the late 1970s, and since then has enjoyed a career as one of Britain's most critically acclaimed artists.

Antony is probably best known for his ' Angel of the North ' sculpture (pictured), one of the most talked about pieces of public art ever produced. The figure - which is the height of four double decker buses - dominates the Gateshead landscape on which it stands, and typifies his preoccupation with encouraging us to reconsider the elemental world we live in. "The angel has three functions," he explained. "Firstly a historic one to remind us that below this site coal miners worked in the dark for 200 years; secondly, to grasp hold of the future, expressing our transition from the industrial to the information age; and, lastly, to be a focus for our hopes and fears." It has won numerous awards, and was named as one of the classic designs of the 20th century by the BBC.

In 1994 Antony was awarded the prestigious Turner Prize for his sculpture 'Field for the British Isles', which makes him one of seven Turner Prize winners who are former Goldsmiths students. Almost a quarter of those shortlisted for the award since it began have studied at Goldsmiths.

Speaking about his work in a 2012 TED Talk, he explained that "art is not about objects of high monetary exchange - it's about reasserting our first-hand experience in present time." His pieces have been exhibited throughout the world, and he has participated in major group shows like the Venice Biennale. In addition to the 'Angel of the North', other permanent public works include 'Another Place' (Crosby Beach, England), 'Inside Australia' (Lake Ballard, Western Australia) and 'Exposure' (Lelystad, The Netherlands).

Antony spoke to Radio 4 about his experience of studying at Goldsmiths: "The most important thing was the constitution of the course and what the tutors could provoke in the students - a kind of chemistry in every year. There was an understanding that the major energy, and the source from which you learned the most, was the energy of your fellow students. There was this absolute understanding that everybody there was absolutely compelled to keep going, and keep exploring, and keep actually articulating what they were exploring - either by showing it or talking about it. The whole thing was driven by the students."

"Studying Fine Art and History of Art at Goldsmiths for three years was an excellent scaffold for my career."

"After my graduation in 2010, I completed an internship at the Department for Education as a Policy Advisor. This was an invaluable experience as I gained skills in analysing current regulations and legislations within education proposed by the government and making the required changes accordingly. I then went on to complete a postgraduate course in education and I am currently working at a comprehensive boys' secondary school in Barnet, as an art and design teacher.

Studying Fine Art and History of Art at Goldsmiths for three years was an excellent scaffold for my career. My modules in history of art trained me in the critical skills and theoretical understanding required to adequately develop Key Stage 3, GCSE and A-level schemes of work; where students engage and analyse with ideas, images and artefacts from varied artists and cultures. Most importantly however, Goldsmiths has allowed me to develop my practice as an artist."
Image: one of Jusna's final year works

Kathy

"I chose to take the MFA Curating at Goldsmiths as the course was less 'formal' than that of other institutions."

Find out more

Professor Kristen Kreider

Find out more

Hunky Dory

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UCAS W190 Length 3 years full-time Department Art This degree aims to equip you with creative, interpretive, critical and analytical skills, so that you can participate in and contribute to the expanding field of contemporary art.

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Lancaster University - DMM

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What Will You Study

Taught by academic staff who are themselves practising artists, historians and theorists, you will be able to study the Fine Art disciplines separately or through interdisciplinary practice. Every Lancaster Fine Art student has their own dedicated studio space from day one, accessible 24/7, day and night.

Our aim from the beginning of your course is for you to become an informed Fine Art practitioner with clear creative aspirations and ambition. You will achieve this through the integration of studio-based practice and the study of both art theory and history. So, the first year of your Fine Art degree begins with modules including Fine Art Practice and the LICA-wide module Modernism in the Arts.

In your second year, you will take the core modules Studio Practice and Critical Reflections (contemporary arts theory), and modules in Professional Practice or Digital Media will also be an option. Your third year similarly balances academic and practical study including Studio Practice, Professional Practice, and Dissertation. In addition to these modules two vocationally orientated modules, LICA Work Placement and Creative Enterprise, are available in your second and final years.

While we have no 'house style' the emphasis is on Fine Art practice and Fine Art 'thinking' in painting, drawing, sculpture, digital, live art and their hybrids. Our aim is for you to develop the practice and ideas that best reflect your aims and values as a young Fine Artist.

Your tutors will be professional artists and publishing historians and the mix of academic and creative skills gained at Lancaster makes you highly attractive for postgraduate study and employers.

Getting seen is crucial for those who want to pursue careers in Fine Art. With this in mind, our degree programme ends with both a solo and group show for each student.

Entry Criteria
Grade Requirements
A Level AAB-ABB and a portfolio of your work

International Baccalaureate 35-32 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects

BTEC Distinction, Distinction, Distinction to Distinction, Distinction, Merit

Other Qualifications We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications. For more information please visit the international qualifications webpage or contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office directly.
Essential Subjects
The following subjects are considered desirable by the department: Art and Design and one other humanities subject.

IELTS 6.5 (with at least 5.5 in each component)
Further Information
General Studies Offers normally include General Studies if it is taken as a fourth A level.

Foundation Courses Art foundation courses are not an essential requirement for this degree. Please note foundation courses are considered but not accepted in lieu of our academic entry requirements

Portfolio Digital portfolios are requested if an applicant is deemed to meet our academic entry requirements and overall profile. The department will contact an applicant to request a portfolio be uploaded to Blogger. The portfolio should include imaginative, expressive and analytical work as well as objective drawing.

Combination of Qualifications Applications from students with a combination of qualifications are welcomed, for further advice please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office directly.

Taking a gap year Applications for deferred entry welcomed.

Contact Undergraduate Admissions Office + 44 1524 592028 or via ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

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LICA Work Placement and Creative Enterprise

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Taught by academic staff who are themselves practising artists, historians and theorists, you will be able to study the Fine Art disciplines separately or through interdisciplinary practice. Every Lancaster Fine Art student has their own dedicated studio space from day one, accessible 24/7, day and night.

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The next Foundation open days will be November to December 2016. Check back here in mid September 2016 to book

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Foundation Diploma open days take place between October - January

Undergraduate open days take place between October - January

Postgraduate open days take place between October - July

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Autumn 2016 at the RA is all about New York in the 1940s and '50s, as this blockbuster survey of abstract expressionism brings together the big deals, bad boys and prodigious boozers of the era. It's sure to be a swaggeringly audacious show. Abstract expressionism, with its love of spontaneity, automatic and unconscious forms, marks the moment when America took over from Paris as the crucible of modern art (whether or not you believe the theories about CIA involvement in its post-war rise to prominence). Indeed, its first flowering was full by artists who came to the States from Europe - painter Hans Hofmann was born in Germany; Willem de Kooning trained in the Netherlands. However, it's the homegrown US talent that came to embody the new sense of assurance and freedom that ab-ex still signifies today - the dynamic 'action painting' (a term coined by critic Harold Rosenberg in 1952) of Franz Kline and 'Jack the Dripper' Jackson Pollock, and the sublime 'colour field' painting (Clement Greenberg's baby) of Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko.

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Autumn 2016 at the RA is all about New York in the 1940s and '50s, as this blockbuster survey of abstract expressionism brings together the big deals, bad boys and prodigious boozers of the era. It's sure to be a swaggeringly audacious show.

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After his mega 2012 RA show, David Hockney returns to the Royal Academy with a smaller show in the Sackler Wing of portraits made in Los Angeles over the past three years. The aquas and blues of the backgrounds immediately recall his seminal swimming pool paintings of the 1960s. Instead of bare-bummed beach boys, however, these relative small works are populated by Hockney's current friends, family and acquaintances - including Barry Humphries, Lord Jacob Rothschild and super-gallerist Larry Gagosian. Each sits in the same chair and all were painted in roughly the same timeframe - about three days - proving that Hockney shows no sign of slowing down with age.

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David Hockney RA: 79 Portraits and Two Still Lifes

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After his mega 2012 RA show, David Hockney returns to the Royal Academy with a smaller show in the Sackler Wing of portraits made in Los Angeles over the past three years. The aquas and blues of the backgrounds immediately recall his seminal swimming pool paintings of the 1960s.

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A series which illustrates my experiences with depression and anxiety. Featured on Huffington Post.

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PASS

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UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design

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This intensive 1-year Level 3 course gives you the chance to explore your creative practice in different art and design disciplines. It will support your progression onto undergraduate studies.

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Landscape painter, flower painter, feminist artist... Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) was all of these and more. She is also one of the most popular and accessible artists on the planet - her work being among the most widely reproduced of any twentieth century artist. It's possibly due to the former that O'Keeffe has suffered critically over the decades; straitjacketed by categories that only partly explain her influence, she struggles to attain a singular presence in the history of modern. The latter, meanwhile, ensures that she is snubbed to an extent by the snobbish art world. Tate Modern's retrospective aims to reconcile these aspects of a forceful, though sometimes conflicted artist. Works on show will include her haunting paintings of her beloved New Mexico, skulls and famous flowers, which have been interpreted as lady flowers since the time they were painted, even though O'Keeffe shunned such Freudian associations.

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Landscape painter, flower painter, feminist artist... Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) was all of these and more. She is also one of the most popular and accessible artists on the planet - her work being among the most widely reproduced of any twentieth century artist.

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Alyssa Monks

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Alyssa Monks is a figurative painter, blurring the line between abstraction and realism.

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Paul Lewin

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Predominantly a painter of the coast and sea, Paul Lewin has emerged as one of the leading contemporary landscape painters in the Southwest. With over 45 solo exhibitions, and many more mixed shows over the past 20 years, his name is well known throughout the West Country and further afield.

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Stephan Wiltshire

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Stephen Wiltshire is an artist who draws and paints detailed cityscapes. He has a particular talent for drawing lifelike, accurate representations of cities, sometimes after having only observed them briefly.

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When to apply

The deadline for all Home and EU applications is 31 January 2018. Please note this course does not consider late applications.
You may choose either the Diagnostic option or ONE of the Specialist pathways on the online application. Please note, in some cases we may offer you a place on the course but on a different pathway to the one you have originally applied for. Application Steps

All applications are given equal consideration

You can apply to one of the Foundation courses at UAL (CSM or CCW)

You will need to write a personal statement in support of your application

To complete your application you must submit a digital portfolio via UAL's online portfolio review system

Following an initial review against five selection criteria (listed below) of your digital portfolio you will either be invited to an interview/ full portfolio review or be informed your application is unsuccessful

At the interview/ full portfolio review staff will first look at your portfolio before asking you talk about one project - please note that all interviews are conducted in groups

You will be informed of the decision by the UAL Applicant Portal by 11 th April at the latest

Required information for Foundation Diploma in Art and Design

Before you apply, please take time to read the guidance below. You will be asked to provide the following items when completing the online application form:

General Information

Personal details (including legal full name, date of birth, nationality, addresses);

Current English language level;

Current and/or previous education and qualification details;

Employment history (if applicable);

Personal statement

Your personal statement should:

Be a maximum of 500 words

Tell us why you have chosen the course and how it will help with your future plans

Describe aspects of your current work that support your mode of study choice

Talk about the type of work you want to make whilst on the course

If you do not complete all the required information or upload the necessary documents, we will not be able to proceed with your application and portfolio review.
Applying and how your application is considered

You will need to apply through a direct application.

You can only apply to Central Saint Martins (CSM) Foundation Diploma OR the Camberwell Chelsea Wimbledon (CCW) Foundation Diploma.
You cannot apply for both courses, any duplicate application will be withdrawn.
After you have successfully submitted your application online, you will receive an email confirming your application and providing your login details for the UAL Applicant Portal. Please do log into your applicant portal as this is where we will send you important updates and requests, as well as allowing you to contact us with any questions you may have about your application.

What happens next

If you meet the entry requirements you will be invited to submit a digital portfolio through UAL's online portfolio review system. You must complete the digital portfolio submission within 7 days of receiving the instructions on how to upload your digital portfolio.

Digital Portfolio Guidance

Prior to being selected for interview for a place on the Foundation Diploma course we ask that you submit 20 pages of your work for consideration against our entry criteria.

Please note that these can include photographs of worksheets or sketchbook pages and that you might lay out multiple works in one page as long as they are clearly visible (for example: presentation boards). Please read the following advice carefully:
Visualisation skills

Include evidence in the form of drawings you've made from observation of the world around you such as landscapes, cityscapes, interiors, people and objects. (Don't rely on drawings from photographs.)

Do include experimental drawings, developmental designs, storyboards, technical design drawings, photographs, details of materials you have used.

Successful applicants demonstrate this through their sketchbook pages, worksheets, drawing, photography, textural or 3D work etc. and there is no prescribed way to submit the evidence. Research and investigative skills

Include evidence of the primary and secondary research sources which have informed the projects in your portfolio. Your research should be annotated with critical analysis which demonstrates your engagement with the sources you have identified.

This can be in the form of scanned pages or photographs from a sketchbook, notebook or blog. It is important for us to see how research informs your practice as an artist or designer.

It is also important for us to see where you gather your research from; site visits, gallery visits, books, magazines, websites etc.

Successful applicants demonstrate this in a variety of ways and there is no prescribed way to submit the evidence. Creative thinking and problem solving abilities

Show us that you have considered a wide range of ideas for your projects. This could be shown in sketchbooks where initial ideas are recorded, selected and developed.

We are particularly interested in the development of ideas and the process you have gone through, the problem you have identified and solved in order to arrive at a final outcome.

Organise your work so that all stages of the development and decision making processes are evident, including your reflections and evaluations.

Successful applicants demonstrate this through sketchbook pages, worksheets, drawing, photography, model making etc. and there is no prescribed way to submit the evidence. The use of a range of materials and processes

Show us that you have explored a range of methods. These could include drawing and collage techniques, model making, photography, printing techniques, fabric manipulation or any others.

We do not expect your portfolio to contain all the above items. Your range of materials and method investigation will largely be determined by your current course of study.

Successful applicants demonstrate this through sketchbook pages, worksheets, drawing, photography, textural or 3D work etc. and there is no prescribed way to submit the evidence. An interest in art, design or related subjects

This will largely be covered by your personal statement but also Include evidence of your interest in culture and society and show how your interest informs your art and design work.

This could take many forms such as an interest in politics, the media, history, religion, philosophy, music, theatre, cinema, literature or new technologies.

Successful applicants can demonstrate this through their personal statement, in sketchbook pages and notebooks and there is no prescribed way to submit the evidence. Following a review on your online portfolio, you will either be invited for a full portfolio review or your application will be rejected via the UAL Application Portal.
Full Portfolio Review

If you have been successful with the review of your digital portfolio, we will invite you to attend a full portfolio review at college between February and March.

Please note that we do not accept portfolios by post.

Preparing for your full portfolio review at college
If you are successfully selected for interview you should read the following advice carefully - we will ask you to talk about one project in the interview so please be prepared for that.

Make sure you allow enough time to prepare your portfolio properly. A well-presented portfolio takes a lot of time to organise, so don't disadvantage yourself by leaving it to the last minute.

Your portfolio can be organised chronologically or thematically, with sketchbooks linked to final outcomes. Arrange your work so that the admissions tutor can easily follow the way you've developed an idea from initial research to the finished piece (thematic).

Mount work on plain white cartridge paper. Avoid using black paper for mounting and don't use card as it's heavy and expensive. This may mean remounting schoolwork.

Labelling of work should be unobtrusive. You could add small titles or captions to bottom of images if you feel it helps explain your work or is providing dimensions.

Take clear photographs of your large, heavy and/or three-dimensional work, include close up images of details, and label with information about scale, materials and technical processes

Time restraints mean we can't view films, videos or DVDs. Please present this work in the form of storyboards and/or stills.

Make sure you've removed everything from the portfolio that isn't intended for review.

The quality of the work is more important than the quantity.

Include your sketchbooks and reflective journals. We are particularly interested in seeing work or research that you have carried out in your own time, this could be documented in a small sketchbook or notebook.

If you've studied design and technology subjects, don't forget to include this work too.

Having prepared your portfolio, check it against these recommendations. Please remember that a poorly prepared portfolio makes it difficult for the admissions tutors to judge your suitability for the course.

How we notify you of the outcome of your application

You will receive the outcome of your application through the UAL Applicant Portal. We aim to release final decisions by 11th April at the latest.

Deferred entry

Please note that CSM does not accept application for deferred entry.

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Foundation Diploma in Art and Design | Curriculum Area: Fine Art

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The deadline for all Home and EU applications is 31 January 2018. Please note this course does not consider late applications. You may choose either the Diagnostic option or ONE of the Specialist pathways on the online application.

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first choice - PASS

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Central Saint Martins is a world leading centre for art and design education.