Art & Environment MA

Why study MA Art & Environment at University College Falmouth?

MA Art & Environment flyer (1.39 MB)

For centuries artists have interpreted and represented the natural environment. It has provided materials and subject matter, as well as inspiration and knowledge.

In recent times – particularly since the growth of the environmental movement – there has been a dramatic change in our understanding of the many ways our society impacts upon the Earth. This awareness has galvanised around the fact that the relationship between humanity and our life-giving planet is in a critical state.

This change in knowledge has been reflected in contemporary art practice. MA Art & Environment encourages a focused engagement with ecological and environmental issues. Designed to give you the skills, expertise and confidence to operate as a professional artist in this critical area of practice, the course will also enable you to develop strategies and practices that use art as a cultural agent – as a tool for knowledge, understanding and change.

Tell me more about the MA Art & Environment course

In addition to poetic and holistic interpretations of the environment, artists now regularly collaborate with scientists to exchange knowledge about water, air, energy and soil and incorporate this knowledge into their practice. Similarly, the environmental crisis suggests that we reconsider many of the social activities upon which we depend, including concepts of community, health, food, waste, transport, building, economics and education.

Within this context, the MA Art & Environment course will help you use art to:

• Frame and draw attention to issues and problems
• Create a space where new ideas can be explored
• Generate radical and creative solutions
• Devise and promote new ways of thinking
• Engage with a broader public context

This course has been developed from the research group in Art, Nature & Environment (RANE).

Professional Practice

Students are expected to use the course to develop a professional practice. There are opportunities to establish exhibitions and other public events at our partner venues including the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World in Haldon Forest, Exeter, and Aune Head Arts on Dartmoor. Students are encouraged to undertake a work placement with a relevant individual or organisation.

Course staff

Dr Daro Montag

An international leader in his field, Daro's work concerns the integration of art with contemporary ecological thinking and real world issues. His research examines the creative potential of organic materials and processes. His work on art and climate change led to his being invited to participate in the 2009 Cape Farewell expedition to the Peruvian glaciers and rainforest. Previously his work has been exhibited at galleries in the UK, USA, Europe and United Arab Emirates, and published in a number of journals and books. In 2002 he was awarded the prestigious L'Oreal Art-Science prize in Tokyo, and has also worked with the Institute of Animal Health, the Met Office and Deutsche Bank. He also leads the RANE research group at Falmouth.

Cape Farewell brings together artists and scientists to witness the stark facts of climate change. Daro Montag tells of his recent experience on an expedition from the ethereal cloud forests of the Andes to the humid jungle of the Amazon basin in this article.

 A Walk on the Wild Side - WEM - February 2010 (674.09 KB)

Dr Richard Povall

Richard is a digital artist, composer, cultural manager and co-director of Aune Head Arts. He has held senior research fellowships at Middlesex University (London) and at Dartington where he was also programme leader for MA Arts & Ecology. He has taught in numerous colleges and universities and was Director of the Division of Contemporary Music at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in the US from 1997-9. He holds a BA(Hons) in Music from Dartington, an MFA in Music Composition and Electronic Media from the Centre for Contemporary Music at Mills College (Calif, USA) and a PhD from the University of Plymouth. He lives in Devon, on the edge of Dartmoor. He has served on the Board of numerous arts organisations in the region, and currently chairs Soundart Radio 102.5fm.

Course structure

For full-time students this is a one-year course delivered over 45 weeks. Alternatively, you can study the course part-time over two years, totalling 90 weeks. The academic year begins in October and ends in September.

This course has been developed from the research group in Art, Nature & Environment (RANE) and has built upon aspects of the MA Arts & Ecology, formerly run at Dartington. It combines staff-led and group-led workshops and seminars, independent research, individual tutorials, ongoing practice-based projects, written assignments, a dissertation and the realisation of a final body of work. There may also be occasional ‘intensives’ during the course together with the potential for exhibitions and events beyond the University College context.

The seminars reflect on the many different ways that artists engage with issues of environment. They’re designed to provide a broad knowledge of this mode of practice and focus in depth on specific examples. These act as a catalyst for further research and exploration to consider how artists engaged with such work reach their selected audiences and interact with them. They also provide case studies and methods you can draw on to enrich your own practice, as well as subject specific knowledge for researching your particular environmental art project.

Some of the teaching is shared with other MA courses in the School of Art & Design. This shared provision provides opportunities for you to engage, and potentially collaborate, with other students and disciplines and includes a practical introduction to research methods appropriate for contemporary art. Research, in this context, is understood to feed directly into the making and understanding of art.

A series of workshops examines ways that artists use mark-making, images, sounds and texts to generate, categorise and present knowledge. The programme also provides professional skills to enable you to develop your practice, including learning about generating funding, writing proposals, documenting work, making presentations and exhibiting. You’ll also be expected to test out your ideas and work in a public context.

The core of the course culminates in your final project, which develops from your individual creative practice that engages with some aspect of the environment and is informed by your own research interests.

In the second half of the course you’ll complete a dissertation that theorises your work and contextualises it within the field of environmental art and thinking. You’ll be encouraged to see your writing as a tool to help you gain a deeper understanding of your practice. In order to support this, a series of seminars will study texts and statements by environmental artists, encouraging you to develop your own style of writing and establish a structure for your dissertation.

The course engages with the wider community of art and environment through the RANE research group, led by Daro Montag. This provides a guest lecture series and further seminars and conferences, drawing on the expertise of international artists and others working with the environment in a lively programme of events. Past speakers have included Alan Sonfist, Lynne Hull, John Jordan, Basia Irland and Newton and Helen Mayer Harrison. Additionally, visitors on the Arts & Ecology MA have included Red Earth, Karen Guthrie, Wrights & Sites, Dr Christian Taylor, Pauline Oliveros and Martin Prothero.

Our overall teaching philosophy caters for diversity and is aimed at individual development. There’s considerable flexibility on the course and you’ll have good access to staff for tutorials and informal discussion. The course-specific content is taught through small group seminars, workshops and crits. The units shared with other MA courses are taught through lectures and seminars.

Assessment

Students' work and performance is assessed against a set of criteria that consider the evidence of artistic quality, knowledge, critical understanding and relevant practical and professional skills. There are evaluation points where guidance and feedback is provided. Final assessment takes place at the MA exhibition.

Facilities

Full-time students will be provided with studio space, whereas part-time students need to secure appropriate studio or work space. All students have access to well-equipped facilities including workshops, library, IT resources, Photography Centre, and Media Centre.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements through the university sector include Honours Degrees, Foundation Degrees and HNDs in the arts or related practice, and a desire to develop work further within an environmental context. However, as a trans-disciplinary course, applicants who have previously studied an environmental subject are welcome to apply. This mixture of previous experience and backgrounds creates an interesting and dynamic peer group within which to learn.

Applicants who do not have a first degree in art will need to show some evidence of previous engagement with the subject. If you have solid professional industry experience rather than academic achievement, this may be acceptable for entry to study at this level through a process called APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning).

More information about entry requirements and applying for our postgraduate courses can be found here

We welcome enquiries and applications at any point in the year; however applicants who apply before the end of January, for an October start, may be eligible to submit an application for AHRC funding or other bursaries.

For informal enquiries about the course please contact daro.montag@falmouth.ac.uk

For further information about the MA Art & Environment course at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 255763.

Answers and advice about the course

 Postgraduate study guide 2012 (2.70 MB)

If you have any queries about the course please visit our HelpMe Forum.

HelpMe Forum: MA Art & Environment

For further information about the MA Art & Environment course at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 255763.

Funding your study

A Master’s degree represents a significant investment in your future, and you will rightly be concerned about funding. Our fees & funding section outlines fees for full and part time students and has guides to introduce you to ways of funding your course at Falmouth.

Postgraduate Placements Cornwall

Put your skills to use in Cornwall's dynamic business environment on a paid placement project

Postgraduate Placements Cornwall is a consultancy level business placement programme starting in September 2011 and running in Cornwall until 2014. The programme is delivered by University College Falmouth and partner institutions University of Exeter and PCMD.

For more information about the project, please contact the Placement Office in the Annexe at Tremough:

Tel: 01326 254200 or 01326 255984
Email: placementteam@falmouth.ac.uk

Career opportunities

Students completing the course are likely to pursue a career as a professional artist or to use their skills in a related field, such as teaching or curating. The specialist provision of this course will also offer opportunities to undertake further work in environmental projects and research.

The course is closely connected to the RANE research group. This provides an international context and network opportunities with artists, writers, filmmakers and others working creatively in the environmental sector. In addition, the students on the course benefit from the strong links with Cape Farewell and the Eden Project. The link with RANE also offers a progression to doctoral study for those students who wish to further their learning through a research degree.

Interview

All applicants should send some evidence of their previous practice or proposed project (CD, DVD, slides or printed matter are all acceptable). Interviews are arranged for all those applying to the course.

Related courses

Fine Art: Contemporary Practice MA