Art & Design Employability

16

Doing

External visits

Issue

Non-residential trips to meet an individual/institution/organisation outside of the educational institution, e.g. a design company, community initiative, gallery or studio.

Skills

Networking, contextualisation, working with others, ability to communicate with a range of people.

Example 1

Project Title: Sara Barker Studio Visit
Student Name: Clara Hastrup
School/Department: Fine Art – Painting and Printmaking
Year of study: Two
Project Length:  Approx. two hours
Project Location: SWG3, Glasgow

Aims:

For students to meet Sara Barker in her studio.

She is a successful contemporary artist exploring the fine line between painting and sculpture. In order to understand her practice as a professional artist the project aimed to serve as an exclusive opportunity for us to ask questions and hear her talk about her work, thoughts and process in a less formal environment.

What happened:

A small group of students (approx. eight) met the artist, Sara Barker, at Studio Warehouse Glasgow (SWG3) for a tour of the studio building and her private studio. Students had an opportunity to have a closer look at some work in progress that Barker had installed in the studio in preparation for an exhibition. She had also compiled images of her work from a recent exhibition, as a Powerpoint presentation, and explained the inspiration behind the work and the ways in which ideas emerge as final pieces. Barker also explained how she works with different materials and what it is like working towards an exhibition. Finally, she talked about the time she was at art school, what it was like after graduating and the challenges she faced en route to where she is today.

External or internal partners involved:

Painting and Printmaking Year Two Tutors, Lynn Hynd and Eddie Stewart

Project outcomes:

Insight and understanding of what it is like to work as a professional artist. A deeper understanding of Sara Barker’s work – her references, subject matter and how she uses research in her work. She was very honest and generous when sharing her thoughts and intentions behind her various pieces of work, some of which were more finished than others.

Skills students gained from undertaking the project:

Throughout the visit, students were encouraged to ask questions, which was a great way of finding out how she makes her work on a practical level, using materials such as metal, paint, wood etc.

After the visit, students had individual tutorials with Sara in their own studio spaces. This was challenging at first, but very rewarding in the end – challenging because it is difficult to present work to a ‘stranger’, but very rewarding to hear her impressions and opinions. This led onto a discussion about themes in the work, which proved interesting and enlightening. Having visited Sara in her studio, a common understanding was reached that contributed to an insightful discussion.

Video Interviews

Graphics – 1st Year – Tilly Haley

A visit to the prestigious Faber & Faber publishing firm was not only a valuable trip for information, students were then set a live brief by the creative director. This opportunity really helps students put into perspective just how the word of publishing works.

Related Pages

Difference

Language

Visual Literacy

Self-efficacy