Inspired choice

Cornwall is known across the world as a place of outstanding natural beauty, and for good reason. Its coastline is endlessly varied, featuring sheltered coves, majestic cliffs and pristine sandy beaches. World Heritage status was recently placed on Cornwall’s historic mining landscapes and the region is a wonderful blend of the rugged and the picturesque.

If you had to sum up Cornwall in one word, inspiring would do it pretty well. From the captivating landscape to the vibrant cultural scene, this is an exhilarating place to live.

This is an ideal atmosphere in which to nurture your creativity and meet the challenge of postgraduate study.

Stacey Louise Righton completed her MA in Contemporary Visual Arts at Falmouth after 5 years as a practising artist: “Studying at postgraduate level in a rural area as opposed to in a city was a refreshing change to the ‘norm’ and gave me a confidence about working as an artist outside of London.”

West Cornwall actually has the highest concentration of artists and writers outside of the capital. Quite apart from the enduring reputation of the Newlyn and St Ives schools, there is an impressive contemporary art scene in the county. The Tate St Ives and Newlyn Galleries have been joined by Newlyn’s stylish new extension, The Exchange. With these developments and the flowering of artist-led projects in the region Cornwall’s creative future looks very bright indeed.

Barnaby Richards, graduate of MA Illustration, describes the unique character of both Cornwall and the town of Falmouth: “It goes without saying that Cornwall is extremely beautiful. It is difficult to convey the character of a place like Falmouth which feels so peaceful, and yet is filled with lively, stimulating and like-minded people. For this reason, it is a great place to study, offering solitude and good company in equal measure.”

Cornwall’s thriving cultural scene encompasses theatre, live music, performance poetry and film and with groundbreaking organisations like the Eden Project, the county’s reputation as a creative hub is assured. Described by Q Magazine as “the summer’s most imaginative event,” the annual Eden Sessions attract some of the biggest names in music to play amongst the iconic biomes.

Add to that the Port Eliot Literary Festival, the St Ives International Festival, and the deluge of surf competitions and music festivals that pepper the summer, and you’ll find the energy hard to beat.

Cornwall is currently involved in a bid to become Europe’s first ever Region of Culture, and when you see the spectrum of cultural events taking place here, it’s hardly surprising. Film collective, O-Region put on regular film screenings RoughCuts and Futureshorts, and The Cornwall Film Festival held in November attracts the cognoscenti of British and Cornish filmmaking.

Despite the richness of its cultural life, Cornwall maintains an outward-looking vision and has excellent creative partnerships with cultural centres both nationally and internationally, so you can benefit fully from these links and the opportunities that continue to proliferate in the region.

Charity Wilson grew up in the county and chose to return to pursue the PgDip in Professional Writing: “Having grown up in Penwith, I was elated at the prospect of returning to Cornwall to develop my career by undertaking one of the leading postgraduate courses in the country; it did not disappoint and I’m happy that opportunities for graduates, such as myself, are flourishing.”

Study here and you cannot fail to be inspired.