Art & Design

"The best part about teaching can be summarised by a quote from a recent student: ''I think that I might actually be getting the hang of this...'' Enough said!

It's a constant joy to be working with talented, inspirational, and creative people. The biggest benefit I feel that students get is the ability to think differently and develop their own voice in order to progress into higher education or a career.

I have learnt a lot from my department colleagues too; the continual cycle of sharing ideas and working collaboratively keeps things fresh, interesting and makes the College an exciting place to be."

"For me, the most rewarding part of the job is the end of year exhibitions when the students display the outcomes of their Final Major Project. We turn the entire art block into a gallery and showcase a huge variety of work spanning several disciplines, including photography, graphics, illustration, fashion, sculpture, painting and film/animation.

It's great to see how far each student has come over the course of the year and the Final Major Project allows them to be truly individual and play to their strengths. The overseas trips are always great fun too, and really enrich the students' cultural awareness and inform their ideas.

While our students gain a wealth of valuable practical skills and an understanding of the facilities that they may not have had access to at school, I would say that the most important things they will take away from college are the transferable skills that they will need in the real world. Our students develop teamwork, communication, professionalism and independence through their project work and these will benefit them in life wherever they end up working."

"When I was a student at the College, I had an amazing tutor who inspired me to tap into what I was really interested in at a time when I had no clear idea about my future plans.

What resonated with me is that one teacher can make a massive difference and now being this role, I see students who are in a similar place to where I was. My job is to recognise their potential, nurture their strengths and teach them that it's never too late to change their path.

As well as developing technical creative skills, the dialogue between the tutor and student is critical for developing soft skills. That first feedback for a student can be difficult, especially hearing criticism no matter how positive. However, this helps build resilience and understanding of one's own practice, and shows a student how their craft is more of a commodity than just a past-time or hobby."

“The best thing about the College? Well, I’d say there are at least two. I'd say my colleagues in Art & Design who are also my close friends! And the students - somehow each year we get a new group of intelligent, charming and talented students. We’ve been to some amazing places on the course, and I love sharing these experiences with my students and colleagues. So far, we’ve been to Marrakech, to Istanbul, to Shanghai and lots of other fantastic places.

Without a doubt, on our course, spending a whole year just involved in making art and design and growing as a person - we can see huge changes over the year. We all care passionately about each of them making a success of their studies and getting into a top-notch university course. This year, as every year, all the students have secured excellent places matched to their needs. The Creative Industries are booming in the UK and we help them start on the next rung of the career ladder. Each year we invite six or more alumni back to discuss how they got where they are - ranging from designing sets for Sam Mendes' film 1917, to designing Nike's advertising campaign in Berlin, or creating a personal fashion brand and using social media to find a market!"

“It sounds a bit cliché, but art is a life force for me. So much and everything can be related to Art, it is a vehicle for expression. I love being around students and guiding them to realise the power that art has - they can use it to express their views and highlight issues important to them.

So much about being an artist is learning how to be comfortable in yourself and expressing yourself, its not just about your technical skills or ability. The College is a perfect place to discover that, you can learn anything and everything on our course, as we give you a lot of freedom and the opportunity to explore different things. Your Final Major Project will be pretty much a self-guided unit, and we’re there to help guide you and support you as we treat you as an artist, not just a student.

I think the key to creativity is not being afraid to put yourself out there, you have to be brave with it and have a bit of faith in what you’re producing. We’re all here to support you and we want to see you flourish!"