I am in my final year, due to graduate in the summer and I can safely say that the Artist Designer: Maker course at Cardiff Met has been the perfect choice for me! Here are 5 highlights of my course from over the past 3 years – although there are many more I could talk about:
1. Workshops and studio spaces
On the Artist Designer: Maker course, we are very lucky with the access to workshops we get – we can get inducted into pretty much any workshop we want, from woodworking to metalwork to ceramics! And once we are inducted we can use any piece of kit we want. We are also extremely lucky with the studio space we have – we each have a desk and shelving storage which is entirely ours – there is no hot-desking here as there are with some other courses out there. This has probably been the best thing about the course.
2. Summer Shows
Another great thing which I look forward to every year is our summer show, and the opportunity we get to exhibit our work to the public and industry professionals. It provides an invaluable experience into getting our work exhibition-ready, and gives an insight into how the mechanics of a show works. I just love the fast-paced and lively atmosphere that comes with building a show. It is incredibly rewarding to see your work up and looking at its best! Come and see our degree show this year from the 29th May – 4th June – it’ll be amazing!
3. Unlimited creativity
The Artist Designer: Maker course has a lot of different creative individuals on it who have come from different backgrounds and who work with different media. This means that our course is very broad, and the opportunity for peer-learning is vast. Our tutors and technical demonstrators are also very supportive – they will support you with any idea you have and anything you want to make. There is no limit!
4. Professional Practice
In the final year of the degree we have a module called Professional Practice. This module consists of a series of lectures and seminars by internal staff and visiting lecturers who prepare us for life after University. They cover things like writing a CV and artist statement, building a website, promoting ourselves as practitioners, writing applications for opportunities and funding – basically anything career related that will be important once you graduate. These sessions are incredibly helpful and make leaving University less of a daunting prospect!
5. Seeing friends everyday
Finally, another big highlight of the course is having the ability to see my friends everyday. We all share a studio space and have a communal area where we can choose to work together or separately at our desks. We also are quite close to the students on the Ceramics course – Maker and Ceramics have previously been described as sister courses! The support between students is phenomenal, and we understand what it’s like when someone isn’t having a good day. Sharing a studio space and being in University everyday has meant that I have made lasting friendships with people that will continue long after I graduate.
It is a bittersweet feeling coming to the end of this course. I am sad to be leaving – not being able to see my friends everyday, and leaving the amazing facilities here on offer at CSAD. However it is also an exciting time, as opportunities come up and life leads us all into different directions and how we have the ability to carve out our own path. It has been an incredibly forming 3 years, and an experience which I will treasure for a long time to come!
Photos by Tasha Goss. Check out more of Annie’s work at her Instagram: @annie__fenton
