Fine Art Professional Pathways Development

Contents:

2 Report Outline

3 Increasing the Flexibility of Provision 5 Establishing Partnerships with Creative Industries & Developing Work - related Curricula

9 IAG and Career Guidance in Fine Art

17 Project Summary

20 Appendix 1 & Appendix 2

21 Appendix 3

South Essex College of Further and Higher Education was formed on 1st January 2010

from the merger of Thurrock & Basildon College with South East Essex College of Arts and Technology.

Report Outline

As admissions tutor for the Fine Art degree at South East Essex College, and as a result of ongoing consultation with colleagues on Access and Foundation Art & Design programmes at the College, I had observed that many adult learners were unable to progress onto higher education simply because their circumstances prevented them from committing to a full-time timetable. In addition we had noted that the uncertainties of a Fine Art career could be extremely off putting and that there was an often unchallenged perception among younger students that Fine Art degrees had few tangible, work-related outcomes.

As such the focus of the project was to encourage adult learners to engage / re – engage with learning and to promote level 3 progression through the development of more flexible and work-relevant Fine Art undergraduate programmes and the promotion of employment opportunities which arise within this area of study.

This report addresses these aims via three sections covering the project’s success in increasing the flexibility of provision, in developing work-related curricula and in producing career guidance resources (IAG) specifically for Fine Art. These areas will be considered in relation to the following:

a. An analysis of recruitment trends on the Fine Art degree at South East Essex College over two years of the project’s duration.

b. The observations of learners, project managers and of project partners

c. A visual record of the project.

The project report is accompanied publication:

• DIY Portfolio Building for Fine Art – taking the first steps to becoming an artist

These are available as PDF documents or as Hard Copy.

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1. Increasing the Flexibility of Provision

Initially the project focused on increasing the flexibility of Higher Education provision offered by South East Essex College in the Fine Art subject area. In March 2008 a Part-time BA Fine Art pathway was formalised and a sub-degree framework implemented. The part-time pathway allowed students to attend college for 7 rather than 14 hours per week. The implementation of the sub-degree framework also meant that students could potentially elect to complete the degree in different stages over an extended period rather than as an uninterrupted programme. Should a student successfully complete the first year of the degree but then wish to take a break before completing years two and three, for example, he or she could be awarded a Certificate in HE which they could then use as a formal qualification for entry to year two at a later date.

Applications to the part-time pathway have been relatively modest. In September 2008, when the part-time pathway was first offered, it recruited only one student. In September 2009 no part-time applications were made.

The one student who did enrol on the part-time programme would not have been able to study at degree level had the part-time pathway not been introduced. The student in question is a mature student who had previously studied on the Access to Art & Design course at the College but who felt she had too many commitments to enrol on the full-time course. She would have been extremely reluctant to apply to any of the other Colleges or Universities in the region offering part-time pathways, for example, University of East London or Colchester Institute, because she did not want the extra time commitment of travelling to and from such courses. As such she is a prime example of the type of student we had hoped to support through increasing the flexibility of provision. Nevertheless the fact that she is the only part –time student may well suggest that there are other factors which have a more dramatic impact upon progression to Higher Education in Fine Art, particularly when one considers the overall increase in recruitment on the Fine Art degree (see appendix 1).

In terms of the impact of the sub-degree framework the picture is similar. Since its implementation in October 2008 no student has opted to interrupt their studies and take ‘time out’ between years. However its introduction has allowed the Course Leader greater flexibility in terms of the ability to offer places on the Cert HE rather than the full degree. In one case this has meant that where the Course Leader had reservations about the suitability of a student for the subject discipline, they have

made that student an offer on the one year programme. In practical terms the student undertakes exactly the same modules as those enrolled on the three year degree but at the end of the first year that student will be required to apply (rather than progress) to the next stage of the degree programme. This means that the student has the opportunity to prove their suitability over the first year rather than being rejected outright, but also that the Course Leader retains the facility to refuse entry to the second year should their initial reservations prove insurmountable.

In considering the significance of these changes, it is worth noting that one of the failings of the project may have been to raise awareness of the flexibility of HE provision in the Fine Art area. In October 2009 we conducted a survey with the new Year One, Fine Art degree students in order to assess their awareness of the sub-degree framework and its potential implications for their period of study. Perhaps unsurprisingly, around 90% of the students had never heard the term ‘sub-degree framework’ and 80% were not aware that they could opt to take ‘gap’ years

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between years one and two or two and three. The production and design of the projects’ IAG materials will be discussed later on in the report but with the benefit of hindsight it would probably have been useful for those materials to have included more information concerning the variety of modes of study that are now available.

Future Developments

In support of the generation of materials to promote awareness of the flexibility of provision in the Fine Art area, further research might be conducted into workable models of part-time attendance. It might be very encouraging for mature students who are worried about the difficulties of juggling different commitments (for example family, part-time employment as well as Higher Education study) to learn from the experiences of previous students who have studied on a part-time basis. This could potentially involve the collection of statistical, anecdotal and visual information.

2. Establishing Partnerships with Creative Industries & Developing Work - related Curricula

In addition to the provision of more flexible programmes, the project aimed to establish partnerships with creative industries within the South Essex region. It was anticipated that through these partnerships we would be able to offer our own degree students an organised programme of work placements and thereby promote the range of employment opportunities within the subject area to prospective students.

Establishing Partnerships

At an early stage the project endeavoured to establish a relationship with Focal Point Gallery, one of the most significant visual arts organisations in the Southend area. In February/March 2008 initial discussions were held with Focal Point to discuss the best way to broker partnerships with other arts organisations and individuals. In February 2008 Fran Wilde, Education Officer at Focal Point Gallery agreed to act as a project consultant in order to help develop a programme of guest speakers drawn from a range of regional art organisations and institutions. Aside from the educational benefits of the programme, which would be limited to a specific group of learners, the guest speaker programme aimed to:

• Facilitate a developing partnership with Focal Point Gallery.

• Gauge the number and nature of work experience opportunities available to students.

• Provide a point of contact with a range of organisations/individuals (which might then lead to potential project partnerships).

• Generate work experience opportunities for students (which might then lead to potential project partnerships).

The completed programme included a wide range of organisations and individuals including METAL, Cell Project Space, Synchro Studios, The Arts Council, Southend Association of Volunteers, Coexist and Focal Point Gallery (see Appendix B) and was delivered at the College during the first semester of the 08/09 academic year.

During the guest speaker programme the following observations were made:

• Work experience opportunities for students did exist but were often linked to specific events requiring extra staffing or organisation (for example, Coexist were keen for volunteers to help with the painting/installation of their new studio and gallery spaces at TAP in Southend).

• The most appealing work experience opportunities, for example with recognised organisations such as Focal Point Gallery, were over subscribed.

• Art organisations seemed to hold in high esteem the characteristics of independence, and self-motivation. Many individuals were working on projects in a voluntary capacity themselves in order to ‘make things happen’. From this perspective the idea of an organised work placement scheme for Fine Art degree students seemed something of an anathema. Indeed most art organisations seemed more willing to respond to individual students than sign up to any kind of organised work placement

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scheme which was perhaps perceived as a potentially burdensome tie in terms of time commitment.

• Students seemed to be surprised by the variety of work experience opportunities with which they might potentially be involved.

• As a result of the guest lectures, students did seem to feel empowered to seek out work experience and become more involved in regional/national projects. The pattern of student involvement with some form work-based learning across the board differed quite considerably from previous years. All of the six Year 2 students independently arranged a period (or periods) of work experience during their second year. One student applied to take part in a National Textiles Competition and was one of only six to be selected for an exhibition in Alexandra Palace. This in turn led to her involvement in a collaborative knitting project alongside one of her heroes, the artist Freddie Robins. Another worked on a residency project in Basildon. One student was able to build a relationship with a gallery space based in St Olavs Church in South London resulting in a group exhibition through which she was able to sell her own work. Two of the students in the group took part in voluntary art projects based in local schools or community groups. The remaining student worked as an individual mentor for a student at Belfairs Secondary School studying towards their GCSE in Art and Design.

• There seemed to be a growing sense of excitement about the future of the ‘arts scene’ in the Southend area.

In March 2009 a project review of work - based learning on the degree resulted in the following recommendations for the design of the professional practice module in the coming academic year 09/10:

• Rather than set up an organised placement scheme it would be more beneficial to try to establish positive and mutually beneficial partnerships with designated organisations so that when opportunities became available, the partner college could be contacted and then simply pass on the information to a particular group of students depending on the nature of the project. • In order to develop relationships with arts organisations the course must actively contribute to the developing Southend arts community. This might be achieved by:

• Helping to maximise student attendance at outside events, private views and

artist talks

• Working collaboratively on jointly funded research publications

• Making financial contributions to the local arts economy by employing regionally based guest speakers.

• Utilising the facilities in the new College building to host events at a minimal cost or for free.

• In order to be able to arrange work experience independently students needed to be made more aware of existing possibilities and forthcoming art projects. As discussed, the guest speaker programme succeeded in motivating and informing the Year 2 cohort but it was noted that this programme was itself dependent on project funding. In the long term a guest speaker programme would need to find funding elsewhere. Alternatively, information might be communicated in a different way, for example via a website or email messaging service.

• Students would also benefit from guidelines covering the various forms of work experience, the variety of vocational pathways connected to the Fine Art subject area, the potential advantages of undertaking a period of work experience and of different ways of approaching organisations.

Further Developments

The above recommendations had implications for the project’s design and production of IAG materials and will be discussed in the following section.

The project has helped the degree course establish a good working relationship with Focal Point Gallery. Towards the end of the 08/09 academic term a series of talks given by relatively high profile artists linked to the Focal Point exhibition programme such as Milly Thompson and Clunie Reid were held in the College’s Performance Pod (lecture theatre). These were advertised alongside a range of IAG resources and events under the banner ‘Fine Art for Free This Summer’. More recently Focal Point have increasingly scheduled their own artists’ talks and events to fit in to the Fine Art degree timetable meaning students are more likely to benefit. Whilst these talks do not necessarily address professional practice in Fine Art, through the guest speaker programme it has become clear that information regarding artistic and career development are not easily separated. 7

The evolution of the project has coincided with a growing sense of confidence and enthusiasm about the artistic scene in the Southend area. This has been most evident in the development of a new studio and gallery complex set up by Coexist and located in close proximity to the Fine Art degree studios at East Street. METAL also now have a more tangible presence in the area, reflected in the annual Village Green Festival weekend at Chalkwell Park and the various Petcha Kutcha evenings.

In terms of the formation of partnerships these changes have had a significant impact. The Coexist studios opened in the July 2009 and of the 11spaces available, 4 are now occupied by SEEC Fine Art degree graduates. College staff have featured in recent exhibitions and degree students have been invited to exhibit at the space in 2010. Students and staff have also exhibited at this year’s Village Green event and many have attended METAL’s Petcha Kutcha evenings which have helped to illustrate the variety of creative enterprises and initiatives in the region. METAL have also set up the Idea13 website which is used by local arts groups to publicise forthcoming events and opportunities.

Developing Work - related Curricula

In light of the above, and in response to recommendations resulting from the review of the guest speaker programme, the project’s objectives in terms of curricula have been adapted. As discussed it has been very difficult for the course leadership to set up and have management over a work placement scheme for Fine Art. The local arts infrastructure is made up of lots of temporary events and projects are often arranged on a rather ad hoc basis. Nevertheless there are a growing number of opportunities available and if students are equipped with the necessary information they are more than able to arrange work experience independently. In this respect the most recent project initiatives have aimed not to set up placements but to provide information to degree and potential degree students regarding the range of working practices related to Fine Art.

3. IAG and Career Guidance in Fine Art As well as the development of work placements themselves, one of the main aims of the project was to try to increase awareness of career development in Fine Art. This objective soon broadened as it became clearer that many of the learners we encountered, even those enrolled on courses at the College, knew very little about the nature of degree level study in Fine Art. Rather than electing not to apply for a

Fine Art degree because they were worried about time commitments or the lack of career prospects, these learners were unclear (and often rather anxious) about the requirements of a portfolio interview and of the ethos/philosophy of the degree itself.

In attempting to address these issues and also to respond to some of the findings articulated in the previous section, the project has developed a range of printed resources. Through the organisation and hosting of various student visits and events aimed at improving the visibility and currency of the Fine Art degree at SEEC we have also established a number of productive links with other Colleges in the region (although most of these have not been formalised in a Progression Agreement).

Progression Routes

A visit in March 2008 to New Vic 6th Form College in Newham enabled SEEC staff from Fine Art and Graphic Design degree programmes to meet with first and second year BND students and NewVic staff. Between March and May similar visits took place at SeeVic College and the RocheWay Adult Community Colleges.

In June 2008, project funding provided transportation for students from all visited Colleges to attend of the end of year Art & Design degree show at SEEC. On arrival each group was given a short tour of the exhibition and introduced to the degree course leaders.

In July 2008 a progression agreement between the BND Art & Design programme at NewVic and the Fine Art degree at SEEC was agreed and signed by both parties. Unfortunately, since that agreement no NewVic students have applied to the programme. Applications for the beginning of the 08/09 academic year did include 2 from the BND Art & Design at SeeVic, one of whom was offered and accepted a place on the degree.

As such the project highlighted the following:

• SEEC staff felt that on their outreach visits they were underprepared and that they needed more time to prepare and design presentations for potential students.

• One visit was likely to be quickly forgotten and a follow-up plan needed to be put in place so that a relationship might be built with a particular group of students. The degree show visits offered much more of an opportunity to create a longer lasting impression. However, considering the journey that some of the student 10

groups had made to get there, it was felt that SEEC could have offered them a more complete programme of activities rather than just a tour of the exhibition which only lasted around 30-45 minutes. Again staff felt that this came down to the amount of time available to SEEC staff to prepare for the visit.

• Unless the course publicity materials were immaculately designed and printed to a high specification (i.e. desirable objects in themselves) students were likely to be largely underwhelmed and distrustful of any kind of heavy handed spin. Therefore publicity materials might be more cleverly designed so they had an educational or informative value that sat comfortably alongside their promotional value.

Further Development

The following year the project endeavored to address these findings via:

• Re-structuring the degree show visits to include trips to local art galleries, the East Street studios and the degree show at Luker Road.

• Promoting the degree show visits to specific colleges alongside a package of additional exhibitions, artists talks, workshops and free resources via the ‘Fine Art For Free This Summer’ leaflet produced in collaboration with Focal Point Gallery.

• Designing and producing a general DIY guide to the course, to the application process and to the type of activities students were likely to encounter during the degree. This would be aimed primarily at mature entry students but of value to a wider range of level 3 and current Fine Art degree students.

• Creating an e-newsletter to mail out to all students participating in the degree show visits, and to all addresses collected via the ‘Fine Art For Free This Summer’ freepost response service.

In relation to the specific goal of increasing awareness of career pathways in Fine Art the project would also attempt to develop:

• A DVD documenting the participation of current degree students in work based learning. For example student involvement in the ‘live’ Site Specific project and in the degree shows at Free Range in Brick Lane, London. It might also include interviews with previous students to try to record their experiences of life after the degree.

• A project publication (Inspittingdistance) that would attempt to chart a variety of inspirational career paths via a series of interviews with artists and arts professionals.

Fine Art For Free This Summer

In April 2009 a series of talks, resources, workshops, events and exhibitions, organised in conjunction with Focal Point Gallery, were advertised via a fold out leaflet under the banner ‘Fine Art For Free This Summer’.

The programme/resources included:

• Portfolio Building for Fine Art, a free 3 day workshop suitable for those who needed to prepare their portfolio and get ready for interviews – or simply for those who might want to get a taste of life on a Fine Art degree.

• Portfolio Building DIY Pack, promoted as a new educational resource available to Adult Learners who were interested in applying for a Fine Art degree and felt they need help building a portfolio for interview. The guide contained course information, advice sheets on portfolio presentation and organisation, information on work experience opportunities, suggested drawing activities, ways of approaching gallery visits and lists of online resources. The guide also features three case studies written by recent graduates which describe the passage from degree study to the world of work.

• BA (Hons) Fine Art Degree Show 2009, which offered special pre-booked art tours for local schools.

• Focal Point Gallery Exhibitions: Clunie Reid ‘Out There, Not Us’ and Milly Thompson ‘Savoir Faire’.

• Wednesday 10 June, 6pm to 7.30pm, The Pod, South East Essex CollegeIn conversation: Clunie Reid and Paul Buck • Wednesday 15 July, 12pm to 5pm, The Pod, South East Essex CollegeArtists’ Video Day: Milly Thompson and EASTvideo 2009

The events/resources/workshops on offer were all available free of charge but interested parties were required to complete a Freepost return slip, providing an 14

year 1 Fine Art degree students at SEEC, 6 were not enrolled on any kind of course at the time of their application and many of these had not studied an Art and Design qualification for a number of years. For these learners the guide gave ‘a much better idea’ of what was required of them at interview, and helped them to ‘understand what the Fine Art degree was all about’.

• The idea of developing a relationship with students from courses over a longer period of time seemed to work well. 1 student from SeeVic who eventually on the programme was met by degree staff at these and College wide events on 4 occasions over the academic year and has since said that this played an important part in her decision to apply.

• The number of different events helped to collect a large number of email contacts. This provided the database for the Fine Art degree’s first e-newsletter, the BAFAnews which was mailed out in May 2009. The newsletter re-publicised the ‘Fine Art for Free’ events programme but also provided a means of promoting the degree in a more visual way via inclusion of images of student work.

At the same time, a number of the events did not prove as popular as we had envisaged:

• The free portfolio building workshop did not attract sufficient interest and was aborted.

• Attendance at the Clunie Reid event in the College Pod was disappointing and drew few students from SEEC let alone other institutions.

• Some students who did attend the talks organised by Focal Point found the content was difficult for them to understand and the experience slightly alienating.

Live Projects Film

The Live Projects film was completed in November 2009 as an addition to the project Final Report. It includes footage of a range of live projects Fine Art degree students have taken part in during the project and documents a series of interviews with current year three students and graduates from the degree. The interviews record student responses to the Year 2 Professional Practice programme, their understanding of career development in Fine Art and their experience of life after College.

email contact, name and address. 500 leaflets were printed. These were distributed to staff at other Colleges with whom we had already established a relationship (SeeVic, Barking College, Rocheway Adult & Community College), students on SEEC courses from whom the degree had previously recruited (Access, Foundation Diploma and BND programmes) and via displays in local galleries and libraries.

The aims of this initiative were:

• To raise the profile and increase the visibility of the degree.

• To create quality resources that staff could use when speaking to potential applicants.

• To raise perceptions of the currency of the Fine Art degree at SEEC through its association with a programme of high profile exhibitions & talks.

• To offer a series of events through which we could establish a relationship with individuals who might be interested in applying to the programme.

• To collect contact information, primarily from Adult Learners who were more difficult to track down.

In meeting these aims, the project’s success may be gauged in terms of the following:

• Many students on the Access to Art & Design programme at SEEC engaged in most aspects of the programme, attending talks, exhibitions and requesting the DIY Portfolio Building Guide. Of the 18 Freepost reply slips we received, 6 were from current Access students. Of the 23 students who enrolled on the programme at the beginning of the academic year 09/10, 7 progressed from the Access to Art & Design course.

• The DIY guide itself has proved a useful resource for students and a valuable promotional tool. As well as being posted out to learners who responded via the Freepost service, the guide was distributed to all students from SeeVic, Barking and Rocheway Adult Community Colleges who took part in the organised degree show visits. Rocheway College also agreed to use the guide as a teaching resource, requesting a bulk order for future use.• The guide has been particularly useful for adult learners who were not currently in education but were interested in the possibility of HE study. Of the 23 current

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It is intended that the film be viewable via the Creative Way website. It will also be produced as a DVD to be used as a promotional tool in order to support recruitment to the Fine Art degree. 200 copies of the DVD have been made and these will be distributed to students who have already indicated (at Open Days, recruitment events such as the UCAS fair, or via contact with degree staff) that they are considering a future in Fine Art.

In Spitting Distance

The initial project plan proposed the creation of a new website promoting career pathways in Fine Art in the region. After careful consideration it was agreed that this would prove too problematic in terms of the man hours required for updates and maintenance, and also that its necessity was questionable in light of the development of the e-newsletter and of other online resources such as the idea13 website. In its place it was decided to produce a project publication that aimed to develop awareness of the nature and breadth of vocations associated with Fine Art qualifications.

Through the course of the project it had become clearer that the way people reach their career goal is increasingly random and constructed from numerous factors. Through the publication we aimed to chart a variety of inspirational career paths in order to offer something of a route map through the plethora of information, attitudes, people and situations confronting Fine Art graduates. The identity and focus of the publication are reflected in the project invitation attached in Appendix 3.

Project Summary

Since the beginning of the project recruitment to the Fine Art degree at SEEC has increased dramatically. This year the programme recruited 23 reflecting a rise of over 200% since the academic year 07/08. Moreover the degree was forced to turn away a number of late applications due to the limitations of available teaching space.

Whether this increase can be attributed directly to the successes of the project is certainly questionable. The recruitment statistics need to be considered in relation to the significant improvements that have, during the project’s duration, been made to the resourcing of the programme in terms of studio space at the College’s East Street Centre. 17

Increasing the Flexibility of Provision

The fact that the increase in recruitment has taken place despite relatively few applications to the part-time pathway suggests the issue of flexibility was not as influential as we had previously thought.

Establishing Partnerships and Developing Work – related Curricula

The Fine Art course now has the biggest first and second year cohorts in the Art and Design HE area. Considering the more immediately marketable career prospects of disciplines such as Graphic Design, Interior Design and Fashion Design this suggests either, that the project has helped to redress the perception that Fine Art graduates struggle to find work or, that there are more significant influences on a students choice of degree.

The project has undoubtedly helped the degree to cement relationships with local art organisations such as Coexist and Focal Point Gallery. These partnerships are critical to the legitimacy of the degree and in particular the perception that there is a community that can support artists who are faced with the financial realities of life after College. The partnerships themselves rely on the enthusiasm of the student population (to attend events, to offer their labour voluntarily) and it seems that the best way to maintain enthusiasm is to provide an invigorating programme of guest speakers.

IAG and Career Guidance in Fine Art

The most successful aspect of the project was in its realisation that providing students with appropriate information and useful resources can be the most effective way of encouraging them to ‘progress’. The development of the DIY guide which has a general use value beyond the promotion of the course seemed to allow the programme to develop stronger links with feeder courses and with individual students.

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Appendix 1RECRUITMENTS TRENDS BA (HONS) FINE ART, 2007-2009

Appendix 2 ADFA 210 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE, BA FINE ART YR 2

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24/09 Module Introduction01/10 Organising an Exhibition Year 3 students Laura Keeble/Karen Apps08/10 Working in the Voluntary

sectorSAVs(Southend Assoc. Volun-teers)

Barry Millar

15/10 The internet –Athens/AN Library induction (at Luker rd)22/10 Funding exhibitions and

applicationsACE(Arts Council East)

Ollie DawsonVisual Arts Assistant Officer

29/10 Half term05/11 rearranged for 21/10/08

Artist as curator Uni of Essex Matthew Poole, MA in Gallery Stud-ies, University of Essex

12/11 Approaching galleries Rod McIntoshConsultant

Rod McIntosh (University of Her-efordshire

19/11 Postgraduate provision Tutor Led26/11 Work experience/career

action plansIndividual tutorials to discuss work experience/career action plan

03/12 Working in a studio Amy McKenny Artist Amy is in the process of organising studios – collaborating with Metal

10/12 TBC Cell project space in east London

Milika MurituMilika was resident artist for Art-U-Need Southend / Set up Cell Project Space

17/12 Residencies Metal Collette Bailey/Sean McLoughlin22/12 XMAS29/1207/01 Working in a gallery ed FPG Andrew Hunt

Director, Focal Point Gallery14/01 Setting up a company Business Link University of Essex21/01 Routes into teaching Southend Teacher Training Partner-

ship

2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010Number of enrols 11 15 23

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Appendix 3 IN SP TTI G D STA CE

Invitation

We write to invite you to participate in a new publication, funded jointly by South East Essex College and the ‘The Creative Way’, partnership of 44 colleges, universities and training providers based in the Thames Gateway region.

The publication, titled ‘In Spitting Distance’, aims to develop awareness of the nature and breadth of vocations associated with Fine Art and Art History qualifications.

Why_ The way people reach their career goal is increasingly random and constructed from numerous factors. We aim to chart a variety of inspirational career paths in order to offer something of a route map through the plethora of information, attitudes, people and situations confronting Fine Art and Art History graduates. The publication will give a flavour of how the industry fits together and of which elements control others. The idea is not to do this in a A+B=C fashion, but rather to document a series of interviews as launch pads for common ideas and direction.

Aim_ Our intention is to interview those individuals, like yourself who have used study in these areas as a springboard to exceptional careers. Each contributor will be illustrated by a short section providing an overview of their career path, informed by answers to a short list of questions.

How_ We’d be exceptionally grateful if you would agree to participate in this project. you can either do so by completing the questions on attached interactive PDF (which you can email back to us at; inspittingdistance@southend.ac.uk) or better still, by giving up some time to meet with the editorial team for an interview. We hope to conduct the interviews though out September and October and aim to launch the publication towards the end of November.

We thank you in advance for time and contribution and look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Andy Rees & David Hutt

Report completed by:

David HuttBA (Hons) Fine Art Course Leader

We would like to acknowledge the support of: Judy KenneyProgramme Manager, The Creative Way

Paul BailyBA(Hons) Graphic Design Course Leader,South Essex College

South Essex College contacts:

Jane FramptonAcademy Managerjane.frampton@southessex.ac.uk

Bill KenneyHead of Faculty, Media and Creative Artsbill.kenney@southessex.ac.uk

South Essex College of Further and Higher Education was formed on 1st January 2010 from the merger of Thurrock & Basildon College with South East Essex College of Arts and Technology.

Acknowledgments of graduates art workSarah Lobar BA (Hons) Fine Art, Page 4. Clare Lynn Skinner BA (Hons) Fine Art, Page 11-12. Laura Keeble BA (Hons) Fine Art, Page 19.

Tel: 01702 220514Email: inspittingdistance@southend.ac.uk

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