City Lit fine art: year 3
Time: 10:00 - 17:00
Location: Keeley Street
Building upon and consolidating the learnings gained in year 1 and 2 of CLFA, or on your experience of practicing and studying to an equivalent level, you will pursue an individual, self-motivated route through year 3. This will be based upon an existing portfolio, defined intentions, and ongoing creative projects. The Year 3 course is designed to support individual development of new artwork that extends an existing creative practice. It will also allow you to enhance this with an understanding of professional activities that might include the process of making funding applications, finding exhibition opportunities, or developing external relationships. You will be able to engage with practicing artist/tutors in group critiques, one-to-one tutorials, seminars, and self-motivated studio production sessions in which you can explore and refine your skills and creative ideas. There will be engagement with ideas and contexts, and professional practice-based sessions that support the development of your creative work so that it can be sustained beyond the duration of the course.
Note: this course runs on Saturday daytimes fortnightly, and occasional Sundays.
Check your level
- Course Code: VM553
- Dates: 12/10/24 - 21/06/25
- Time: 10:00 - 17:00
- Taught: Sat-Sun, Daytime
- Duration: 21 sessions (over 37 weeks)
- Location: Keeley Street
Course Code: VM553
Duration: 21 sessions (over 37 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Center for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This course will enable you to develop and focus a sense of critical reflection and cohesive personal creative work that you will have begun previously. It provides a framework for those wishing to consolidate, further develop and ultimately sustain a fine art practice, supporting you in identifying external opportunities and focussing on aspects of fine art professional practice. Emphasis will be on your personal creative project production in a supportive environment with feedback and evaluation of work from experienced practicing artist/tutors.
What will we cover?
There will be reflective, discursive sessions to help you maintain focus on the themes and contexts for your creative work, from which you will be able to develop your individual programme of self-motivated work via negotiation with artist/tutors. Some contextual seminars and examination of artists’ works and ideas will encourage you to enhance relationships between theory and practice. Professional practice sessions will introduce topics that can include project funding applications, finding exhibition opportunities and/or organising and curating shows. Students will be encouraged to find external locations to organise their own exhibitions, to gain experience of showing and distributing work, collaboration, and organising and promoting a group exhibition. Advice and support for this will be offered by various CLFA staff.
This course offers contemporary art practice and debate, and project mentoring. As such you can expect to be stimulated and challenged by some of the ideas, methods and contexts discussed.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- interrogate and continue to focus and develop your existing personal creative work
- become increasingly aware of professional activities that support an ongoing artistic practice.
- relate your work to various aspects of contemporary fine art practice and debate
- gain confidence in exhibiting work, exploring forms of presentation and collaboration external to the City Lit.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
It is recommended that applicants will have completed the CLFA Year 1 and/or 2, or equivalent study on a similar course. Applicants who have studied a Fine Art BA or similar in the past and want to re-establish their creative practice and focus their thinking are welcome. Interviews are arranged for entry to the course; these will provide an opportunity for dialogue and to ensure that the level is appropriate. It will be assumed that you have a burgeoning creative practice and ideas that you want to develop within the context of this course.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be expected to respond in a self-motived manner to this open-ended programme, communicating regularly with the tutors and the student group. Sessions will involve general support and responses to student-motivated studio production sessions, seminars and lectures, gallery visits, group discussions and tutorials and the sharing of ideas.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Some basic studio materials are supplied, although students will be required to buy specialist items according to their practice. Advice on these will be given by tutors.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
After completing CLFA Year 3 students have found numerous ways to sustain a successful artistic practice, these include working together to find and set up exhibitions in external art spaces, securing opportunities for solos exhibitions, making successful applications to study at MA, setting up an art studio, joining print or sculpture studios, applying for arts project funding grants and artist residencies etc.
Advice and support is offered on a range of directions relating to fine art practice to support the development of professional understanding and a sustainable personal creative practice.