Contemporary art in London
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- Course Code: VB157
- Dates: 26/04/24 - 24/05/24
- Time: 14:00 - 16:00
- Taught: Fri, Daytime
- Duration: 5 sessions (over 5 weeks)
- Location: Off Site
- Tutor: Chantal Condron
Course Code: VB157
Duration: 5 sessions (over 5 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This is a site-based course which aims to explore London’s contemporary art scene through visits to a range of galleries, from the public to commercial and artist-led spaces. Sessions focus on how to read and engage with contemporary art exhibitions in a range of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, new media and installation.
A full list of meeting places will be emailed to you a week before the course begins.
What will we cover?
-Artists’ techniques, materials and approaches when making their work.
-Specific themes related to each artist’s work.
-The role and impact of how an artist’s work is curated and how a display is constructed.
-How an exhibition space or venue influences the presentation and theme(s) of artworks.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
By the end of this course you should be able to:
-Gain confidence in analysing a range of contemporary artworks by participating in discussions with fellow students and your tutor.
-Develop your visual analytic skills in identifying different media used by artists in the work observed.
-Identify at least two different processes and/or techniques used by the artists discussed.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for all levels.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, handouts, and health and safety information.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught with lecture and discussion around and within gallery spaces and some handouts.
This course uses a Google Classroom to post optional reading & resources in advance of each week. You will be sent an invitation to join the Google Classroom within a week of the course start date.
This course takes place offsite in galleries around London. Offsite courses take place during public access hours. Tutors are not able to control sound levels or behaviours of visitors outside of the course group, gallery closures or fire alarms. Unless you are a wheelchair user, and have confirmed access details with us (as levels of access can vary between buildings), you will need to be able to walk between sites and stand for some time while looking at them (you may bring your own portable stool if you have one, but we cannot guarantee access to seating offsite.) If you feel you may be impacted by these environmental variations, please inform the department on humanities@citylit.ac.uk before the course begins, to discuss reasonable accommodations we can make to assist your learning in offsite.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Students are expected to pay for their own travel costs to the galleries. You might wish to purchase a notebook for taking notes.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Art in Britain 1950-2000 – ‘This is Tomorrow’ (Part 2)
Introduction to Tate Modern
Introduction to Tate Britain.
Chantal Condron is a curator, teacher and writer with a dedicated focus on audienceengagement and enjoyment of art. As the UK Government Art Collection’s first curator of publicengagement, she led education and public programmes at the University of Hull, WhitechapelGallery and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and delivered art talks at the Britishembassies in Paris, Vienna and Washington DC. She teaches Art History at City Lit, in additionto teaching the subject as part of City Lit’s Ceramics Diploma course. She is also an Art Historytutor for WEA London, and teaches 'A level' Art History to London secondary school students. Chantal has worked widely in the public and private arts sector for nearly 30 years including at Tate, Sotheby's, Visiting Arts, Arts and Business and University of London Library. She holds a BA in 20th century and non-western art from the University of East Anglia; and an MA in Asian art from SOAS, University of London. Author of 'Peter Hedegaard', the first monograph on the London-based Danish abstract artist who exhibited in the 1960s and ‘70s (Rocket Gallery, London, 2019), Chantal continues to contribute commissioned exhibition texts and reviews.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
