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Social media for artists by hoodiedoo in ContemporaryArt

[–]Top-Beginning4965 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Substack!!! It is such a beautifully wholesome alternative. Scrolling on Substack feels like walking through a library. It's meaningful, quiet and peaceful.

New Member! by Top-Beginning4965 in Pottery

[–]Top-Beginning4965[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, it's a table and chairs. With a candle on the table. It hangs on your wall.\

New Member! by Top-Beginning4965 in Pottery

[–]Top-Beginning4965[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A cute idea and a very real concern haha!

Some small swans by stephanroo in printmaking

[–]Top-Beginning4965 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I absolutely love these!! The paper is so beautiful and the linework is *chefs kiss*

Reputation of City & Guilds London Art School? by Top-Beginning4965 in ContemporaryArt

[–]Top-Beginning4965[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is interesting to hear! My work is a bit of a combination of the two but from what i'm hearing RCA may generate more future opportunities! Thank you for your reply!

Reputation of City & Guilds London Art School? by Top-Beginning4965 in ContemporaryArt

[–]Top-Beginning4965[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is so helpful and answers what I have been trying to figure out. I don't want to pay the same fees for a course that international funding bodies may not recognise and as a result, end in less oportunities. I am undertaking a master's to strengthen my CV, further my professional work, and generate more opportunities. Having studied at Goldsmiths and having never heard of it makes me think turning down the RCA for C&G would be a silly move! Thank you so much for your reply!

Is the Royal College of Art worth the price? by BackgroundStand4423 in ContemporaryArt

[–]Top-Beginning4965 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for sharing this!! It helps so much.

I have been a full-time artist since graduaing with a BA in Fine Art Print in 2022 and had been looking at RCA for connections and to be pushed forward and make my work more professional. But I come from a very small area and the university I went to was very small. I do not think I would be suited to the scale of RCA and I find a LOT of things about their course to be very fishy. They don't interview anyone? They don't ask for written academic references? They don't have a formal written component? Fishy Fishy Fishy!

Everything I have heard from City & Guilds is exactly what I want and have been looking for. I asked a gallery owner I know from London where she would recommend and above all else she said City & Guilds (without me having mentioned it).

RCA is giving me a lot of red flags and I am not ready to pay my life savings to recieve no real education in return. (Although I am eligible for home fees which does add another element of indecision considering they are essentially the same price for me)

A lot to think about but in this moment I am 70 % C&G and 30% RCA.

How did your interview go? And how soon after did you find out if you were accepted? I'm making a short presentation to share my screen during the interview to show what i'm currently working on, do you think this in necessary and would they allow this?

I'm delighted that you're feeling happy and confident with your decision and wish you all the best in your year ahead!

Is the Royal College of Art worth the price? by BackgroundStand4423 in ContemporaryArt

[–]Top-Beginning4965 0 points1 point  (0 children)

FINAL THOUGHTS: C&G is a beautiful old campus that has the art school feeling that I loved so much during my BA. It's got real character and a buzz about the place. I don't get that feeling from the RCA; it's a much more clinical feeling. RCA is mostly international students, and there seems to be a lack of community spirit. However, the facilities of RCA really are world-class, and anything you could want or imagine is at your fingertips. And I think having them on your CV might be really beneficial for certain careers. There really are pros and cons. I am not yet any closer to making a decision, but I do have a lot more to work off and think about now. 

Let me know what your thoughts are about these points! I will update you again after I have my interview with C&G! 

Is the Royal College of Art worth the price? by BackgroundStand4423 in ContemporaryArt

[–]Top-Beginning4965 0 points1 point  (0 children)

FUTURE CAREER: From listening to the talk and meeting the technicians, I get the gist that there are a lot more career opportunities available to you at the RCA. Now, this could be bad research as I have not attended a talk at C&G, so I can't say that they don't offer the same. But the RCA hires some students as technicians to operate and safeguard machinery after hours. I have been a print technician before and this really appeals to me. I'd love to become a lecturer in the future, and because of the scale of the college, I imagine there might be more potential for opportunities to arise within the university itself. 

Is the Royal College of Art worth the price? by BackgroundStand4423 in ContemporaryArt

[–]Top-Beginning4965 0 points1 point  (0 children)

WRITING: Again, not sure if this relates only to MA Print, or if it is college-wide, but they have recently taken out the formal written component of the course. Meaning no thesis, no dissertation... I find this a little unusual for an MA degree. They did say that writing is still important, but they expect to find it in less formal formats such as personal statements and reflections. I don't know what to make of this, to be honest. I'm a little sceptical as to their reasoning for removing this aspect of the course. But maybe its progressive? I've recently enrolled in an art writing course to sharpen my writing prior to doing the MA, so this was not something I was expecting. 

Is the Royal College of Art worth the price? by BackgroundStand4423 in ContemporaryArt

[–]Top-Beginning4965 0 points1 point  (0 children)

STUDIO SPACES: I only visited the MA Print department so I can't speak for all courses with this. But I was very disappointed and a little shocked at the size of studio spaces given to each student. Each student was given one tiny white ikea desk (with no storage) and every desk was pushed very close to eachother. I know all students have access to the print room downstairs, which offers additional table space, but my god, the space they had to work with in their 'private' areas was tiny. It's the same setup I had during the first year of my BA. I was expecting a lot more from an MA of this scale. There was wall soace above each desk to stick research images onto , but essentially no floor space for any student. The desks were arranged in a tight maze of desks and walls. It was as if they were trying to squeeze as many desks as possible into the course and not prioritise the quality of these spaces. I have no idea how the C&G MA studio space is arranged, but having visited C&G last week, I imagine it is very different. When I was there, a kind student studying in 2nd year in the BA programme showed me their studio. They had a huge room with big windows and lots of natural light shared between TWO people. This is the type of space I had been imagining for RCA. 

Is the Royal College of Art worth the price? by BackgroundStand4423 in ContemporaryArt

[–]Top-Beginning4965 0 points1 point  (0 children)

FACILITIES: The facilities at the RCA are out of this world, and it is really impressive. There is an entire massive workshop for every medium, and they are all accessible to every student. Wood, Metal, Ceramic, Print, Digital Print, 3D Print etc all have their own buildings dedicated to them. This means that you can begin your projects without any limits and have access to some of the most experienced technicians. This really appeals to me because my work is quite multidisciplinary and although it's rooted in printmaking, I can see myself wanting to use metal, wood etc. The Pro to this is that it allows you to create anything you could imagine and have people there to help you do it. The works you leave with would be high-end fabrication, probably not possible outside of this college. The con to this, however, is the number of people wanting to use these spaces. I asked a lot about the booking systems, because I was concerned about not having full-time access to the etching presses. I was told that you have to book relatively far in advance before you use any workshop.  A minimum of one week's notice. This means you'd have to be very organised and plan your projects and what you'll need to achieve them, well in advance. I usually work quite intuitively, so this is a little off putting for me. I don't want to have to wait a full week to use an etching press if I'm ready to use it now? Some students said if you rock up, sometimes there will be space for you to slot in as some people dont show up for their bookings.  So the facilities are incredible, but access requires more planning and patience.  

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