- Art and Ideas: Identity and the selfCourse start date: Wed 10 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ian TucknottThis course is for students and creative practitioners interested in identity as a creative and conceptual theme. Explore and discuss ideas, theories and work by significant artists and writers to enhance and inspire the development of creative work.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Art and Ideas: Time and MemoryCourse start date: Wed 10 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Charles ChambersThis course if for students and creative practitioners interested in memory as a creative and conceptual theme. Explore and discuss ideas, theories and work by significant artists and writers to enhance and inspire the development of creative work.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Art in theory: politics and societyCourse start date: Thu 11 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Charles ChambersCritical thinking course for creative practitioners exploring culture, society and politics drawing on a range of cultural theories and work by significant artists and designers to enhance and inspire creative thinking and practical work.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £118.00 - The design briefCourse start date: Tue 6 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrew McCartenThis workshop provides a forum for exploring and discussing the process (and sometimes challenges) of working with clients over a commercial design brief or commission. While some design briefs are relatively straightforward, and perhaps require a simple rendering of the client's vision, at other times the client can be unsure of what they actually want, and it can be a frustrating, uncertain and time-consuming process for the designer to identify and produce a solution to what is, sometimes, a poorly-defined question. Referring to real-life examples and case-studies, this workshop will take learners through the process of making a pitch, deconstructing a brief to be certain of what the client wants and needs (and whether these are same thing), presenting proposals, and working within time, resource and financial constraints. These are invaluable skills for the design professional that are equally applicable, for the student, to project briefs and coursework.
For this workshop, you will need to have access to A3 or A4 plain paper, and a range of coloured marker pens, as well as a notebook. Basic materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring and use your own as well.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00 - Is meaning inevitable? Intention, action and interpretationCourse start date: Fri 9 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Lily MarkiewiczDoes every creative act have meaning? Is there a statement – conscious or unconscious – inherent in everything we do as artists? Should we interpret or analyse what we see, what we do, what we’ve done? In this one-day workshop, we will examine a range of specific works, considering the question of whether and how meaning has been embedded (intentionally or otherwise) and can be identified and interpreted. This will, to some degree, touch on how individuals and societies make and ascribe meaning, perhaps as an attempt to process and come to terms with, for example, otherwise seemingly arbitrary events like a natural catastrophe or suffering. We will discuss and workshop these themes in the larger group, draw on examples presented, and the experiences of the members in the group. Other questions that may be considered include: discerning meaning as an attempt to find order in chaos, and whether or what we might lose by attempting to impose meaning, by attempting to explain within the confines of critical analysis, that which may, in fact, be critical to the character or intention of a work of art.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00 - Reflecting on practiceCourse start date: Tue 13 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Marcus Richards“What is your work about?” is a question many artists struggle to answer easily. The cycle of activity and reflection is a fundamental principle of creative practice, in which, as part of any attempt to address this question in any meaningful way, it is valuable to develop a paradigm for articulating one’s motivations, interests, processes and practices. Examining and analysing these points supports the creative practitioner in defining their areas of concern, and leads to deeper understanding, which is helpful in articulating a position to explain, support or contextualise one’s practice, or to define specific research questions. That said, there is perhaps something of a paradox inherent in articulating visual thoughts in words. This professional practice module is designed to support artists in identifying where and how to begin articulating concepts, defining appropriate contextual frameworks, and identifying suitable comparators. By the end of this workshop, you will be able to define your interest and identify further appropriate research into specific themes, questions and areas of interest, culture or knowledge – all in order better to understand and explain what you do, and why.
For this workshop, please prepare to show a piece of work from your own practice that you consider to be unsuccessful, or alternatively a piece of work (in any creative medium) that you do not like, or do not understand. - Digital fundamentals: imaging for print and 2DCourse start date: Fri 16 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rolina Elsje BlokAs artists and designers, we generally tend to observe a number of fundamental 'rules' when working with digital media for print-based or other forms of 2D output. These relate to steps or settings for proceses such as scanning, saving, resolution, image or data format, colour modes, compression... To a certain extent, much of this is received knowledge, and we don't necessarily know why we follow these rules. Knowing what they are based on, and why, is, however, fundamental to technical proficiency, and expertise, and knowing what these principles are based on allows us not only to produce work to professional standard, but also to exploit them to their full creative potential. This workshop will be of value to any visual artist who uses digital technology in their creative practice, from painters and printmakers to photographers and graphic designers. Coverage includes: principles and concepts underpinning digital imaging for print/static delivery: pixel/vector; resolution, scalability, application; acquisition, modes, formats and real-world constraints; file sizes/compression/data integrity; relation to physical output (size, resolution, process).Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00 - Art and Ideas: space and placeCourse start date: Wed 21 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Charles ChambersExplore concepts and theories of space and place in relation to historical and contemporary art and making, and engage in discussion and debate related to landscape, urban, site-specific and place-based creative arts.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 - Art and Ideas: What is visual language?Course start date: Wed 21 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ian TucknottThis course is for students and creative practitioners interested in visual language as a creative and conceptual theme. Explore and discuss ideas, theories and work by significant artists and writers to enhance and inspire the development of creative work and build an understanding of your own visual language.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £118.00 - Developing exhibition and event proposalsCourse start date: Wed 13 Mar 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chris HoughThis professional practice module, delivered by the former leader of City Lit's longstanding and prestigious Fine Art course, takes you through the steps of working with a gallery to put on an exhibition, from first proposals through to installation and opening. While questions of curatorial perspectives and agendas are important, and will be considered, alongside the 'fit' of your work and your exhibition proposal to the venue and their audience, the main focus of the workshop is the practical and pragmatic aspects of working with galleries to organise and present exhibitions of your own work, or that of your group. Within the broad framework of the ‘conventional’ gallery system, discussion will cover developing your proposal, or identifying opportunities for exhibition, negotiating with galleries, building support, programming activities, generating interest and promotion. Although not the major focus of this workshop, the tie-in exhibition website and afterlife online will also be considered.Full fee £69.00 - Art is for now: temporary and situation-specific creative practiceCourse start date: Fri 22 Mar 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Amanda KnightConventional notions of artworks as physical objects, which imply considerations of authorship, ownership and the spectator, are opposed in many senses by artworks and practices that are predicated on impermanence, or which subvert expectations due to the location or context in which they are encountered. This professional practice workshop is an opportunity, through a combination of presentation, and the participatory exchange of ideas and perspectives, to consider alternative modes of practice, and the possibilities presented by art that is made in, and for, the moment. We examine different interpretations of the word ‘temporary’, including concepts of relative duration, the ephemeral, and man-made demarcations, and look at specific examples of work by artists including Fluxus, Beuys, Kaprow, Collective Actions, Brugera, Marina, Goldsworthy and Tempest. We also consider our own work and ideas in relation to a range of concepts and examples of practice in which the ‘product’ is not necessarily an ‘art object’, which prioritise the act or event over what we might call the output, or in which impermanence or mutability are significant factors. These include; Merz; auto-destructive art; actions and events; sound sculpture; performance; land art.
The workshop begins with some participatory exercises. Basic materials will be provided, but you may also wish to have a small selection of your own drawing implements to hand, and a selection of materials of your choosing (eg: paper, card, cardboard boxes, tape, string or wire…).Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00 - Developing communities of practiceCourse start date: Sat 23 Mar 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Adam PiperWhat is a creative community? What does it mean to be part of a group of artists, designers or creative people? Communities maintain viability and relevance in ways that individuals can often struggle to achieve. Remaining a relevant part of the art world and engaging with issues with wider social significance is often easier as a collective, and arts organisations of all sizes increasingly emphasise the importance of groups, and their social relevance. This workshop, led by City Lit’s print area coordinator, examines experience gained working within the printmaking world, and establishing communities that have a life extending beyond the end of studies, exhibitions or projects. The workshop is relevant, however, to artists and designers of all kinds. In it, we examine what a community of practice is, how it might work, and what it means to be part of such a group. We consider and share insights of how artistic practice can have greater impact through group activity, how group activity can be relevant to your own personal practice, and, through it, how you engage with society. We also look at case studies, and consider the social and potential economic impact of each as an ‘artistic community’.Full fee £69.00 - The artist's statementCourse start date: Mon 15 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Marcus RichardsBuilding on the ability to reflect on one’s own practice, and the identification of interests, themes and relevant contexts, this professional practice module is designed to help visual arts practitioners to develop the ability to talk or write about their own work in coherent ways, and to articulate their intention, meaning or reflection in declarative or discursive statements. All artists are required to make statements at certain times, whether for exhibition, application for funding or study. In this session, we examine and discuss approaches to constructing a statement, based on specific requirements, and how to write or speak about one's work in terms of target audience, level of knowledge, and the length and depth required to articulate what work means and how it relates to ideas, themes and contexts. Although open to anyone on a standalone basis, this workshop will be of particular value to those who have completed 'Reflecting on practice' (VPP4100).
For this workshop, please select an image that you feel illustrates your 'subject'. This needn't necessarily be heavy on content, or meaning, you should just be able to make a connection between the work, and what you intend it to communicate.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00 - Design thinking: creative problem solvingCourse start date: Tue 16 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrew McCartenThe term ‘design thinking’ describes an adaptive and reflective approach to problem-solving that is, in many ways, the same as the kinds of processes that underpin creative practice generally, and is fundamental to the development of many of the systems on which the world’s current production, logistics, communications and supply depend. Although generally considered largely in relation to system design, information and interaction design, and product design, it is a way of thinking through and deconstructing creative and/or technical challenges that is equally valuable as a lens through which to examine creative processes and problems in any discipline. In this professional practice workshop, we examine the 5 classic stages of Design Thinking, and look at how we can use them to refine our thinking processes, apply our insight and focus our imagination, to solve both creative and practical problems.
For this workshop, you will need to have access to A3 or A4 plain paper, and a range of coloured marker pens, as well as a notebook. Basic materials will be provided, but you're welcome to bring your own as well.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00 - Exhibiting creativity: alternatives to the white cubeCourse start date: Wed 24 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Chris HoughWho decides which artists get to present their work to the public, in what spaces, and according to what criteria? What role does the curator play in the decision-making process and how much influence do they exert over artists and institutions, in making these decisions? How do artists whose work is not ‘current’ (or which perhaps deals with unorthodox or potentially difficult topics) get to show their work? This professional practice workshop is a provocative enquiry and discussion of the role of the gallery in enabling creative expression, and the influence that decisions have on representation, or the imposition of an orthodoxy. How are artists responding to the limitations and impositions of the traditional gallery space–and the authority of the curator or agent–and finding opportunities in public or private spaces, and through technology? How are traditional galleries responding? We examine the ways artists and designers are making their own opportunities, and taking back control, finding innovative and creative ways to put their work before the public on their own terms.
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list