Meet Jayne Kay, our Head of School for Visual Arts. We recently sat down with Jayne to ask her a few questions about her role and why she feels City Lit is a truly unique place to learn.
Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your role here at City Lit?
"I have worked within the School of Visual Arts here at City Lit for roughly thirty years after graduating from a degree in fine art, painting at Wimbledon School of Art in the late 80’s. My work here has been varied over the years. This includes a supporting role as a technician, a tutor for drawing and printmaking and a role working on our renowned art and design foundation course.
In my current role as Head of School for Visual Arts, I am privileged to work with the most passionate, creative and innovative people across our four programme areas - advanced practice, 3D studies, 2D studies and business and technology."
What do you consider to be your favourite part of your job?
"The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the work the students produce, the progress they make and their pride in showing their work, whether that is in our wonderful new gallery space, our external exhibitions or within the classroom. It is a most uplifting experience to see the results of the passion, hard work, commitment and expertise of the people I work with and how as a team, we are enriching and changing lives for our students.
My favourite thing is talking to our students about their own journeys and hearing how much they have gained from studying with us. It makes me immensely proud of the work the team do."
What should students expect from studying at City Lit?
"A vibrant and welcoming environment where your individual learning ambitions are the upmost importance to us. You will not only benefit from our tutors, who are leading art practitioners in their field, but you will also learn so much from your fellow students. You can expect to take full advantage of our well-equipped, purpose-built workshops, studios and classrooms. Unlike many other college art departments, the materials needed for your course are included in the course fee so you don’t need to worry about any additional costs."
If you were to do any course at City Lit, what course would you do?
"I would love to learn Italian! It is such a beautiful language and I could listen to people speaking it all day. I was late to discover the wonders of Italy, but now I have, I would love to be able to say more than ‘Ciao!’ when I visit."
Is there any advice you would give to someone who is thinking about studying at City Lit?
"I am a passionate advocate for adult learning, having seen first-hand many, many lives changed due to the transformative nature of study, at all stages of life. We are all living longer and we should seize the opportunities to learn new things and re-discover past passions and talents. You can do all those things you always wanted to do! Come and rediscover your creativity here at City Lit."
