The Visual Arts Studio is based in the Tramway arts venue on the South side of Glasgow. It has been in existence for over 20 years and run by Glasgow City Council Education Department. While the studio was originally established as an extra curricular programme for Senior Art and Design pupils interested in applying to Art School the studio now runs a wide variety of courses for students of all ages who are interested in potentially pursuing a career in the arts
The Visual Arts Studio is now highly respected for our very successful and unique Art and Design Portfolio Presentation Courses. Since the Visual Arts Studio took up residence in the Tramway in 2000 we have formed strong links with Tramway's visual arts team giving our students the wonderful opportunity to benefit from the unique resources within the venue. Each year the students are fortunate to get the opportunity to work with contemporary artists who exhibit at the venue. Very often these artists are at the cutting edge of their particular field and offer a personal and highly valuable insight in to the art world. This obviously adds a new dimension to the portfolio work and has increased the number of our students pursuing a successful career in the arts.
The Studio is fortunate in having high quality teaching staff with very wide range of expertise and experience with a clear understanding of the skills and approaches needed to support the students in their quest be accepted in the Art School of their choice . The course offers an introduction to the wide variety of skills that are vital to the modern art student. Skills included on our course include a strong emphasis on the importance of drawing as a means to develop ideas and creativity as well as other vital skills like painting, sculpture, paper making, textile and screen printing, jewellery work, photography and computer imaging and an introduction to film making and animation.
The Studio has followed the career paths of many of our students, some have become successful artists regularly exhibiting their work and others have set up their own business, while a few have chosen to pass on their knowledge and expertise through teaching.
These workshops are intended for current S3 and S4 students who have a keen interest in pursuing a career in art and design. They will be introduced to a wide variety of skills including printmaking, ceramics, textile work, digital photography as well as traditional drawing and painting. Experimentation and sketchbook work will be a very important part of the course as these are very important aspects to any good art school application. The summer workshops will run for 10 sessions starting from Saturday 22nd of April until 24th of June. The class will run from 1pm to 3pm
We will also be running weekly workshops during the month of June aimed mainly for 4/5th year students who will be returning to school the following year to undertake Higher/Advanced Higher or considering applying for art school. The courses will run four days (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) from 9.30 until 3.30. The students will investigate the environment of the Tramway’s Hidden Gardens through drawing and digital photography. These investigations will be used to inform experimentations including painting, printmaking, 3 dimensional skills and sketchbook work in order to supplement the development processes necessary for serious art and design students
The main aim of the course is to support and encourage Glasgow’s most talented Art and Design students and to further develop their skills and talents. The course is also designed to support the courses they intend to take up when they return to school particularly Higher and Advanced Higher.
Students will be able to choose from a variety of projects that we hope will supplement the work done in their schools. During the week of the course most students are able to produce the equivalent of half of a years school work and experience has shown us that the students return to school with an enhanced commitment and passion to work to a higher level. The course will also give some students the ideal start in preparing portfolios for application to Art School and or Colleges of Further Education. Students at the course also have the opportunity to meet with others who have the same interests and passions which is a further stimulus to help them achieve their goals and ambitions. Almost as important are the strong friendships that inevitably form during such an intense course.
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Applications for Life Drawing Classes information on classes will be out soon. Classes usually start in September and will cost £100 for 10, 2 hour sessions including materials and tuition.
Contact studio for application form by email or phone
william.nelson@glasgowlife.org.uk or 0141 276 0950
