Year 0 Art, Media and Design

The 2012 Foundation Show

The show this year is again packed full of strong work from a wide range of disciplines. Nearly all of the work comes from the last few weeks of the course and it reflects the way students begin to take ownership of their work at this stage and really develop as individuals. No two shows are the same and the diversity of the work remains a strength and feature of the course.

There is never much room and the student numbers were high this year so it is impossible to show everything we wanted to. However the portfolios are there to show the depth of the course and to demonstrate how it progresses from short, staff lead lessons and workshops to the more sustained and original work you see in the exhibition.

Every completing student has a folio similar to those on display, though of course, appropriate to their chosen area and sensibility. The selection of Workbooks underlines the personal research and development aspects of semester two that are so essential to the development of successful and motivated independent learners ready to progress to the next stage of their degree.

All students that successfully complete the course go on to a wide range of degree courses both in the school and elsewhere.

The 2012 BA Fine Art show is by far the largest art show curated at The Cass. This exhibition features work from 107 art students, all aspiring artists due to graduate this summer. Most have spent 3-4 years studying Fine Art at The Cass School of Art, many joining in our foundation year. Some are part-time mature students who have spent 5-7 years studying here, while in employment elsewhere. Others are direct entry students, finishing off their education with a final year in university at The Cass.

You will see contemporary art from a mix of busy, critical, articulate and prolific art students in modern and postmodern traditions. All have had excellent access to photography, digital media, print, painting and 3D workshops in their time here. Each student’s work at the show is the culmination of a major art project, defined, researched and pursued over the last 9 months. Some have specialized in an art medium such as sculpture, painting or photography. Others have learned in all art media.

BA Fine Art courses at The Cass are taught via yearlong studio practice and critical or contextual studies modules, with a major emphasis on time spent in the art studios. Art students learn in a mixture of individual and group tuition, seminars and lectures – above all, from each other. Art students on our courses are expected to learn skills and acquire knowledge in art media over the first two years. In the final year they pursue independent art study. The results are on display at this show.