Fine Art Students Experience Real Studio Culture

Falmouth School of Art students enjoy frequent workshops, trips and visits from industry professionals, artists and creators. Most recently, the students met award-winning artist Marta Bakst and travelled to visit the Cornubian Arts & Science Trust (CAST) in Helston. The trip to CAST also included meeting artist and BA(Hons) Fine Art alumnus, Ben Sanderson.

Alice Butler, a third year BA(Hons) Fine Art student who attended both events, told us: “It was great to spend time with other creative people outside of my own studio space.”

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BA(Hons) Fine Art

Marta, whose work was included in the 2018 John Moores Painting Prize exhibition, held a series of workshops along the overarching theme of storytelling in painting. The students explored different ways of creating work – from the imagination, from photographs and from composition – building their own personal visual language and style.

“I liked the visit with Marta,” Alice told us. “It was an opportunity to experiment and explore creative processes that I maybe wouldn’t have tried on my own. From that facilitated exploration I found fresh ideas to introduce into my own practice.”

While at CAST, an educational charity and creative community, the students met the founder Teresa Gleadowe and resident painters Nicola Bealing and Ben Sanderson, who have studios there. The group shared a meal together – an important part of the CAST ethos – at the CAST Café, before exploring the town of Helston and making work in response to what they saw there. 

Developed out of a series of contemporary art events organised in Cornwall, CAST aims to promote participation, appreciation and learning in the visual arts. It encourages interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration across the arts and sciences, working with artists, curators, writers and a range of specialists from other fields. 

Discussing the team at CAST, Alice said: “I really enjoyed chatting about various topics with them. Seeing the [studios] and facilities in person is very different to hearing about it in lectures. It’s good to go to other locations because it gives ideas on where to go once the University bubble has been burst and we’ve flown from that security.”