Goldsmiths College

Course Details

BA (Hons) Fine Art

Course Description

Courses and structure This degree is divided into three levels, each of which corresponds to a year of study. This programme consists of two interdependent elements: Studio Practice and Critical Studies. You must pass both elements to progress to the next level. The first year is the beginning of three years of intensive studio and research laboratory practice. Each year you are allocated a studio space that forms the focal point of your activities. In the final year you mount an exhibition of your Studio Practice for assessment, which is then open to the public. Throughout the programme you'll be taught through individual tutorials in your studio, group tutorials, and mixed-year studio practice presentations. The parallel Critical Studies course is designed to support your practical work in the studios. The lectures and seminars introduce and develop key issues that inform diverse art practices and encourage you to extend your critical faculties and develop your ability to discuss, write about, analyse and judge contemporary art. In the third year you demonstrate your research skills and ability to pursue an argument of your own choice in a dissertation. Assessment Studio practice coursework is continuously assessed through individual tutorials and group seminars. This is complemented by studio presentations at Year 1, viva voce at Year 2, and a final exhibition at Year 3. Critical Studies is assessed through essays (Years 1 and 2) and a dissertation (Year 3). Year 1 Studio Practice introduces you to the acquisition of fundamental knowledge and gives you the basic practical skills necessary to initiate your independent research. You'll gain experience of making art as a full-time activity and an awareness of the critical debates and contexts that inform Studio Practice. Your tutors assess your Studio Practice coursework continuously and offer feedback at the end of the autumn and spring terms. Your work at Level 1 is also assessed through an end-of-year presentation at the summer term. Critical Studies is delivered through a series of lectures and seminars that examine the key ideas and issues relevant to the ways in which contemporary art practice is made, circulated, judged and understood. You'll analyse the different contexts and the history that informs contemporary art practice, and critically explore the diversity of media, materials and ideas employed by contemporary artists. You'll also be introduced to critical approaches to study and have more opportunities for discussion in the studio. This course is assessed through essays submitted at the end of the first and second terms. Year 2 Studio Practice in Year 2 begins to deal with more complex issues and the selective application of acquired knowledge and practical skills. It is a period of synthesis, leading to a deeper understanding of your practice. Your tutors assess your Studio Practice coursework continuously and offer feedback at the end of the autumn and spring terms. You make a presentation of selected work for assessment as a viva voce in the summer term, where you'll be asked to discuss your work in depth. Critical Studies deepens your understanding of the ideas and issues introduced in Year 1 through seminars and independent study. Seminar options may include: Postcolonial Identities and Representation; Art and the Everyday; The Right To The City; Utopias in Contemporary Art; Post-Criticalities; Acts of Appropriation; The Film Effect – Moving Image Art in Context. This course is assessed through essays submitted at the end of the first and second term. Year 3 Studio Practice in Year 3 supports an independent, self-motivated practice and your potential to work as an artist. You'll demonstrate a high degree of understanding, critical awareness and independent judgement. At this level you'll consolidate your practical and critical skills in preparation for the Final Exhibition and further independent practice. Your tutors assess your Studio Practice coursework continuously and offer you feedback at the end of the autumn and spring terms. The Final Exhibition of your Studio Practice is assessed at the end of the summer term. The final exhibitions are then open to the public as a Degree Show. In Critical Studies you select a subject for independent research based on your understanding of your practice and the concepts explored throughout the degree. This is developed through a series of tutorials leading to a dissertation, in which you should demonstrate your research skills and ability to pursue an argument of your own choice. You present your dissertation for assessment at the start of the second term. BSc (Hons) Digital Arts Computing BA (Hons) Fine Art BA (Hons) Fine Art (Extension Degree) BA (Hons) Fine Art & History of Art Art home

Course Duration

NumberDuration
3year

Career outcomes

Skills and careers Skills All undergraduate programmes in the Department of Art aim to equip you with the necessary skills to develop independent thought and confidence in your practice. These skills will also be of use in other career paths you may wish to follow. You'll develop the following transferable skills: critical and analytical skills creative and practical skills ability to express ideas clearly IT skills We provide you with a series of opportunities for specialist advice and further information to complement your studies and prepare you for professional life after graduation. Our students actively seek opportunities to exhibit their work beyond Goldsmiths through external networks while they are here. Careers Many graduates have continued to be successful, practising artists long after graduating, winning major prizes and exhibiting around the world. The Turner Prize shortlist has consistently included at least one of our former undergraduates, including Angela de la Cruz in 2010. Six of the prize-winners have studied here: Grenville Davey, Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, Steve McQueen and Mark Wallinger. The interdisciplinary nature of the programme will enable you to work in a variety of fields (eg media, museums, education, the music business, and academia) and progress to a variety of careers, including: practising artist art historian arts administrator gallery curator arts journalist teacher lecturer writer conservationist designer




BA (Hons) Fine Art Goldsmiths College