Wolverhampton School of Art (Est. 1851) brochure

Framing your future

Wolverhampton

School of Art Est.

1851

Richard Savine BA (Hons) Fine Art Castillos Office.

Acrylic.

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This is your invitation to join a heritage of art and design that stretches back almost two centuries.

The Wolverhampton School of Art was established in 1851; as one of the longest-established art schools in Britain, we can provide you with a platform for personal, professional and cultural transformation.

Our founder, George Wallis, was born in Wolverhampton and went on to become Deputy Commissioner of the Great Exhibition, when an evolving arts school movement was influencing both the emerging tastes of the public and innovation in industry.

From this promising start, the Wolverhampton School of Art developed a pioneering vision and in 1970 moved to its current home, the iconic custom-built art school on Molineux Street, Wolverhampton.

Following in the footsteps of George Wallis, our School’s distinguished and talented alumni have achieved recognition worldwide, challenging convention and producing art and design that commands admiration, celebration and respect.

Our heritage specialisms in areas such as glass and ceramics also have a global reputation, supported by academic research of international recognition.

Become part of our community and you too can begin crafting your future as an artist or designer at the Wolverhampton School of Art (est.1851).

Dr John Pymm Dean of the Faculty of Arts Sam Hope Head of the Wolverhampton School of Art (est.1851)

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Subject specialisms Excellent workshop facilities, a long-established heritage and our range of exciting courses make the Wolverhampton School of Art your first choice for a modern, creative education.

Our full portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate art and design courses have been shaped by the specialist needs of the creative industries.

Whichever course you choose, you will be taught by esteemed artists and practitioners, dedicated to developing your individual potential.

Our courses: BA (Hons) Art and Design with Foundation Year BA (Hons) Applied Arts BA (Hons) Fashion and Textiles BA (Hons) Fine Art BDes (Hons) Interior Design BA (Hons) Photography BDes (Hons) Product Design BA (Hons) Visual Communication (Illustration) BA (Hons) Visual Communication (Graphic Design) BA (Hons) Visual Communication (Graphic Design and Illustration) MA Design and Applied Arts MA Digital and Visual Communications MA Fine Art

Daniel McClane BA (Hons) Photography Untitled.

Digital medium format inkjet print.

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World class facilities for extraordinary artworks • • • • • • • • • • •

Hot and cold glass facilities Ceramic facilities for hand building, throwing and slip casting Fine metal and ferrous metals Architectural glass and ceramics Laser cutting and routering Sculpture yard Foundry for casting in bronze and aluminium Print workshops - silk screen, etching, linocut (industry standard) Digital print facilities Rug tufting shed Textile dye lab

Tim Boswell BA (Hons) Applied Arts Spook Blown and sculpted glass.

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Design facilities Our studio-based learning environments are designed to provide you with a real world understanding of contemporary design processes. To enable you to communicate, develop and create exciting solutions for both print and screen medias. • Apple Macintosh workstations running industry-standard design software. • Integrated into the studio set up alongside spaces for creation, discussion and presentation. • A superb range of professional printing facilities that enable you to print onto different substrates and in different sizes.

Illustrate your talent

Sarah Jennings BA (Hons) Illustration, 2013 Children’s illustrator at The Bright Agency

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The Illustration course gave me the confidence to pursue this as a career, and helped me to develop my style and explore all aspects of illustration.

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Amy Louise Evans MA Digital and Visual Communications USA. Screenprint.

Print facilities

Silkscreen printing • 6 oversized A1 printing beds • 1 four-colour carousel for T-shirt printing

A product of success William Morris sketching during the hand-drawing skills competition in the CWM FX London Boat Show.

(William received highly commended for the young designer category).

Relief printing • A range of Columbian Eagle and Albion presses used for linoleum and woodblock Etching / Intaglio printing • A number of etching presses with aquatinting and acid etching facilities • Intaglio presses are used for engraving, etching, mezzotint, aquatint and drypoints

William Morris BDes (Hons) Product Design, 2015 Industrial design engineer graduate at Renishaw

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The knowledge from the lecturers, the freedom of creative work, the ability to choose our own briefs, the opportunities to go on amazing trips abroad, and finally the other great students that attended the course – were all factors that made studying Product Design one of the best and most memorable life choices I have ever and will ever make.

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Digital print • 2 thermal lithographic printers • 2 medium format high-end printers • 1 large format Mimaki textile inkjet printer

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Photography facilities • • • • • • • • •

Pro photo studio Digital lab Black and white film processing Fine print black and white darkroom Colour print darkroom Gallery finishing room Photo student hub Media stores Technical support

Image credit: Dan Collins

Brodie Weatherill BA (Hons) Photography Geometry.

DSLR black & white inkjet print.

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Justyna Ptak MA Fine Art The House Photography installation

Alexandra Darby BA (Hons) Photography Chrysophobia #1 Photography

• Bespoke industrial stitch rooms • Specialist machinery for leather and computerised embroidery • Pattern cutting room • Textile dye labs • Double bed heat press • Tufting machines • Millinery equipment • CAD labs with software for fashion, textile and carpet design • Industry standard digital printing technology

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Lauren Smith BA (Hons) Fashion and Textiles Preliminary designs for fashion print

Image credit: Hall Image Photography

Fashion and textiles

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Creative collaboration The Wolverhampton School of Art is at the heart of the city, its central location providing easy access to the University’s facilities.

Creative collaboration is paramount to our activities. As part of our community, you will have the opportunity to collaborate across specialisms through joint projects, live briefs and competitions. Our courses are delivered within one custom-built art school with studios and workshops at the heart of our practice.

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Externally, we collaborate through our extensive portfolio of partnerships and networks. We have close links with our local communities and industrial and cultural organisations, extending to national and international relationships.

Matthew Williams BDes (Hons) Product Design ‘Sollus’ a personal intergrated transport system of the future.

Aimee Millward BA (Hons) Fine Art Untitled.

Mixed media.

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Textiles students win commission from Arena Theatre The Arena Theatre, a unique multi-disciplinary theatre in the heart of Wolverhampton, commissioned textiles students across all three years to create an eclectic range of textile designs for their studio space.

Lecturer Yve Houghton said: “With inspiration taken from the city of Wolverhampton, its heritage and the theatre, the students’ designs have a contemporary fresh feel which completely transform the interior space.”

Approximately 70 designs were submitted for consideration.

Neil Reading, the Arena Theatre director, and his team then visited the department to judge the submissions.

We were delighted with the quality and quantity of submissions and the highly professional approach of the students.

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Neil told us:

Jack Harrison BA (Hons) Photography Fashion Show 2015 Black and white photography

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Photography and Fashion and Textiles teams unite!

Photography and fashion students work together in the specialist photography studios in order to create professional, stylish and dynamic photos shoots which are key for portfolios, marketing and promotional material. Alongside this collaboration the Arena Theatre plays a major role in liaising with the fashion and textile department using their technical expertise to help create the now legendary end of year fashion show.

Course leader Sharon Watts said:

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The collaboration between the two courses is a great way to celebrate students’ achievements and hard work. This approach mirrors real life professional working practice and is a great opportunity for team work.

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The 24-hour innovation challenge

The Influence Machine came to Wolverhampton as part of the Black Country Echoes Festival in 2014, with Fine Art alumni and graduates working together with Wolverhampton Art Gallery to bring it to life.

Created in 2007 by the engineering institute Ecole Supérieure des Technologies Industrielles Avancées (ESTIA), The 24h of innovation® is a 24-hour competition to develop unique concepts for products, services and creative marketing.

Tony Oursler’s multimedia piece, featuring videos projected onto trees and buildings, creates a haunting urban landscape with spectres, sounds and smoke. The gallery, with help from our students, collaborated with The Artangel Collection at the Tate to bring the art out of the gallery and into St Peter’s Garden.

Su Fahy, MA Fine Art course leader, said:

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Tony Oursler is a very prestigious New York artist so the professional experience of working on a site-specific project with an artist’s assistant was excellent for our students.

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Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s international art project

A team of students take part in the competition each year. The event invites industrial partners like Total, ERDF and Radisson to put forward a challenge to innovate their existing products and services; students then have 24 hours to work on the project and present their ideas back to France via Skype!

Our team of Product and Interior Design students have won the International Award for Best Team from a remote location for the last two years!

Kathleen Fabre Sting in the Tail.

Mixed media.

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Student work showcased at city’s art gallery We are proud to have held our Master’s exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery for the last two years.

The School and the city’s prestigious gallery have a long history of collaboration, even sharing the same building on Wulfruna Street in 1884. The exhibition is a fitting tribute to this long-standing relationship, and showcases the work of our talented students.

Our community 21

Academics will create and shape you into innovative and confident individuals, encouraging you to experiment and take risk.

Professors, readers and researchers will inspire you to achieve your aspirations and become intellectually and academically engaged.

Technical experts will support your creative ambition and assist you in fulfilling your potential and making your ideas a reality.

Create and shape KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER – Our academics are esteemed artists, designers and practitioners who will shape and extend your knowledge. Many engage in consultancy to industry, which in turn transforms into opportunities for live projects, placements and employment for our students.

Natalie Stosiek MA Digital and Visual Communications, 2013

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I liked the course because it was so very different to what I was used to before in Germany!

I experienced that art and design is more than ‘pixeljockeying’. It definitely helped my career progression and helped me to redefine myself as artist and designer.

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The School’s dedicated staff team is committed to ensuring you achieve your ambitions and reach your goals during your creative journey with us.

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Amal Abdullah Alkhabra MA Design and Applied Arts Transition.

Porcelain.

Inspire Our research is the lifeblood of our teaching. Established in 2006, the Centre for Art, Design, Research and Experimentation comprises readers, research professors, associates, research active staff and PhD students.

We are highly rated for research excellence within both national and international arenas.

David Odusanya VP Design and Creative Director, Global Football at Nike BA (Hons) Visual Communications, 1991.

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It was a brilliant course due to the combination of tutors and external professional designers who gave insight, into the reality and opportunity of design. Working with professionals who understood the business was a big deal for me.

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Michael Brennand-Wood Professor of Ornament Babel.

Embroidered blooms, wire, fabric, glass, ceramic, tile on wood base.

Support MASTER CLASSES – To enhance and extend your skill and understanding of the processes and material practice associated with art and design, we offer workshopbased masterclasses and short courses that help to enrich your experience.

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Technical support staff Our technical staff play a key role helping you to turn your creative ideas into a reality. Dedicated support staff for each area provide invaluable knowledge and expertise required for professional practice.

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Charlotte Smith BA (Hons) Applied Arts, 2014

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I suffer from dyslexia and I really struggled at times but I received great support from the lecturers and technicians; they supported me both with issues in and outside of University. The glass technicians taught me everything I know and I am very grateful to them all.

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Charlotte Smith BA (Hons) Applied Arts The Sap. Glass.

Student Feedback

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Tutors are passionate and engaging people that will help their students in any way that they can.

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Staff who are always there if you have any academic or personal problems.

The course is well organised and enjoyable; briefs are always interesting and challenging.

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Helpful, approachable tutors who are good at their jobs and always go the extra mile.

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Graphic Design and Illustration Student feedback: National Student Survey 2015

Joshua Grice BA (Hons) Visual Communication (Illustration and Graphic Design) Out of Darkness.

Digital Collage.

Katarzyna Wozniak BA (Hons) Visual Communication (Graphic Design) Experimental typographic composition.

Tore Østbø BA (Hons) Visual Communication (Graphic Design) Seid ‘Amongst The Monster Flowers Again’ Album Concept.

Mixed Media.

A global canvas The creative reach of our School goes far beyond Wolverhampton.

Get a glimpse into the globe-spanning future we can help you to achieve, from the exciting places we can take you to the far-reaching impact of our graduates.

Vision of style David Odusanya BA (Hons) Visual Communications, 1991 VP Design and Creative Director, Global Football at Nike in Portland, Oregon, USA. “Wolverhampton taught me that great design is about the fundamentals: understanding the problem (or opportunity), finding a solution, developing a creative idea and executing at the highest level of craft.

“I’m very grateful for what I learnt from the University.

I left with a great portfolio that was full of variety as I had pushed myself and delivered beyond the brief but, more importantly, I left with some great life lessons about what it means to be excellent as well.

I’ve come a long way in 25 years.”

David Odusanya

Students visit: Berlin, Milan, New York and Agra.

Study trips Berlin – Fine Art study trip 2015.

Paris – Fashion and Textiles study trip for the International Textile Exhibition, Premier Vision.

Milan – Interiors and Product study trip to Design Week.

New York – Visual Communications study trip 2014.

India – School of Art British Council study trip 2012/13.

Stanwood, USA – Pilchuck Glass Award bi-annually.

Oxford – Pitt Rivers and the Ashmolean Museum annual study trip.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park – Annual study trip.

France, Germany, Italy – Interior and Product Design European study tour.

Netherlands – Dutch Design Week.

Netherlands – Interiuer Bienniale; Design Academy.

Barcelona – Barcelona Design Week.

Your map to success Work experience venues • The Green Wave Centre, Kolkata, India – Glass Studio and School for Creative Arts.

• Pilchuck Glass Centre, Stanwood, USA. • Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

• Peter Layton Glass Studio, London.

• Designers Guild, London.

• Spencer Swindon Design, Hagley.

• Hill and Co, Surrey.

• First Steps, Babywear, Wolverhampton.

Joanne Manousis, BA (Hons) Applied Arts Joanna lives and works in the United States, creating sculptures and installations in glass and mixed media that speak of human emotion, memory and the passage of time. She has created work within residencies at The Museum of Art and Design, NYC, The Corning Glass Museum, NY, The Cité Internationale des Arts, France and currently works as a freelance glass artist in Columbus, Ohio.

Max Stewart, Pilchuck International Glass Conference 2015, Seattle, USA. Su Fahy, May – July 2016, Minnesota Center for Bookarts, Minneapolis, USA

Apply and achieve Julie-Ann Denton, Design and Applied Arts (Glass), 2000 Glass designer in Zurich, Switzerland.

“If it wasn’t for the University of Wolverhampton, I would not be following the career path I am on. I found that they nurtured me when I needed it; they were hard with me when it was necessary and they encouraged me to be the best that I could be.”

Julie-Ann Denton

Christian Mieves Christian Mieves • CAA 103rd Annual Conference 2015, New York, USA. • Erosion and Illegibility of Images, Oct 2014, Walsall New Art Gallery.

• @What Images Do, March 2014, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen.

Picture this Henry Langston BA (Hons) Photography, 2009 Host/producer for Vice News in London, UK. “The strong work ethic and encouragement to think outside the box championed by my lecturers at Wolverhampton allowed me to push myself and make my work stand out.

Henry Langston

Elly Snare, BA (Hons) Applied Arts Elly moved to Leeds and became involved with a host of writing and cultural projects, including the establishment of the Beyond Guardian Leeds blog with Mike Wallis following the demise of Guardian Leeds.

Wolverhampton Guy Sherwin, Fine Art Beyond the Single Screen, June 2015 at Tate Films, London.

Graduate destinations Work experience venues Study trips Research conferences National and International exhibitions

Leva Andzane, BA (Hons) Product Design Now a furniture/product designer at MINT in Latvia.

Gwen Heeney

Gwen Heeney, Applied Arts World Association of Brick Artists Exhibition of five artists’ work at The Clayarch Gimhae Museum of Architectural Ceramics, Korea.

David Jones, Ceramics, July 2015, Hangyang University, Seoul, South Korea.

Lu Xue, PhD glass student Lu investigated the development of glass as an expressive medium in China through direct contact with Western methods of making, decoration and forming glass, and is now working as an academic researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts.

Ashley Purmursley, MA Design and Applied Arts Now working as an interior designer for O.G.A in Mauritius and lecturing at the Charles Telfair Institute.

Jon Kuiter, BA (Hons) Interior Design Now working as an academic at ERICAN University, Malaysia.

Paul Harrison, Fine Art (working with John Wood) Selected projects 2015: • Solo show CAV, Coimbra, Portugal.

• Solo show ICC, Tokyo, Japan.

• Group show, Diamonds Always Come in Small Packages, Kunstmuseum, Luzern.

• Group show, Un Nouveau Festival, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France.

• Commission to work with Contemporary Art Gallery and Ballet BC Company, Vancouver, Canada.

Prof. Michael Brennand Wood – 2015, 5th Riga International, Textile & Fibre Art, Lativa Prof. Michael Brennand Wood – 2014, Elements of Place, Australian Residency Exhibition, Craft ACT, Canberra, Australia Prof. Michael Brennand Wood – 2013, Badges & Buttons-Waistcoats & Vests, Light & Design Gallery, 2013 North Carolina, USA

National and International exhibitions New Art West Midlands Six graduates from the Faculty of Arts were selected to take part in the highly competitive New Art West Midlands (NAWM) Exhibitions 2015. The exhibitions were hosted by galleries across the West Midlands including Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry.

New Designers Every year, our students join over 3,000 of the most promising graduate talents from Britain’s leading design courses to exhibit at New Designers.

The show features everything from textiles and jewellery to product design and illustration and takes place at the spectacular Business Design Centre in London, the world's capital of design.

“The course is extremely industryfocused with live projects enabling students to have a real taster of the demands “The wide selection placed on a of students from designer. Specific the Wolverhampton modules helped School of Art me to create maintains its my professional position as a highly portfolio, successful and essential for New significant provider Designers, and of art education to also produce in the region, promotional packs nationally and that helped me internationally.” to plan my ‘exit’ strategy!”

Samantha Hope, Associate Dean and Head of the Wolverhampton School of Art, Faculty of Arts.

Karen Perry, artist and designer, Design and Applied Arts (Textile Design), 2011.

Guest lectures: Dave McKean, Honorary Doctorate of Design in 2011, and famous Illustrator, graphic novelist and filmmaker, gave an inspiring talk to staff and students at the School in 2015. He has exhibited in America and Europe including solo shows at The Four Color Gallery, New York, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Madrid, and The Maritime Museum, Carlisle.

Dave McKean

Student impact Cover girl: student wins Penguin Design Award 2015 Visual Communication student Lucie Williams was the outright winner of the Children’s Cover Award in the Penguin Design Awards 2015.

Lucie was chosen from hundreds of entrants in this internationally respected student competition, Lucie was awarded a prize of £1,000 for her original cover design for Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden but in addition she was offered an internship at the Penguin Random House art department.

The Visual Communication team are delighted

by Lucie’s success.

Anna Bilston, Art Director at Penguin Random House was quoted on the Design Awards website:

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Our standout winner – striking, eye-catching, great use of a restricted palette coupled with clean, simple design.

Lucie Williams BA (Hons) Visual Communication (Illustration) Carrie’s War Hand drawing, line work, digital collage.

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Graduate shortlisted for prestigious Hasselblad competition Ashley Pearson, a Photography graduate, has been shortlisted in the global Studio StillLife Photography competition, hosted by Swedish photography manufacturing company Hasselblad.

Considered to be one of the highest accolades amongst professional and commercial image makers, the Hasselblad Masters Competition has welcomed online entries of top images shot by professional photographers. Ashley’s entry has made the shortlist of 10 finalists for the 2016 competition.

Ashley Pearson BA (Hons) Photography

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1/12000’th of a second.

Photography.

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Illustration student Kate Ackley won the inaugural Orion Publishing Group Competition with her striking design for Jostein Gaarder’s novel Sophie’s World, the competition which was run by Orion and respected international Illustration agency, Illustration Limited.

Kate’s cover will be put into production and she will have an opportunity to witness the process from artwork to print. The runnerup prize was awarded to Adam Beckett, also of the University of Wolverhampton.

Victoria Pearce from Illustration Limited commented:

Katie Ackley BA (Hons) Visual Communication (Illustration) Sophie’s World.

Ink on paper. Digital colour.

Kate’s use of young fun, friendly, graphic imagery and her dreamy characters immediately jumped out to us. It feels like a very fresh contemporary take on this philosophical title and we believe it will immediately appeal to a new young audience. We are excited to mentor Kate over the next year and help her in developing her unique style and build her portfolio.

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Competition win illustrates student success

Illustration student Jordan Kendall created a number of artworks for the West Midlands Institute of Directors (IoD) annual prize giving ceremony held at Edgbaston cricket ground. In addition to the initial fee, Jordan also secured a full-time job thanks to his outstanding work.

Jordan Kendall Institute of Directors Not for profit category.

Digital artwork.

Alice Mansell BDes (Hons) Interior Design Self service restaurant project.

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It was clear from the quality of work that the students were presenting that they were getting excellent tutoring and direction.

We would happily employ a number of students from the final year who excelled in the project.

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Melony Spencer: Founder & Design Director at Spencer Swinden Design.

Afshan Ambreen BA (Hons) Fashion and Textiles Diversity Now.

Wolverhampton

School of Art Est.

01902 322 898 arts@wlv.ac.uk wlv.ac.uk/school-art /WLVArts @WLV_Arts

1851

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