Will and Will Fine Art BA Honours
Choosing our degree
We saw the BA course as the ideal opportunity to study and build a critical dialogue with other like-minded individuals. The course allowed us to spend time refining our ideas and increasing our awareness for contemporary cultural issues.
Choosing Newcastle
We saw Newcastle University as the ideal place to study due to its excellent reputation for Fine Art. The staff offer an exceptional level of teaching and research expertise and students are encouraged to think independently to develop their professional practice. The department is well resourced, the studios cater for work of any scale and the workshop facilities and technicians are helpful.
Newcastle University is internationally recognised for its commitment to Fine Art; we took the opportunity to study for five months in Munich and Istanbul as part of the Erasmus programme. LifeWorkArt, a career development module that runs throughout the degree, was an excellent opportunity to engage with the regional visual art scene; it inspired us both to develop the project we have been operating since graduation.
Since Graduation
Since graduating in 2009 we have established The NewBridge Project, an artist led studio and exhibition space which makes use of empty business premises in Newcastle city centre. We engage with local, national and international artists to develop an experimental range of exhibitions and projects. We have a commitment to cooperation and collaboration between artists to initiate critical dialogue and to develop opportunities for making and exhibiting contemporary art.
The NewBridge Project operates a studio complex that currently houses 44 resident artists. The studios offer an engaged and discursive community that promotes exchange and support. Our vision is to initiate projects that examine and challenge artists’ practice with a focus on critique and experimentation.
Our public gallery provides a platform from which artists are able to curate, exhibit and explore new ways of working. We show the work of new graduates and of more experienced artists to question contemporary art practice in its widest context.
How did you get your current job?
We are currently co-directors of PopUp Initiative cic, the company that operates The NewBridge Project. With support from the Careers Service at Newcastle University, Arts Council England, Newcastle City Council and SES we have developed a self-sufficient enterprise that provides us with employment and which supports the cultural landscape of Newcastle. We are really pleased to have achieved this, we work for ourselves and have the opportunity to engage with artists on a daily basis.
What are your hopes for the future?
We are in the process of securing a large amount of funding to develop an ambitious exhibition programme for 2011-2012 that will increase our national and international profile. In June we will run another call for artists; we look forward to working with another 15-20 people through the following year.
We are aiming to add our first employee to the payroll by June 2011, this will allow PopUp Initiative projects external to The NewBridge Project through 2012. By the end of this year we envisage PopUp Initiative being an important cultural asset to the region and further afield.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the Visual Arts?
To start out in the visual arts you will need to invest a huge amount of commitment and dedication. The sector is notoriously competitive, but it is absolutely possible to achieve success with the right attitude. Our main advice would be to always stick to your core values and aims, with perseverance and patience it will be rewarding. If you want to continue to practice art after university, find a community and support network in which to work – these are essential for cultivating the right opportunities and for focussing on and refining your practice.
