MA FINE ART

The postgraduate programme in Fine Art is available in full and part-time mode.

The intermediate awards of Pg Certificate and Pg Diploma are available where the MA programme of modules is only partially fulfilled.

MA FINE ART

The MA Fine Art programme accommodates students with a wide range of practices, including site specific and environmentally based work, and offers support and stimulation for those working within and beyond the studio tradition.

The Fine Art Field is located at the Docklands Campus, close to City Airport . The Campus is visually and architecturally stunning and is served by the Docklands Light Railway, with Cyprus station being right on campus. The studio accommodation is in the new (2004) purpose built School of Architecture and Visual Arts (AVA) building.

The Campus is located close to the vibrant East London gallery scene, and East London 's renowned concentration of artist studios. It is also within easy reach of Central

London and its major international galleries and museums.

This Dockland area of London is also one of the liveliest examples of urban development in Europe , and our campus and the AVA building are a significant part of it.

The programme has a dedicated staff who are all practicing artists or critics, and the visiting artists programme draws upon artist of international reputation based in London .

MA Fine Art

Students are encouraged to develop ambitious, innovative, and personal work within the supportive atmosphere that the studio activity provides. Within this supportive situation students respond positively to the rigorous and intellectually challenging debate initiated through seminars, artist’s talks and gallery visits.

The interdisciplinary nature of contemporary practice is reflected in the way that elements of professional practice are thoroughly integrated into studio practice, and that studio development is underpinned by Critical Concepts, a series of seminars, presentations and lectures that introduces the central concepts and ideas of the theoretical debate taking place around contemporary fine art practice.

Students take responsibility for organising and curating group shows, both independently and formally as part of the curriculum. Venues have included the disused Aldwych tube station, RK Burt Gallery, Parfitt Gallery, AVA Gallery, New Realms gallery, Seven Seven Gallery and the Star gallery Brighton.

A student exhibition is planned to take place in Taipei, Taiwan, in November 2008.

The core elements of the programme are designed to be challenging and enjoyable, to offer a rich, vibrant and varied experience in the Fine Arts. The programme culminates with the Degree Show, which attracts large numbers of visitors from the art world and the general public.

Students will normally possess a first degree, or former or overseas equivalent, in Fine Art or a related Creative Arts discipline. Applications from overseas and EU students are welcome. Students whose first language is not English should normally have achieved a score of 6.0 in ILETS, or 550 or 213 (computer) in TOFEL. All suitably qualified candidates will be invited to bring a portfolio for interview. Those who are unable to travel will be required to show evidence of work, by postal submission of an application form and good visual representation of their work, a written statement and copies of their certificates.

Full and part-time pathways are integrated, with full-time students taught on two days a week and part-time on one. Full-time students typically study for one year, part-time for two. Students follow two core modules of 60 credits, followed by the final 60 credit module, ‘Independent study/ exhibition’, culminating in the degree show in September.

Part-time students study one double-module in year one (Sept-June) and two double modules in year two (September-September).

Fulltime students study three double modules, two from September-June, and one in the summer period.

All fulltime students are given a studio in the AVA building, with access to all the AVA workshops, the Media Production Centre, and the Learning Resource Centre.

All part-time students share access to these facilities, and may negotiate use of studio space for specific periods. Part-time students are encouraged to use AVA workshop facilities eg print-room, sculpture workshop.

The programme takes full advantage of its location with many gallery and site visits, and talks by visiting artists.

The student experience is enriched by the annual Professional Practice Project. This takes the form of a series of seminars, debates and gallery visits, culminating in an exhibition or residency in a public context.

Students also have access to the undergraduate lecture programmes in the Art Design & Film History field.

Studio and other practical work is assessed by portfolio or by exhibition. Essays and presentations are double marked. There is a Degree Show in September for Masters level students

There is a strong Professional Practice element to the programme, and students are encouraged to involve themselves in ‘real world’ projects, usually exhibitions, commissions, or residencies. The programme equips students to work professionally within the world of Fine Art and in the public context.

Students creative practice work culminates in a group public exhibition. There is no dissertation but students submit an ‘essay which prepares and contextualises their personal practice development., and a professional practice report

The opportunities for professional development regularly involve outside agencies and projects. Through the Professional Practice element of the programme students are encouraged to develop a wide understanding of the relationship between studio practice and professional activity. There are also opportunities for students to act as mentors and use work based experience as part of their programme.

Graduates exhibit their work internationally and some have had research published and a significant number have progressed to the Professional Doctorate in Fine Art here at UEL.

Graduates have successfully taken academic positions at universities and colleges both in the UK and overseas.

The programme expands students' skills and knowledge base, and our ex-students have an excellent track record in obtaining commissions and prizes.

There is a clear and easily comprehended academic timetable which has been refined on an annual basis in response to external examiners comments and student feedback. The structure is rich and varied and demands that students are fully committed to the programme. In this context the theoretical, professional practice, and studio elements are carefully balanced to offer an integrated level of support.

There is a responsive system of tutorial support in place.

There is a strong tradition of external exhibition, and new galleries and potential exhibition spaces are regularly utilised by our students.. The emphasis that the programme puts on Professional Practice encourages students to look beyond the programme. The Installation artist Richard Wilson is the UEL Sculpture Fellow, and he shares his practice with students with access to his exhibitions and projects.