For several years, Professor Emeritus David Buss has funded the Invicta Scholarship, designed to provide financial assistance to talented UCA students in their second and third years of study. One of the recent beneficiaries was Clarissa Beveridge, who went on to achieve a first class degree in fine art. David caught up with Clarissa...
One Year On
Having followed Clarissa’s development as a student at Canterbury, I was interested to find out how she was adjusting to life after university, and arranged to catch up. Whilst studying at Canterbury, Clarissa met the British artist Ann Carrington ARCA who has her studio in Margate. Clarissa worked for Ann as a Studio Assistant whilst at University, a relationship that has continued on an occasional basis during the past year, helping her gain further insights into the working life of a successful professional artist. Shortly after graduating, Clarissa was shortlisted for a Crate Graduate Project Space Award and she exhibited work as part of the Margate Festival 2016. Crate Studio and Project Space is one of several new art venues in the seaside resort that has contributed to the regeneration of the town. Most notable of her activities over the past year has been her involvement with the Turner Contemporary. As a Gallery Assistant, Clarissa meets and talks with visitors and conducts tours of the exhibitions with small groups. In this role, Gallery Assistants have the opportunity to see at first hand the complex process of ‘hanging’ an art show. When I met Clarissa, the main exhibition at the Gallery was ‘Every Day is a New Day’ which explores ‘the role of art and creativity in society and its capacity to empower all of us, across generations and cultures’. It featured the work of British sculptor Phyllida Barlow, who represented Britain at the 2017 Venice Biennale, and BritishKenyan painter Michael Armitage, Exhibitions provide opportunities for the Gallery Assistants to meet some of the artists and curators during the preparations for their exhibitions, and for the current exhibition, Clarissa participated in an artist-led tour by Michael Armitage. 32 CREATIVE UPDATE
On the day we met at Margate, Clarissa had attended the first session of a Trainee programme designed for ‘Kent based practitioners who are interested in arts education, socially engaged practice and collaborative learning to develop their skills’. It aims to encourage and support experimentation with different ways of including artists, communities and families in the cocreation of the Turner Contemporary’s learning programme. What, I asked Clarissa, have been the most difficult issues during your first year after University? Her response highlighted two matters. The first was maintaining contacts with art communities – something we agreed is vital for the developing artist. In addition to her contacts with the growing creative communities and audiences in East Kent, Clarissa has maintained links with her former tutors and some of her peer group. The second issue has been the difficulty of getting a studio space to continue her own practice. Suitable spaces are difficult to find, even in a creative community such as Margate. And rental costs are high. So what does Clarissa hope to do next? Completing the traineeship is a priority, one that will open up other opportunities for her. She worked as part of the Whitstable Biennial 2016 and when we met, she was about to start working as a Host at Folkestone Triennial 2017. She’s also going to be returning to UCA as a Graduate Teaching Assistant on the Foundation programme. Having observed her progress over the past three years, I am very confident that Clarissa, like so many UCA graduates, will build a successful career within the Creative Industries.
Clarissa Beveridge, BA (Hons) Fine Art, Canterbury, 2016
Detail from Clarissa’s degree show in the Herbert Read Gallery, UCA Canterbury
David Buss — Emeritus Professor
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