Robson Real World Experience Fund 2017
Extended and Foundation Art and Design students were given the opportunity to work on live projects and gain experience with publishing processes and professional practice thanks to financial support from the Robson Real World Experience Fund.
The projects were put in place by Foundation Press to help University of Sunderland students engage with wider arts networks and the creative industries.
Joe Woodhouse, Programme Leader Foundation Art and Design, said: “The projects involved the support of existing staff, input from arts professionals, as well as high levels of collaborative learning. In this way, students have developed a wider community of practice and gain confidence in their own position within it.”
The projects, which have taken place throughout the year, included students working with local music and arts venue, Pop Recs Ltd; Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art (NGCA) /Holmeside Writers; Baltic Artist Book Market; EXPERIMENTICA Arts Festival at Chapter in Cardiff; and a student-led end of year Publication Project.
Six students participated in ‘Experimentica’ performance art festival in April 2017 at CHAPTER Arts Centre, Cardiff. They worked in advance of the project collaboratively designing the poster and exhibition booklet for the art centre’s visual art exhibition; ‘These Rotten Words’. They spent three full days in Cardiff working as visiting artists participating in a live workshop entitled ‘Colour Experiment’.
Joe Woodhouse said: “The students gathered an experience of a real world Fine Art context – building their confidence in professional practice.”
Another eight students participated in UNBOUND a two day performance and print event at BALTIC Centre of Contemporary Art in May 2017. They worked with visiting artists and musicians Rachel Aggs and Chooc Ly Tan to construct a printed installation in one day – culminating in a live performance at the end of the day. The event was visited by over 300 visitors over the weekend and it was open to the public.