As a mature student my experience has been fantastically rewarding and challenging. Now that I’ve completed my degree, I feel confident in what I’ve learnt and excited about what my creative future holds. Working hard most definitely pays off but listening and learning from a multitude of creative professionals has been invaluable too. As with so much in life, it’s what you make of it and I consider my studies to have been a truly formative and invigorating experience, seeing the world around me in new and exciting perspectives - rich with potential for creative conversations, continued learning and also growth.

The technical / workshop facilities are excellent and the studio space is light and generous. The on site library is excellent too, although it would be hugely helpful to have easier access to the Essex University Library. The college is undergoing on-going building improvements which is good to see and hopefully funding will be made available to improve the car park before too long. The college offers a variety of places to buy food and drinks plus a very useful college shop. The grounds are also undergoing some improvements with the addition of a sensory garden but it would be good to see some imaginative shrub, tree planting around the site!

From a personal perspective, the support has been amazing with tutors and technicians offering generous and constructive feedback. The expertise of the library staff has been invaluable too - also always happy to help. Excellent technical and study skills support are always available if needed.

I have appreciated the planning that goes into student contact time. Regular lectures, seminars, artist visits and tutorials are all structured to provide a broad range of information and experiences. In the later stages of study, they become increasingly tailored to individual practices. Tutorials are offered regularly, becoming an invaluable and supportive conversation to help develop individual practices. Structured activities and group crits are particularly useful too. There’s very little I’ve disliked about the way I’ve been taught and I have valued the generosity with which individual knowledge and expertise is shared.

12

Professional development and planning are a key part of studies. Opportunities to meet and talk with multiple practicing artists is an integral part of each semester. This is not only invaluable for networking but also an opportunity to seek feedback on your own work plus gain advice relating to working in the arts. Opportunities to exhibit work is also key to studies, whether it be an on-line residency, a gallery or a site-specific project. This, along with entering competitions, are positively encouraged, helping build confidence to show your work and build contacts beyond your studio practice. All great potential for new opportunities.

For me, this course offered what I wanted. As a much older student returning to studying, it was a kind and fairly welcoming place to be. I never felt that my age and different circumstances were a problem to anybody, I was treated exactly the same as everybody else. I found the course intellectually stimulating and artistically rewarding. I think that the staff tried to make it as all embracing as they could, allowing each person to develop in their own way whilst gently guiding you onto a path where you might fit into the contemporary art scene.

For such a small art school the facilities seem more than adequate and workshops are readily available run by helpful, friendly and experienced support staff who are always there to help you through any project. Each student gets their own personal studio space throughout their course. There is a good library with very helpful staff, though the computers there are ageing. There is a separate Apple computer suite available, with help on demand, and printing services.

Feedback is constantly available through regular crits, personal tutorials and formal feedback at the end of each module and hand in. This is very helpful in ensuring one's progress especially in steering you in the right direction. Any questions you might have are dealt with and problems that arise are dealt with quickly by the staff. Health and safety issues are always part of the process of learning and woven into this. I cannot say in detail how personal issues are dealt with as I did not have any.

The best of the course was to be found in the lecturers themselves who were always available, enthusiastic and encouraging. This was helped by the small size of the groups which ensures that the lecturers know you and your work very well. What could be improved is the actual position and status of the Art School itself and its relationship with the rest of the campus in Colchester, which I sometimes feel set obstacles in the way that the lecturers could develop.

10

The college put on a series of lectures on different routes one could take towards finding employment and/or setting up an artists' group. Established artists were invited in to talk to us about what this looked like in practice who gave us useful information about where independent work could be found and how this could be accessed.