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University of Kent / ARTS STUDIO
QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS
Is art the answer?
by Angus Pryor
What sort of education
does a Fine Art degree
give you? What do you
actually learn on a Fine
Art degree course?
How does making your
own work in a studio
teach you anything?
Will a Fine Art degree
help you find work
afterwards? And why
all the questions?
If questions excite you then Fine Art will teach
you more than you ever dreamed. Art students
are questioned constantly about the work they
make. Learning how to give well-informed,
responsible answers is a major part of their
education.
In many ways, they get the best of both
worlds. As a Kent Fine Art student, you get the
freedom of art school with the rigour of a wellrespected
university degree.
But freedom also brings responsibility.
You are free to explore any form of art
practice including painting, sculpting,
ceramics, digital arts, photography, installations,
music and performance. However, you will be
asked ‘why?’ at every stage of your journey.
You can be as controversial as you like. If
you want to make a piece that shocks people,
you just have to explain why. ‘Because I felt like
it’ or ‘because that’s just me’ are not good
enough.
In order to give good answers, you must
first listen, read, think and write. Lectures,
reading and assignments on Kent’s Fine Art
degree cover philosophy, history, sociology,
religion and science. This makes for a strong
academic education.
All Fine Art students attend tutorials or ‘crits’
every week and that is when the questions start
coming. You get used to researching your
answers, predicting our questions and thinking
on your feet. You build up knowledge that means
you can come up with an answer to questions
you never expected.
Dealing with questions in this way is a skill
that takes you a long way. Fine Art degrees are
highly regarded and many of our students go
on to graduate positions in the art world and the
UK’s extensive creative industries, while others
opt to work elsewhere in the public, private or
commercial sectors. Their ability to give clear,
confident, creative answers helps make an
impression in whatever career they choose.
A Fine Art degree also teaches you to
change your mind. We won’t force you down a
particular path or insist that you adopt a ‘house
style’. On our new Arts at Medway campus, you
will mix and share facilities with our music and
creative events and performing arts students.
You do not even choose your final degree
straightaway. You could end up with a BA (Hons)
in Fine Art, Fine Art (Curation), or Fine Art
(Critical Arts Writing). If you want to switch to a
music or event design degree, we try to make
that happen for you.
You’ll have to tell us why though...
Angus Pryor is Senior Lecturer in Fine Art.
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