In 2017, New Contemporaries, an annual exhibition of emerging artists from UK art schools, opened up its application to include artists from alternative learning programmes. Director Kirsty Ogg discusses this decision, the changing climate for emerging artists in the UK, and what artists really need to develop and challenge their practice. Interview by Michaela Nettell.
Turps Art School was founded in 2012 as a medium-specific art school providing year-long studio and distance learning programmes for painters. Co-founder Marcus Harvey talks to Michaela Nettell about the ideas and values behind the school.
School of the Damned is a free year-long alternative, and unaccredited, art school. Each year a new student group comes on board and collectively devises and develops their programme of learning. Laura Davidson finds out more from members of the founding cohort, Class of 2014, and the Class of 2018 graduating students.
Founded in 2010 by a group of London-based artists, AltMFA is a free, nomadic, alternative art school whose fluid content and structure morphs around the needs of its members. Lydia Ashman speaks to co-founder Louise Ashcroft about the project and why radical inclusivity and a little bit of anarchism are essential to its existence.
This Might Be The Future, funded by an a-n artist-led bursary, stems from AltMFA’s year-long ‘The Future’ programme and features a pleasingly chaotic collection of contributions that AltMFA co-founder Louise Ashcroft describes as a “clear reflection of our values in an object”. Laura Davidson reports.
A new exhibition and free pop-up summer school from Create London and the William Morris Gallery celebrates the cultural and educational legacy of Walthamstow School of Art, which from 1957 to 1967 became a hotbed of artistic ideas and talent. Lydia Ashman talks to two of the people behind the ‘Be Magnificent’ project.
The Islington Mill Art Academy in Salford has been providing a free alternative to mainstream art education since 2007. Sara Jaspan speaks to its co-founder, Maurice Carlin, and gets the views of artists who’ve taken part in the Academy’s ever-evolving investigation of what art education can be.
The Syllabus is a nomadic artist development programme billed as an alternative to formal art education. At its half-way stage, Anneka French speaks to the project’s organisers, artist Andy Holden and Wysing Arts Centre, and to two of the ten participating artists.
The continued squeeze on arts funding is throwing up some interesting solutions to supporting artists, whilst raising some serious debates about the future of the profession.
The Parallel School of Art engages in collaborative workshops and projects that explore and redefine models of learning.
A consideration of the background to alternative arts schools and their current relevance, citing historical ideology and using eight case studies.
Artist Pippa Koszerek considers recent student protests within the context of alternative art school strategies.
Set up in 2006, the New International School’s peer-network of fifty members organise events, publications and collaborative works in Finland, France, Serbia, the Netherlands and the UK.
Emerging from the self-organised culture of the Los Angeles art scene, The Public School is a peer-led education model.
The Islington Mill Art Academy was set up by students for students. It is an unaccredited, collectively run higher education experience.
The Hedgeschoolproject is a participatory work by Glenn Loughran that combines art, architecture and activism to explore forms of critical pedagogy and emancipatory learning.
Set up in 2008 for the New Dark Age exhibition, Free School is a non-hierarchical, collectivist, no-cost, peer-led art school.
Elements MA is an unfolding proposition for a educational pathway based around a titular masters course. Initially the MA will manifest itself through a series of events, exhibitions and activities from its base at Trade, Nottingham.
Department 21 is a school within a school where designers, artists and architects can meet, collaborate and share working space beyond the institutional boundaries of their own disciplines.
Terry Smith discusses the Experimental Art School.
Robyn Minogue reports from the ‘For a New Europe: University Struggles Against Austerity’ conference in Paris that looked to discuss and organise a common network based on European -wide issues including autonomous knowledge production, self-education and networking.
Martin Patrick on Robert Filliou and George Brecht’s collaborative shop project La Cédille qui sourit.
