We’re based in Southwark, in the heart of London’s energetic creative scene. We have two sites, our main campus Mermaid Court (near London Bridge) and our Newington building (near Elephant and Castle).
Mermaid Court is only a 10-minute walk from the Tate Modern and White Cube Bermondsey galleries, and close to the Bankside Cultural Quarter, which includes historic Borough Market and the Globe Theatre. The campus comprises two buildings, which include:
- a specialist wood and metal workshop;
- a specialist print studio;
- a ceramics and stone-carving studio, with both ceramic and glass kilns;
- six teaching studios; and
- a digital suite equipped for video editing, photography and filming, photographic retouching, printing and more.
Our grade-II listed Newington site, in lively Elephant and Castle, is a short distance from galleries, museums and theatres, including the Southbank Centre arts complex and Hayward Gallery. At Newington, you’ll find:
- our library, with a wonderful selection of books and brand-new laptops to support you in your studies;
- dedicated studio spaces for our Foundation, BA (Stage 2 & 3) and FD students to work on their personal projects; and
- and a beautiful double-height gallery where our annual Graduate Shows take place.
The Academy is run across two sites. Mermaid Court, off Borough High Street, and the old Newington Library at Elephant and Castle. We have 6 full-time teaching studios, a Print studio, a Digital Suite, a fully equipped Wood and Metal workshop and a Ceramics and Glass workshop which includes 3 ceramic kilns and a specialist glass kiln. The Academy is a practical art school; the studios and workshops are in constant use and oil paint permeates the building. As such, we recommend you come prepared with an apron or clothing you don’t mind getting dirty!
SOCIAL & CATERING FACILITIES
The Academy does not have on site catering services, but both sites are located in areas with an excellent range of places to buy food and refreshments; please ask the Academic Team in the office if you would like advice, or are looking for anything in particular.
At Mermaid Court, The Barn (Common room) is open to all and often used for social events. At Newington, the Kitchen and Common room is on the first floor, solely for the use of academic students. Both facilities provide free tea and coffee, together with fridges and microwaves for your use.
STUDIOS
We have a range of studios for specialist purposes across our buildings and during your time at the Academy, you will no doubt work in many, if not all of them. Some students (stage 2* and 3 of our Diplomas and Foundation students) are allocated a personal studio space where they can work independently and leave their work outside taught sessions including outside term time (with the exception of the summer break when the space will need to be cleared for the graduate show, cleaning and building/improvement work).
All academic students who are not allocated personal studio space are provided with storage space where they can leave their work between teaching sessions.
During days on which studio practice (Diplomas) and personal project (Foundation) modules are delivered Diploma and Foundation students have open access to the Digital Suite, Print Studio (print only for those students who have previously completed print workshops) and Wood and Metal Workshop**.
*Please note that in Stage 2 part time Diploma students will only be allocated studio space when undertaking the studio practice modules. Both full and part time students will be assigned personal studio space for the entire year in stage 3.
**Please note these open access sessions are NOT for Certificate students.
LIBRARY
The Academy Library utilises both physical and virtual resources. The library contains approximately 2,000 books and approximately 300 journals relating to all areas of fine art practice, history, theory and critical discourses. The library has an online catalogue system that academic students can access through the Academy VLE (Moodle). It also provides a quiet study area where you are able to access books and laptops in order to undertake independent study.
The Academy also subscribes to a number of art journals and journal/ text catalogues digitally which you can access through Moodle. Together they contain 3,000 plus journals and periodicals and most can be accessed off as well as on site.
IT ACCESS & PRINTING
The Academy Digital Suite has 15 macs and Adobe CC software already installed on all the computers, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Bridge, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition and more. We also have a number of other applications such as SketchUp Make, Blender, Sculptress and Audacity. The Digital Suite has a specialised project space equipped with photographic lighting which can be used for photographing artworks or creating digital based project work. The project space can be booked by academic students when it is not been used for classes. The Digital Suite is also equipped with graphic tablets, A3 flatbed scanning and photo quality printing. Standard photocopying/printing is available in the main office.
EQUIPMENT LOANS
Academic students are able to borrow a range of digital equipment such as DSLR cameras, sound recorders and projectors. Please note that some equipment (such as projectors) is generally only available for use on campus.
STUDENTS WITH MOBILITY ISSUES
The Academy will make reasonable adjustments for applicants with a physical or mobility impairment in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. The Academy’s premises are old buildings which inevitably means that access to some areas can be problematic for people with a physical disability. This will continue to be an issue for the immediate future and all our premises are currently unaccessible to wheelchair users. Therefore, whilst this is the case, we undertake to mitigate problems for applicants and students with mobility difficulties as far as possible by ensuring that where possible, appropriate arrangements are made to hold interviews, classes, workshops, tutorials, exhibitions and other events in accessible spaces.
For more information please see Students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
At the Academy we want to support you for every step of your journey with us. High levels of support and guidance are an integral part of the Academy’s ethos and are designed to help you from first enquiry to the completion of your studies. The small scale of the institution is advantageous to the provision of student support. It fosters a close community of staff and students where students feel safe and able to seek advice and guidance from a variety of staff. Please note that the information contained below and within the signposted policies apply to students studying at the Academy on an ‘Academic’ programme of at least 180 hours per academic year. Whilst those studying less than 180 hours on ‘Public’ courses are valued members of the Academy community and therefore afforded the same rights to equality of experience, in regards to quality of provision, safeguarding and expectations of treatment as laid out in our Equality and Diversity principles, these students do not fall under these polices and guidance (or any other) in respect of the Academy’s duty of care to them pastorally.
Personal & Academic Tutorials
Please note the following information does not apply to Certificate students. For more information about pastoral support for Certificate students, please see the Certificate Student Handbook and Programme Handbook for details.
You will be allocated a Personal and Academic Tutor (PAT) at the beginning of your period of study at the Academy. You will retain the same PAT throughout your two or three year period of study, except where staff changes prevent this.
These tutorials provide opportunities for you to review Personal Development and Planning (PDP) and seek guidance on academic matters; they are centred around discussions about your academic progress and advice on your choice of Elective Skills Workshops for the following term. These tutorials are also used to discuss pastoral, personal, academic and administrative issues, and to monitor and discuss your targets and general wellbeing. Through these tutorials, PATs provide personalised and consistent support throughout your journey at the Academy, helping to ensure you maximise your opportunities and achievements. Your PAT will be able to refer you to appropriate support services (external and internal) where appropriate.
There are a mixture of group and 1-2-1 tutorials. This will usually be up to 6 times a year (7 for newly enrolled students), including meeting your PAT at least once per term 1-2-1.
For more information please see our Student Support & Guidance Including Tutoring Policy.
Financial Support & Guidance
Please note the following information does not apply to Certificate students
As part of the Academy’s commitment to widening participation, accessible learning and inclusive arts education a number of bursaries are made available each year in order to assist applicants who would not normally be in a position to study at the Academy. We have a limited number of bursaries (typically 25%) available for students starting their programme in September 2019. Applicants must have been offered a place before submitting a bursary application. The bursary application form can be found here.
Please complete this form and email it to admissions@artacademy.org.uk. Bursaries are awarded based on need and merit. Bursary applicants will be informed of the decision after the application process is complete.
Student Welfare
You will have access to pastoral care throughout your time at the Academy enabling you to seek support for any personal concerns or issues you might have. Please see the ‘Personal & Academic Tutorials’ above.
The Academic Team provide support in conjunction with PATs and Programme/Pathway Leaders for students who may be feeling the pressures of studying. Support is provided by offering confidential advice and referral to external services where appropriate.
You are able to come to the team for issues including:
- Financial assistance & funding
- Learning skills development support
- Monitoring and reviewing progress
- Careers guidance and support
- Guidance on extra-curricular activities
- Advice on further study
- Assistance for students with disabilities, specific learning difficulties, SEN and other needs
- Counselling & mental health issues (via external support agencies)
- Accommodation
- General welfare advice (travel, part time work, local GP services, external support agencies)
On joining the Academy you are provided information on external student accommodation services, local GP services and other information to enable you to settle fully into student and London life. Please see the Student Life section of our website for more information.
Part of our Community
You are fully inducted to the Academy upon enrolment and provided with the opportunity to take part in cross college artistic and social events as part of freshers activities in order to help you integrate into the Academy community. The Academic team and student council also organise other events throughout the academic year in order to maintain and develop your sense of belonging and strengthen the community at the heart of the Academy.
Mental Health
Your mental health is important and our staff and tutors will do their best to look after your well-being, so that if you have difficulties they will be available either to help you themselves, where possible, or to advise you to who to talk to.
If you raise a problem with your PAT (Personal and Academic Tutor ), Programme/Pathway leader, tutor or member of the Academic Team, they will listen carefully and respectfully and offer support. We will keep information confidential, except where sharing it will aid the Academy in referring you to someone who can help. We will always aid you in finding an appropriate service.
Equality & Diversity
We value the rich diversity of our students, staff and alumni, which is fundamental to our character. This diversity informs our teaching and learning and our employment practices, producing both inspired practitioners and leading professionals. We value diversity and recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge and culture, and that this difference brings great strength to an institution such as ours. We recognise that patterns of under-representation and differences in outcomes at the Academy can be challenged through positive action programmes. We respect the rights of individuals, including the right to hold different views and beliefs. We will not allow these differences to be manifested in a way that is hostile or degrading to others.
Policy and Strategy Aims
In order to uphold these values and to sustain an accessible and inclusive environment for all students we will:
- Celebrate the diversity of our community, recognising that it is integral to our success.
- Comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and demonstrate our compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty, which requires us to have due regard to the 3 principles outlined in the introduction of this document.
- Challenge and address inequality, by prohibiting unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimisation as defined in the Equality Act 2010; in relation to the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex (gender) and sexual orientation, whether such a characteristic is actual, perceived, or by association. This applies to all stages of the student and staff ‘lifecycles’ and to our engagement with service users, suppliers and external parties.
- Take seriously any allegation of breach of this policy and investigate it taking action via our disciplinary procedures, where necessary.
- Embed our Equality and Diversity principles in all our policies, strategies and processes, through active consultation with students and staff, and evaluation of the potential and actual impact.
For more information please download our Equality & Diversity Policy
Students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Students or applicants who declare a disability, specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia), long term health condition or mental health disability are asked to complete a ‘Student Declaration and Identification of Support Needs’ form at enrolment. This is in addition to the declaration requested at application and is intended to ensure the capture of information needed to ensure a safe and successful educational career at the Academy. A member of the Academic team subsequently contacts the student to discuss their individual support requirements and agree actions, which are made available to relevant tutors and support staff, informing them of any services and adjustments required.
Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
The Academy welcomes students with Special Educational Needs subject to being able to support their individual needs. The Head of SEN has overall responsibility both for their welfare and for enabling them to access the curriculum successfully during their time at the Academy. A bespoke programme of elective skills workshops will be mapped for each student if necessary, and alternative assessment models employed where appropriate in order to provide a parity of opportunity with non SEN students. The Head of SEN will act as PAT and first point of contact for all SEN students. The Head of SEN and Academic Team also ensure that all other tutors working with an individual student with Special Educational Needs are appraised of the needs of that student, and understand what, if anything, they need to do to support the student and his or her learning.
For more information, or if you have any questions about how we can support your specific needs please speak to a member of the Academic Team.
Disabled Students
The Academy is committed to supporting accessible learning and welcomes students with disabilities. Good accessibility practices and the needs of disabled students in academic provision are reviewed on a case by case basis, with all reasonable adjustments such as the re-timetabling of studios and alternative assessment arrangements considered in order to provide services and equal educational opportunities to the individual student or applicant.
Students with Mobility Issues
The Academy will make reasonable adjustments for applicants with a physical or mobility impairment in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.The Academy’s premises are old buildings which inevitably means that access to some areas can be problematic for people with a physical disability. This will continue to be an issue for the immediate future and all our premises are currently unaccessible to wheelchair users. Therefore, whilst this is the case, we undertake to mitigate problems for applicants and students with mobility difficulties as far as possible by ensuring that where possible, appropriate arrangements are made to hold interviews, classes, workshops, tutorials, exhibitions and other events in accessible spaces.
We are currently completing a number of works to our main building in Mermaid Court, London Bridge, which will provide improved access and facilities to wheelchair users, including a wheelchair accessible toilet. These works are intended to be completed in the new year. These works, along with appropriate arrangements made for individuals within accessible spaces, means that from September 2019 we will be able to accommodate most students with physical disabilities on academic programmes. Appropriate arrangements may include the rescheduling of classes, workshops, tutorials, lectures and other events to spaces within the main building of Mermaid Court and the ground floor of our Newington building. It may also include the provision of facilities to undertake classes and workshops in techniques and processes outside of the dedicated space in which they normally occur (i.e. printmaking) and individual provision of facilities such as storage spaces, where these are normally in unaccessible areas. Our library is located on the ground floor and fully accessible.
Some of our buildings will remain inaccessible for the foreseeable future (our second building at Mermaid Court and the 2nd floor areas of our Newington building). Further improvements are planned to ensure we have appropriate buildings and facilities in the future; we are committed to improving access to all our buildings and are working towards making all areas of our campus fully accessible to all.
Applicants and potential applicants who have mobility difficulties or any other special needs should speak to us and/or arrange to visit the Academy, before completing the application process, to discuss their needs so that they can make an informed decision as to whether the Academy is able to provide an appropriate environment for their studies.
For more information, or if you have any questions about how we can support your specific needs please speak to a member of the Academic Team.
Hearing Technology for Hard of Hearing/Deaf Applicants
Portable induction loops can be provided during open days, interview and in teaching spaces for those who require them.
Other Disabilities and Conditions
If you have another disability, specific learning difficulty, health, or mental health difficulty, we strongly encourage you to contact us to talk about options for support.
Personal Development & Planning
Central to the Academy’s ethos is enabling you to become a practising artists. You are encouraged to set goals, develop your skills and review progress through personal developmental planning (PDP). PDP is embedded within our Diploma programmes in the form of Professional Development modules, which provide opportunities to identify and action next steps in planning your career as professional artists and also incorporating reviews of the skills you develop through study into this process. Progress and long term goals are discussed and recorded through 1-2-1 sessions with staff and tutors and you are invited to reflect on progress and plan your progression through tutorials with your PAT.
Career Education & Information
Although the Academy does not have a dedicated careers service or advice and guidance department, career and education advice is embedded within programmes in the form of Professional Development modules which provide opportunities to identify and action next steps in planning your career as a professional artist. This is supported through the artistic tutorial system. Some career guidance is additionally undertaken by the Academic team and you have the opportunity to seek further advice from guest tutors and speakers where relevant.
Faith Facilities
The Academy provides a prayer room to allow individuals to observe their faith and believes this essential to harmonious community relations and inter-faith dialogue. This is an important element of the Academy’s Prevent approach.
The Academy is a true artistic community; an environment of vibrant exchange where you learn from expert practising artists and wide-ranging creative stimuli. We’ll stretch your thinking at the same time as building your skills across multiple dimensions. We don’t subscribe to the view that there is one way to train an artist. We start with the individual and invest time, supporting you through tailored, hands-on tuition. We believe in opening the mind every bit as much as we believe in training the eye and the hand. Whatever your path, your programme will involve choosing from our Elective Skills Workshop courses. You will be free to develop and express your vision in whatever language, style or medium best suits your intentions, but whatever the chosen medium, it requires a certain amount of skill and consideration in its formal and conceptual aspects; a portrait should be as conceptually considered as an installation and an installation as carefully crafted as a portrait. The actual process of creating is a continual balance between thought and intuition, between the editorial, decision making process and the spontaneous flow of creativity. Considered marks, observed unintended accidents and the subconscious knowledge that flows into the work all enrich the final piece. For more information please see our Teaching & Learning Strategy.
Artistic Principles
The Academy Artistic Principles:
- Stimulus and Motivation
- Concept and Intent
- Creative and Contextual Awareness
- Visual Language and Craftsmanship
- Manifestation of intent
- Curation and presentation
Stimulus and motivation
An artist’s stimulus comes from a desire to respond to what resonates with them or has meaning to them as an individual, drawn from their experiences, passions and interests. That stimulus sparks an idea which motivates them to start the creative process. Being true to this core motivation can create a unique artistic vision and is the starting point for developing the concept and intent for their art work.
Intention and concept
The artists’s intention is what they want to express, create or communicate throughout their work. Developing the concept is the way in which they refine their response to the original stimulus through examination, exploration and enquiry.
This will begin to determine the best means of expressing their intention and communicating with the viewer. In order to fully develop a concept, this process needs to include rigorous, imaginative, lateral thinking and ingenuity, considering the idea as widely as possible. An effective concept will result in an artwork that opens new perspectives, experiences and understanding for the viewer.
Creative and contextual awareness
The artist practices within a personal, artistic, social, cultural and environmental context. It is essential for them to be aware of the context in which they are working. It is beneficial for an artist to understand their personal creative process and the way in which they best create. The artist should be cognisant of the surrounding artistic discourses (both contemporary and historic). They need also to be mindful of the wider context in which they are working – cultural, social, political and
environmental. In developing their art, they need to determine how they wish to respond to or engage with the contexts within which they practice. They need to understand the relevant commercial markets for their work. They need to consider their responsibility to themselves, their peer group and artistic community, the art world and to wider society*.
Visual Language and Craftsmanship
For an artist to develop their own artistic language, they need to understand the application, impact and relevance of their aesthetic decisions. Harmony, discord, measure, balance, volume, contrast, line, colour, composition and craftsmanship form part of the artist’s language, through which they develop their own vocabulary to express their meaning.
Craftsmanship encompasses skill in whatever media, both traditional and contemporary. Through the continuous exploration and absorption of a wide range of skills, materials and techniques, the artist develops and constantly refines their artistic language.
Manifestation of Intent
This is the point at which the work manifests itself. The artist manifests their intention for the artwork through the choices they make about their formal language, including media, material, technique and scale. The evaluation of these choices and their relationship to the artist’s initial intent, even when these elements have been used intuitively, is essential for the effective expression of the creative idea.
The viewer may also better understand and connect with the artist’s concept when there is a considered relationship between form and intention.
Curation / Presentation
The presentation of an artwork in an exhibition, public or other context is integral to the effectiveness of the piece. The presentation includes the space, the lighting, the structural support system, the layout of the work and the movement of people through the space, the statement and the label system. It also refers to any verbal presentation by the artist about the work; how concise, considered and knowledgeable they are about the context in which they are working and their intentions for the work.
All these aspects need to be carefully considered if the artwork is to fulfil its potential. If an artist wishes for their artwork to be seen, it is necessary for them to gain the relevant professional skills to enable this to happen. The presentation of the work should reflect and support the artist’s purpose as well as underpinning the intended experience of the artwork by the viewer.
*at the Art Academy, part of the context for the students’ artistic creation is the wider community of the Art Academy. The student has a responsibility to this wider community and their fulfilment of this responsibility will impact on the quality of the work they produce. This will include their attendance, their response to other students and their contribution to the life of the Academy.
Tutorials
Allocation of tutorials varies from course to course, but broadly, tutorials at the Academy fall into two categories:
Personal & Academic tutorials
On all academic programmes (with the exception of Certificate) you are allocated a Personal & Academic tutor (PAT) who is responsible for your pastoral care. Please see our Personal & Academic Tutorials section on our Student Support page.
Artistic tutorials
You will be allocated a number of artistic tutorials per year (with the exception of Foundation students). Artistic tutorials are in addition to 1-2-1 teaching and tutorials undertaken in Skills Elective Workshop courses and during assessed modules. Artistic tutorials have a wide and open brief, giving you the opportunity for focused, 1-2-1 creative and technical feedback on your art work with a tutor of your choice. There are a range of Academy and visiting tutors to choose from each term.
For more information please see our Student Support & Guidance Including Tutoring Policy.
Feedback & Assessment
Please note the following does not apply to the Certificate programme, which is not subject to summative assessment. For more information, please see the Certificate Student Handbook and Programme Handbook for details.
Continuous formative feedback is central to the student-centered teaching and learning strategy at the Academy. You will receive verbal, formative feedback for Elective Skills Workshop courses and written summative feedback for core compulsory, assessed modules. Feedback sheets contain grades where appropriate.
Feedback will provide you with a clear explanation of how the marks have been derived or allocated and a clear understanding of how you can improve your work in the future. It should encourage learning and impact positively upon progression.
Across all our programmes assessment is entirely through coursework and is assessed against the learning outcomes described in the programme specification, course documents and module materials. The Academy believes in and employs continuous formative assessment through active learning opportunities such as 1-2-1 and group critique sessions, enabling you to evaluate and analyse your own progress and take control of your learning in order to maximise strengths and address weaknesses. All formative feedback is provided verbally and not recorded. Assessment tasks also follow a pattern that ensures that assessment is developmental and impacts positively on future learning. They reflect the increasing complexity and demands of successive stages in the programme.
Assessment processes should be inclusive and appropriate arrangements should be made for the assessment of students with disabilities, dyslexia and long-term medical conditions. Inclusivity in assessment practices should, however, go beyond making special provision for those students with specific needs or giving consideration of what are defined as ‘protected characteristics’ in law and should consider the totality of the constituency of students undertaking the assessment. Assessment processes should not (through design or omission) disadvantage any individual or group of students.
For more information please download our Assessment and Feedback Policy and out Alternative Assessment Policy. Further details of assessment processes are also available in programme handbooks.
Attendance
As a student at the Academy the following is expected of you to successfully complete the programme you are enrolled on:
- To attend all timetabled classes as required by the programme on which you are enrolled.
- To arrive on time for classes; late arrival causes disruption to other class members and is unfair to the tutor.
- To notify the Academic Team of any known lateness in the morning so it may be brought to the tutor’s attention.
- To notify the Academic Team in advance of any absences so it may be brought to the tutor’s attention.
- To independently make arrangements to catch up on any work missed during absence.
- To not book holidays during term-time.
- To give a week’s prior notice to the Academic Team of any absence or lateness where extra-curricular arrangements unavoidably conflict with classes (acceptance of the validity of the request is at the discretion of the tutor).
For more information please see our Attendance Policy.
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech is an important part of academic and wider life. The Academy will ensure it promotes freedom of speech for its students, staff and visiting speakers. On rare occasions, individuals might seek to express unlawful opinions or an event might lead to a breach of the peace. It is, therefore, necessary to have regulations, as described below in our Freedom of Speech policy, to deal with the situation. However, in assessing any necessary restrictions the Academy will always be mindful of the sacrosanct principle of freedom of speech. For more information please see our Freedom of Speech Policy.
