Image credit: CFA2 student exhibition at the Gerald Moore Gallery, London, 2025. (Photo Michael Harding)
The Contemporary Fine Art (CFA) course is a 2-year part-time programme that offers a viable alternative to traditional Degree-level study. On CFA you will explore a range of studio-based fine art media processes, examine new ideas and develop skills in critical and creative thinking that will ultimately enable the development of a confident, self-motivated and independent artistic practice.
You can apply to enter year 1 and progress though the course, or enter year 2 directly, depending on your intentions and previous experience.
CFA is the successor to the City Lit Fine Art course (CLFA).
The CFA course offers interdisciplinary learning for applicants who have a strong portfolio of artwork and are committed to developing their studio skills and understanding of contemporary fine art practice. The course will enable students to build on previous artistic experience in any media and learn new methods, respond to new contexts, increase their understanding of professional practice, and develop their creativity towards becoming an artist practitioner.
Created and taught by artists
The CFA course is developed and taught by practicing and exhibiting artists whose expertise spans sculpture, drawing and painting, to moving image, digital media, print, installation, professional practice, curation and contextual theory.
These different artist/tutors share their knowledge with students in a carefully constructed series of workshops, seminars and tutorials designed to support the development of studio skills, contextual and professional understanding, and individual creative directions.
CFA1 students have an additional 18 hours which they use to study a short Visual Art course of their choice that supports and extends their own areas of interest
This course is ideal for applicants that have some previous experience in Fine Art, perhaps having sat a series of arts courses, an Art Foundation, or a BA, and who want to consolidate their learning and progress to an advanced level of understanding and creativity. We also welcome applicants with a practice or professional experience in other fields who wish to extend their understanding into the visual arts.
Modes of study
CFA runs one day a week over three 8 to 10-week terms, from October to June.
- Year 1 – every Monday (27 sessions)
- Year 2 – every Tuesday (27 sessions)
Practical sessions are taught in small groups, in dedicated art studios in Covent Garden, central London. Basic materials are supplied. Personal study outside of these timetabled days is encouraged throughout the course.
Applications can be made to enter Year 1 of CFA and progress though the course, or to enter Year 2 directly, depending on individual intentions and previous experience. It is also possible to sit the two courses concurrently.
CFA applicants are eligible to apply for a bursary, which may cover up to 50% of the course fee for the year.
Year 1: Developing studio skills and understanding
Starting in October: Contemporary Fine Art course: Year 1. Mondays
The first year of the CFA course introduces various approaches to drawing, painting, sculpture, print, digital media, and collaborative practice through tutor-led studio activities. Students are encouraged to explore interrelationships between these studio processes and to consider how combining different media can reveal new creative possibilities.
Studio-based creative workshops will be experimental and challenging and are supported by some contextual study and introductory debates around contemporary art practice. Seminars, relevant texts, group discussions, one-to-one tutorials and gallery visits add further support for student creative development.
CFA students also benefit from a programme of visiting artists that have included such international practitioners as Gayle Chong Kwan, Andrew Bick and Haffendi Anuar.
Apply for the Contemporary Fine Art Course: Year 1
Starts: October 2026 (Mondays)
Year 2: Personal creative project and group exhibition
Starting in October: Contemporary Fine Art course: Year 2 Tuesdays
Year 2 of the CFA course emphasises self-motivated creative development and students will build on their learning in year 1 (or equivalent experience), to identify and develop a personal project/cohesive body of work that can incorporate a range of creative methods and media processes.
CFA2 students are allocated an additional 18 hours which they use to study a short Visual Art course of their choice that supports and extends their own areas of interest.
Tutorials, group dialogue, engagement with contemporary art exhibitions and supporting texts will help students contextualise their artwork and articulate an understanding of intention and context. Creative research methods and regular self-reflection will enable students to take ownership of their artistic direction and ultimately develop self-motivated work that is ready for an end of year exhibition. This can take place in the City Lit Gallery in Central London.
Personal study outside of CFA timetabled days is encouraged throughout the course.
CFA2 students also benefit from our partnership with Standpoint Gallery and from visiting artists that have included Gayle Chong Kwan, Andrew Bick and Haffendi Anuar.
The course also includes professional practice focussed sessions such as making an application for arts funding, organising a group show, or finding exhibition opportunities. These can be offered in response to the different combinations of interests and requirements that each third-year cohort brings.
Previous CFA students have progressed to setting up artist collectives and organising their own exhibitions in the UK and abroad. While others work with public art programmes, have set up their own studios, secured commissions or started to exhibit as independent practicing artists.
Each year a proportion of CFA students use the course to progress to study Fine Art at MA or MPhil, most recently at the Royal College of Art, University of the Arts London and City and Guilds School of Art.
Apply for the Contemporary Fine Art Course: Year 2
Starts: October 2026 (Tuesdays)
Summary
The Contemporary Fine Art course is a part-time programme of 1 or 2 years on which you will engage with a range of creative processes and ideas that support self-motivated study in contemporary fine art practice. CFA is taught by practicing artists and will enable students to develop and articulate a personal creative practice that can support options for post-graduate study or a wide range of independent artistic activities.
CFA applicants are eligible to apply for a bursary, which may cover up to 50% of the course fee for the year.
If you would like more information or to discuss your potential suitability for CFA informally with the Course Leader, please email steven.scott@citylit.ac.uk.
