Fine Art Professional Pathways Development

Contents: Report Outline

As admissions tutor for the Fine Art degree at South East Essex College, and as
2 Report Outline a result of ongoing consultation with colleagues on Access and Foundation Art
& Design programmes at the College, I had observed that many adult learners
were unable to progress onto higher education simply because their circumstances
3 Increasing the Flexibility of Provision prevented them from committing to a full-time timetable. In addition we had noted
that the uncertainties of a Fine Art career could be extremely off putting and that
there was an often unchallenged perception among younger students that Fine Art
5 Establishing Partnerships with Creative Industries degrees had few tangible, work-related outcomes.
& Developing Work - related Curricula As such the focus of the project was to encourage adult learners to engage / re –
engage with learning and to promote level 3 progression through the development
of more flexible and work-relevant Fine Art undergraduate programmes and the
9 IAG and Career Guidance in Fine Art promotion of employment opportunities which arise within this area of study.

This report addresses these aims via three sections covering the project’s success
17 Project Summary in increasing the flexibility of provision, in developing work-related curricula and in
producing career guidance resources (IAG) specifically for Fine Art. These areas will
be considered in relation to the following:
20 Appendix 1 & Appendix 2
a. An analysis of recruitment trends on the Fine Art degree at South East Essex
College over two years of the project’s duration.
21 Appendix 3
b. The observations of learners, project managers and of project partners

c. A visual record of the project.

The project report is accompanied publication:

• DIY Portfolio Building for Fine Art – taking the first steps to becoming an artist

These are available as PDF documents or as Hard Copy.

South Essex College of Further and Higher Education was formed on 1st January 2010
from the merger of Thurrock & Basildon College with South East Essex College of Arts and Technology.
1 2
1. Increasing the Flexibility of Provision
Initially the project focused on increasing the flexibility of Higher Education provision
offered by South East Essex College in the Fine Art subject area. In March 2008
a Part-time BA Fine Art pathway was formalised and a sub-degree framework
implemented. The part-time pathway allowed students to attend college for 7
rather than 14 hours per week. The implementation of the sub-degree framework
also meant that students could potentially elect to complete the degree in different
stages over an extended period rather than as an uninterrupted programme. Should
a student successfully complete the first year of the degree but then wish to take
a break before completing years two and three, for example, he or she could be
awarded a Certificate in HE which they could then use as a formal qualification for
entry to year two at a later date.
Applications to the part-time pathway have been relatively modest. In September
2008, when the part-time pathway was first offered, it recruited only one student. In
September 2009 no part-time applications were made.
made that student an offer on the one year programme. In practical terms the
student undertakes exactly the same modules as those enrolled on the three year
degree but at the end of the first year that student will be required to apply (rather
than progress) to the next stage of the degree programme. This means that the
student has the opportunity to prove their suitability over the first year rather than
being rejected outright, but also that the Course Leader retains the facility to refuse
entry to the second year should their initial reservations prove insurmountable.
In considering the significance of these changes, it is worth noting that one of the
failings of the project may have been to raise awareness of the flexibility of HE
provision in the Fine Art area. In October 2009 we conducted a survey with the
new Year One, Fine Art degree students in order to assess their awareness of
the sub-degree framework and its potential implications for their period of study.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, around 90% of the students had never heard the term ‘sub-
degree framework’ and 80% were not aware that they could opt to take ‘gap’ years

The one student who did enrol on the part-time programme would not have been
able to study at degree level had the part-time pathway not been introduced. The
student in question is a mature student who had previously studied on the Access to
Art & Design course at the College but who felt she had too many commitments to
enrol on the full-time course. She would have been extremely reluctant to apply to
any of the other Colleges or Universities in the region offering part-time pathways,
for example, University of East London or Colchester Institute, because she did not
want the extra time commitment of travelling to and from such courses. As such
she is a prime example of the type of student we had hoped to support through
increasing the flexibility of provision. Nevertheless the fact that she is the only part
–time student may well suggest that there are other factors which have a more
dramatic impact upon progression to Higher Education in Fine Art, particularly
when one considers the overall increase in recruitment on the Fine Art degree (see
appendix 1).

In terms of the impact of the sub-degree framework the picture is similar. Since its
implementation in October 2008 no student has opted to interrupt their studies
and take ‘time out’ between years. However its introduction has allowed the Course
Leader greater flexibility in terms of the ability to offer places on the Cert HE rather
than the full degree. In one case this has meant that where the Course Leader had
reservations about the suitability of a student for the subject discipline, they have 4
between years one and two or two and three. The production and design of the • Gauge the number and nature of work experience opportunities available to
projects’ IAG materials will be discussed later on in the report but with the benefit students.
of hindsight it would probably have been useful for those materials to have included
more information concerning the variety of modes of study that are now available. • Provide a point of contact with a range of organisations/individuals (which might
then lead to potential project partnerships).
Future Developments • Generate work experience opportunities for students (which might then lead to
potential project partnerships).
In support of the generation of materials to promote awareness of the flexibility of
provision in the Fine Art area, further research might be conducted into workable
The completed programme included a wide range of organisations and individuals
models of part-time attendance. It might be very encouraging for mature students
including METAL, Cell Project Space, Synchro Studios, The Arts Council, Southend
who are worried about the difficulties of juggling different commitments (for example
Association of Volunteers, Coexist and Focal Point Gallery (see Appendix B) and was
family, part-time employment as well as Higher Education study) to learn from the
delivered at the College during the first semester of the 08/09 academic year.
experiences of previous students who have studied on a part-time basis. This could
potentially involve the collection of statistical, anecdotal and visual information.
During the guest speaker programme the following observations were made:

2. Establishing Partnerships with Creative Industries & • Work experience opportunities for students did exist but were often linked to
specific events requiring extra staffing or organisation (for example, Coexist were
Developing Work - related Curricula keen for volunteers to help with the painting/installation of their new studio and
gallery spaces at TAP in Southend).
In addition to the provision of more flexible programmes, the project aimed to
establish partnerships with creative industries within the South Essex region. It was
• The most appealing work experience
anticipated that through these partnerships we would be able to offer our own
opportunities, for example with
degree students an organised programme of work placements and thereby promote
recognised organisations such as Focal
the range of employment opportunities within the subject area to prospective
Point Gallery, were over subscribed.
students.
• Art organisations seemed to hold
Establishing Partnerships in high esteem the characteristics of
independence, and self-motivation. Many
At an early stage the project endeavoured to establish a relationship with Focal Point individuals were working on projects
Gallery, one of the most significant visual arts organisations in the Southend area. In in a voluntary capacity themselves in
February/March 2008 initial discussions were held with Focal Point to discuss the order to ‘make things happen’. From this
best way to broker partnerships with other arts organisations and individuals. In perspective the idea of an organised
February 2008 Fran Wilde, Education Officer at Focal Point Gallery agreed to act as work placement scheme for Fine Art
a project consultant in order to help develop a programme of guest speakers drawn degree students seemed something of an
from a range of regional art organisations and institutions. Aside from the educational anathema. Indeed most art organisations
benefits of the programme, which would be limited to a specific group of learners, seemed more willing to respond to
the guest speaker programme aimed to: individual students than sign up to any
• Facilitate a developing partnership with Focal Point Gallery. kind of organised work placement
6
 scheme which was perhaps perceived as a potentially burdensome tie in terms of artist talks
time commitment.
• Working collaboratively on jointly funded research publications
• Students seemed to be surprised by the variety of work experience
opportunities with which they might potentially be involved. • Making financial contributions to the local arts economy by employing
regionally based guest speakers.
• As a result of the guest lectures, students did seem to feel empowered to seek
out work experience and become more involved in regional/national projects. The • Utilising the facilities in the new College building to host events at a minimal
pattern of student involvement with some form work-based learning across the cost or for free.
board differed quite considerably from previous years. All of the six Year 2 students
independently arranged a period (or periods) of work experience during their • In order to be able to arrange work experience independently students needed
second year. One student applied to take part in a National Textiles Competition to be made more aware of existing possibilities and forthcoming art projects. As
and was one of only six to be selected for an exhibition in Alexandra Palace. This discussed, the guest speaker programme succeeded in motivating and informing
in turn led to her involvement in a collaborative knitting project alongside one of the Year 2 cohort but it was noted that this programme was itself dependent on
her heroes, the artist Freddie Robins. Another worked on a residency project in project funding. In the long term a guest speaker programme would need to find
Basildon. One student was able to build a relationship with a gallery space based funding elsewhere. Alternatively, information might be communicated in a different
in St Olavs Church in South London resulting in a group exhibition through which way, for example via a website or email messaging service.
she was able to sell her own work. Two of the students in the group took part in
voluntary art projects based in local schools or community groups. The remaining • Students would also benefit from guidelines covering the various forms of work
student worked as an individual mentor for a student at Belfairs Secondary School experience, the variety of vocational pathways connected to the Fine Art subject
studying towards their GCSE in Art and Design. area, the potential advantages of undertaking a period of work experience and of
different ways of approaching organisations.
• There seemed to be a growing sense of excitement about the future of the ‘arts
scene’ in the Southend area.
Further Developments
In March 2009 a project review of work - based learning on the degree resulted in
The above recommendations had implications for the project’s design and production
the following recommendations for the design of the professional practice module in
of IAG materials and will be discussed in the following section.
the coming academic year 09/10:
The project has helped the degree course establish a good working relationship with
• Rather than set up an organised placement scheme it would be more beneficial
Focal Point Gallery. Towards the end of the 08/09 academic term a series of talks
to try to establish positive and mutually beneficial partnerships with designated
given by relatively high profile artists linked to the Focal Point exhibition programme
organisations so that when opportunities became available, the partner college
such as Milly Thompson and Clunie Reid were held in the College’s Performance
could be contacted and then simply pass on the information to a particular group
Pod (lecture theatre). These were advertised alongside a range of IAG resources
of students depending on the nature of the project.
and events under the banner ‘Fine Art for Free This Summer’. More recently Focal
Point have increasingly scheduled their own artists’ talks and events to fit in to the
• In order to develop relationships with arts organisations the course must actively
Fine Art degree timetable meaning students are more likely to benefit. Whilst these
contribute to the developing Southend arts community. This might be achieved by:
talks do not necessarily address professional practice in Fine Art, through the guest
speaker programme it has become clear that information regarding artistic and career
• Helping to maximise student attendance at outside events, private views and
7 development are not easily separated.

The evolution of the project has coincided with a growing sense of confidence and
enthusiasm about the artistic scene in the Southend area. This has been most evident
in the development of a new studio and gallery complex set up by Coexist and
located in close proximity to the Fine Art degree studios at East Street. METAL also
now have a more tangible presence in the area, reflected in the annual Village Green
Festival weekend at Chalkwell Park and the various Petcha Kutcha evenings.
In terms of the formation of partnerships these changes have had a significant impact.
The Coexist studios opened in the July 2009 and of the 11spaces available, 4 are now
occupied by SEEC Fine Art degree graduates. College staff have featured in recent
exhibitions and degree students have been invited to exhibit at the space in 2010.
Students and staff have also exhibited at this year’s Village Green event and many
have attended METAL’s Petcha Kutcha evenings which have helped to illustrate the
variety of creative enterprises and initiatives in the region. METAL have also set up
the Idea13 website which is used by local arts groups to publicise forthcoming events
and opportunities.
Developing Work - related Curricula
In light of the above, and in response to recommendations resulting from the review
of the guest speaker programme, the project’s objectives in terms of curricula have
been adapted. As discussed it has been very difficult for the course leadership to set
up and have management over a work placement scheme for Fine Art. The local arts
infrastructure is made up of lots of temporary events and projects are often arranged
on a rather ad hoc basis. Nevertheless there are a growing number of opportunities
available and if students are equipped with the necessary information they are more
than able to arrange work experience independently. In this respect the most recent
project initiatives have aimed not to set up placements but to provide information
to degree and potential degree students regarding the range of working practices
related to Fine Art.
3. IAG and Career Guidance in Fine Art
As well as the development of work placements themselves, one of the main aims
of the project was to try to increase awareness of career development in Fine Art.
This objective soon broadened as it became clearer that many of the learners we
encountered, even those enrolled on courses at the College, knew very little about
the nature of degree level study in Fine Art. Rather than electing not to apply for a
Fine Art degree because they were worried about time commitments or the lack of
career prospects, these learners were unclear (and often rather anxious) about the
requirements of a portfolio interview and of the ethos/philosophy of the degree itself.
In attempting to address these issues and also to respond to some of the findings
articulated in the previous section, the project has developed a range of printed
resources. Through the organisation and hosting of various student visits and events
aimed at improving the visibility and currency of the Fine Art degree at SEEC we
have also established a number of productive links with other Colleges in the region
(although most of these have not been formalised in a Progression Agreement).
Progression Routes
A visit in March 2008 to New Vic 6th Form College in Newham enabled SEEC staff
from Fine Art and Graphic Design degree programmes to meet with first and second
year BND students and NewVic staff. Between March and May similar visits took
place at SeeVic College and the RocheWay Adult Community Colleges.
In June 2008, project funding provided transportation for students from all visited
Colleges to attend of the end of year Art & Design degree show at SEEC. On arrival
each group was given a short tour of the exhibition and introduced to the degree
course leaders.
In July 2008 a progression agreement between the BND Art & Design programme
at NewVic and the Fine Art degree at SEEC was agreed and signed by both parties.
Unfortunately, since that agreement no NewVic students have applied to the
programme. Applications for the beginning of the 08/09 academic year did include
2 from the BND Art & Design at SeeVic, one of whom was offered and accepted a
place on the degree.
As such the project highlighted the following:
• SEEC staff felt that on their outreach visits they were underprepared and that
they needed more time to prepare and design presentations for potential students.
• One visit was likely to be quickly forgotten and a follow-up plan needed to be
put in place so that a relationship might be built with a particular group of students.
The degree show visits offered much more of an opportunity to create a longer
lasting impression. However, considering the journey that some of the student 10
 groups had made to get there, it was felt that SEEC could have offered them a
more complete programme of activities rather than just a tour of the exhibition
which only lasted around 30-45 minutes. Again staff felt that this came down to the
amount of time available to SEEC staff to prepare for the visit.
• Unless the course publicity materials were immaculately designed and printed to
a high specification (i.e. desirable objects in themselves) students were likely to be
largely underwhelmed and distrustful of any kind of heavy handed spin. Therefore
publicity materials might be more cleverly designed so they had an educational or
informative value that sat comfortably alongside their promotional value.
Further Development
The following year the project endeavored to address these findings via:
• Re-structuring the degree show visits to include trips to local art galleries, the
East Street studios and the degree show at Luker Road.
• Promoting the degree show visits to specific colleges alongside a package of
additional exhibitions, artists talks, workshops and free resources via the ‘Fine Art
For Free This Summer’ leaflet produced in collaboration with Focal Point Gallery.
• Designing and producing a general DIY guide to the course, to the application
process and to the type of activities students were likely to encounter during the
degree. This would be aimed primarily at mature entry students but of value to a
wider range of level 3 and current Fine Art degree students.
• Creating an e-newsletter to mail out to all students participating in the degree
show visits, and to all addresses collected via the ‘Fine Art For Free This Summer’
freepost response service.
In relation to the specific goal of increasing awareness of career pathways in Fine Art
the project would also attempt to develop:
• A DVD documenting the participation of current degree students in work based
learning. For example student involvement in the ‘live’ Site Specific project and
in the degree shows at Free Range in Brick Lane, London. It might also include
interviews with previous students to try to record their experiences of life after the
degree.
• A project publication (Inspittingdistance) that would attempt to chart a variety
of inspirational career paths via a series of interviews with artists and arts
professionals.
Fine Art For Free This Summer
In April 2009 a series of talks, resources, workshops, events and exhibitions, organised
in conjunction with Focal Point Gallery, were advertised via a fold out leaflet under
the banner ‘Fine Art For Free This Summer’.
The programme/resources included:
• Portfolio Building for Fine Art, a free 3 day workshop suitable for those who
needed to prepare their portfolio and get ready for interviews – or simply for
those who might want to get a taste of life on a Fine Art degree.
• Portfolio Building DIY Pack, promoted as a new educational resource available
to Adult Learners who were interested in applying for a Fine Art degree and felt
they need help building a portfolio for interview. The guide contained course
information, advice sheets on portfolio presentation and organisation, information
on work experience opportunities, suggested drawing activities, ways of
approaching gallery visits and lists of online resources. The guide also features three
case studies written by recent graduates which describe the passage from degree
study to the world of work.
• BA (Hons) Fine Art Degree Show 2009, which offered special pre-booked art
tours for local schools.
• Focal Point Gallery Exhibitions: Clunie Reid ‘Out There, Not Us’ and Milly
Thompson ‘Savoir Faire’.
• Wednesday 10 June, 6pm to 7.30pm, The Pod, South East Essex College
In conversation: Clunie Reid and Paul Buck
• Wednesday 15 July, 12pm to 5pm, The Pod, South East Essex College
Artists’ Video Day: Milly Thompson and EASTvideo 2009
The events/resources/workshops on offer were all available free of charge but
interested parties were required to complete a Freepost return slip, providing an 14
email contact, name and address. 500 leaflets were printed. These were distributed to
staff at other Colleges with whom we had already established a relationship (SeeVic,
Barking College, Rocheway Adult & Community College), students on SEEC courses
from whom the degree had previously recruited (Access, Foundation Diploma and
BND programmes) and via displays in local galleries and libraries.
The aims of this initiative were:
• To raise the profile and increase the visibility of the degree.
• To create quality resources that staff could use when speaking to potential
applicants.
• To raise perceptions of the currency of the Fine Art degree at SEEC through its
association with a programme of high profile exhibitions & talks.
• To offer a series of events through which we could establish a relationship with
individuals who might be interested in applying to the programme.
• To collect contact information, primarily from Adult Learners who were more
difficult to track down.
In meeting these aims, the project’s success may be gauged in terms of the following:
• Many students on the Access to Art & Design programme at SEEC engaged in
most aspects of the programme, attending talks, exhibitions and requesting the DIY
Portfolio Building Guide. Of the 18 Freepost reply slips we received, 6 were from
current Access students. Of the 23 students who enrolled on the programme at
the beginning of the academic year 09/10, 7 progressed from the Access to Art &
Design course.
• The DIY guide itself has proved a useful resource for students and a valuable
promotional tool. As well as being posted out to learners who responded via the
Freepost service, the guide was distributed to all students from SeeVic, Barking
and Rocheway Adult Community Colleges who took part in the organised degree
show visits. Rocheway College also agreed to use the guide as a teaching resource,
requesting a bulk order for future use.
• The guide has been particularly useful for adult learners who were not currently
in education but were interested in the possibility of HE study. Of the 23 current
15
year 1 Fine Art degree students at SEEC, 6 were not enrolled on any kind of
course at the time of their application and many of these had not studied an Art
and Design qualification for a number of years. For these learners the guide gave ‘a
much better idea’ of what was required of them at interview, and helped them to
‘understand what the Fine Art degree was all about’.
• The idea of developing a relationship with students from courses over a longer
period of time seemed to work well. 1 student from SeeVic who eventually on
the programme was met by degree staff at these and College wide events on 4
occasions over the academic year and has since said that this played an important
part in her decision to apply.
• The number of different events helped to collect a large number of email
contacts. This provided the database for the Fine Art degree’s first e-newsletter, the
BAFAnews which was mailed out in May 2009. The newsletter re-publicised the
‘Fine Art for Free’ events programme but also provided a means of promoting the
degree in a more visual way via inclusion of images of student work.
At the same time, a number of the events did not prove as popular as we had
envisaged:
• The free portfolio building workshop did not attract sufficient interest and was
aborted.
• Attendance at the Clunie Reid event in the College Pod was disappointing and
drew few students from SEEC let alone other institutions.
• Some students who did attend the talks organised by Focal Point found the
content was difficult for them to understand and the experience slightly alienating.
Live Projects Film
The Live Projects film was completed in November 2009 as an addition to the
project Final Report. It includes footage of a range of live projects Fine Art degree
students have taken part in during the project and documents a series of interviews
with current year three students and graduates from the degree. The interviews
record student responses to the Year 2 Professional Practice programme, their
understanding of career development in Fine Art and their experience of life after
College. 16
It is intended that the film be viewable via the Creative Way website. It will also
be produced as a DVD to be used as a promotional tool in order to support
recruitment to the Fine Art degree. 200 copies of the DVD have been made and
these will be distributed to students who have already indicated (at Open Days,
recruitment events such as the UCAS fair, or via contact with degree staff) that they
are considering a future in Fine Art.
In Spitting Distance
The initial project plan proposed the creation of a new website promoting career
pathways in Fine Art in the region. After careful consideration it was agreed that
this would prove too problematic in terms of the man hours required for updates
and maintenance, and also that its necessity was questionable in light of the
development of the e-newsletter and of other online resources such as the idea13
website. In its place it was decided to produce a project publication that aimed to
develop awareness of the nature and breadth of vocations associated with Fine Art
qualifications.
Through the course of the project it had become clearer that the way people reach
their career goal is increasingly random and constructed from numerous factors.
Through the publication we aimed to chart a variety of inspirational career paths
in order to offer something of a route map through the plethora of information,
attitudes, people and situations confronting Fine Art graduates.
The identity and focus of the publication are reflected in the project invitation
attached in Appendix 3.
Project Summary
Since the beginning of the project recruitment to the Fine Art degree at SEEC has
increased dramatically. This year the programme recruited 23 reflecting a rise of over
200% since the academic year 07/08. Moreover the degree was forced to turn away a
number of late applications due to the limitations of available teaching space.
Whether this increase can be attributed directly to the successes of the project is
certainly questionable. The recruitment statistics need to be considered in relation to
the significant improvements that have, during the project’s duration, been made to
the resourcing of the programme in terms of studio space at the College’s East Street
Centre.
17
Increasing the Flexibility of Provision
The fact that the increase in recruitment has taken place despite relatively few
applications to the part-time pathway suggests the issue of flexibility was not as
influential as we had previously thought.
Establishing Partnerships and Developing Work – related
Curricula
The Fine Art course now has the biggest first and second year cohorts in the Art
and Design HE area. Considering the more immediately marketable career prospects
of disciplines such as Graphic Design, Interior Design and Fashion Design this suggests
either, that the project has helped to redress the perception that Fine Art graduates
struggle to find work or, that there are more significant influences on a students
choice of degree.
The project has undoubtedly helped the degree to cement relationships with local
art organisations such as Coexist and Focal Point Gallery. These partnerships are
critical to the legitimacy of the degree and in particular the perception that there
is a community that can support artists who are faced with the financial realities of
life after College. The partnerships themselves rely on the enthusiasm of the student
population (to attend events, to offer their labour voluntarily) and it seems that the
best way to maintain enthusiasm is to provide an invigorating programme of guest
speakers.
IAG and Career Guidance in Fine Art
The most successful aspect of the project was in its realisation that providing students
with appropriate information and useful resources can be the most effective way
of encouraging them to ‘progress’. The development of the DIY guide which has
a general use value beyond the promotion of the course seemed to allow the
programme to develop stronger links with feeder courses and with individual
students.
18
 Appendix 1
RECRUITMENTS TRENDS BA (HONS) FINE ART, 2007-2009
2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010
Number of enrols 11 15 23

Appendix 2
ADFA 210 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE, BA FINE ART YR 2
24/09 Module Introduction
01/10 Organising an Exhibition Year 3 students Laura Keeble/Karen Apps
08/10 Working in the Voluntary SAVs Barry Millar
sector (Southend Assoc.Volun-
teers)
15/10 The internet –Athens/AN Library induction (at Luker rd)
22/10 Funding exhibitions and ACE Ollie Dawson
applications (Arts Council East) Visual Arts Assistant Officer
29/10 Half term
05/11 Artist as curator Uni of Essex Matthew Poole, MA in Gallery Stud-
rearranged for ies, University of Essex
21/10/08
12/11 Approaching galleries Rod McIntosh Rod McIntosh (University of Her-
Consultant efordshire
19/11 Postgraduate provision Tutor Led
26/11 Work experience/career Individual tutorials to discuss work
action plans experience/career action plan
03/12 Working in a studio Amy McKenny Artist Amy is in the process of organising
studios – collaborating with Metal
10/12 TBC Cell project space in east Milika Muritu
London Milika was resident artist for Art-
U-Need Southend / Set up Cell
Project Space
17/12 Residencies Metal Collette Bailey/Sean McLoughlin
22/12 XMAS
29/12
07/01 Working in a gallery ed FPG Andrew Hunt
Director, Focal Point Gallery
14/01 Setting up a company Business Link University of Essex
21/01 Routes into teaching Southend Teacher Training Partner-
ship

19 20
Appendix 3 Report completed by:
IN Tel: 01702 220514
Email: inspittingdistance@southend.ac.uk David Hutt
SP TTI G BA (Hons) Fine Art Course Leader
D STA CE
Invitation We would like to acknowledge the support of:

We write to invite you to participate in a new publication, funded jointly by South Judy Kenney
East Essex College and the ‘The Creative Way’, partnership of 44 colleges, Programme Manager,
universities and training providers based in the Thames Gateway region. The Creative Way

The publication, titled ‘In Spitting Distance’, aims to develop awareness of Paul Baily
the nature and breadth of vocations associated with Fine Art and Art History
BA(Hons) Graphic Design Course Leader,
qualifications.
South Essex College
Why_ The way people reach their career goal is increasingly random and constructed
from numerous factors. We aim to chart a variety of inspirational career paths in order
to offer something of a route map through the plethora of information, attitudes, people
and situations confronting Fine Art and Art History graduates. The publication will give a
flavour of how the industry fits together and of which elements control others. The idea is
not to do this in a A+B=C fashion, but rather to document a series of interviews as launch
pads for common ideas and direction.

Aim_ Our intention is to interview those individuals, like yourself who have used study in South Essex College contacts:
these areas as a springboard to exceptional careers. Each contributor will be illustrated by
a short section providing an overview of their career path, informed by answers to a short Jane Frampton
list of questions. Academy Manager
jane.frampton@southessex.ac.uk
How_ We’d be exceptionally grateful if you would agree to participate in this project.
you can either do so by completing the questions on attached interactive PDF
(which you can email back to us at; inspittingdistance@southend.ac.uk) or better still, by
Bill Kenney
giving up some time to meet with the editorial team for an interview. We hope to conduct Head of Faculty, Media and Creative Arts
the interviews though out September and October and aim to launch the publication bill.kenney@southessex.ac.uk
towards the end of November.

We thank you in advance for time and contribution and look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards, South Essex College of Further and Higher Education was formed on 1st January 2010 from the merger
of Thurrock & Basildon College with South East Essex College of Arts and Technology.
Andy Rees & David Hutt
Acknowledgments of graduates art work
working in partnership with Sarah Lobar BA (Hons) Fine Art, Page 4.
Clare Lynn Skinner BA (Hons) Fine Art, Page 11-12. Laura Keeble BA (Hons) Fine Art, Page 19.
working in partnership with