Visit the MA Fine Art page on the Bath Spa University website for more details!
I wanted a studio based course that would allow me to develop my work and contextualise it in the contemporary art field. There is a good balance of staff support and student led learning at Bath Spa University. There are some excellent tutors who are successful practicing artists with a width of valuable knowledge and experience.
The critical group sessions were good as they gave me the opportunity to hear feedback from my peers and helped me build my confidence in speaking about all types of art, not just my specialist area. Bath Spa has an excellent reputation and is located in an amazing city. The beautiful campus, Sion Hill, was a peaceful and idyllic place to learn and the studio spaces were large, light and airy. After my Fine Art degree from Leeds Metropolitan University, I did a secondary PGCE in Art and Design and taught art full time in a school in Oxford. I’ve been very busy since finishing the course, enjoying residency at the Meantime Space in Cheltenham culminating in my first solo show.
The qualification has helped me to secure teaching positions in better schools and colleges and will enable me to work in arts education within galleries or museums.
I chose to do the Master of Fine Art at Bath Spa because of the reputation of the course and the tutors. Also being based in Bath was a big bonus and linked closely to my practice. I combined starting the course with a permanent move to the South West. Bath Spa has some of the most beautiful and inspiring campuses of any university and the School of Art and Design has recently been refurbished with excellent facilities. I particularly liked the small size of the course, it meant it was more intimate with regular contact with tutors – not only the formal meetings, but some of my most valuable conversations were with tutors passing through the studio space. This was invaluable and something I think larger art schools might not provide. The visiting lecturers were great, as was the studio space – it meant I could work on huge canvases which was really liberating!
Since finishing the course I have been painting full time – working from an artist studio in Bristol. I have also been exhibiting work and developing my practice. Completing this course has given me credibility to apply for residencies, competitions and opportunities to exhibit. I now have a network of artists that I met through the course – we get together and critique each other’s work, and put on shows together.
If you are considering doing the MFA I would advise you to get together a strong portfolio of work, research other artists, and have an idea of how you want to develop your practice and what you want to get out of the course.
