Fine Art

The world needs fine art thinkers more than ever before.

The ability to see the world through a unique filter, and then express and communicate this to others is vital in this time of change. It can potentially influence our culture, our mental well-being, politics, and even the economy.

From day one at HCA, you will be an artist, exploring our world and developing your own voice, free from the constraints of a ‘house style’. We will support you to experiment across a wide-range of media including: paint, print, drawing, ceramics, textiles, photography, video, sound, performance, sculpture, and installation. You set your own artistic course and develop a unique body of work by exploring the subjects that excite you most.

Fine art students at HCA have the creative freedom to explore diverse subjects such as identity, memory, storytelling, place, mark making, or form; or engage with a wide range of social, cultural, or political issues. You’ll also get involved with exciting collaborative events such as exhibitions, residencies, and site-specific responses.

We offer small group teaching in a thriving studio environment. Studying in our specialist arts college will make it easy for you to transgress boundaries and produce interdisciplinary work. Our smaller group sizes allow us to recognise each student as an individual, developing a unique practice. You will be supported in finding your own creative voice through your art practice. You will have excellent access to tutorial support from experienced practising artists and curators as well as expert technical assistance. Visiting professional artists will further enrich your learning experience.

Through Critical Studies, you can gain fascinating insights into the subject you love. You will explore your specialism and the work of those you admire. We will help you to see your own practice in context with your peers and predecessors; leading to, not only a deeper understanding of the work of others, but who you are as an artist. The things you discover in Critical Studies will help you answer the question: where do I want to take my arts practice? We will support you to develop the skills and confidence you need to meet the challenges of being a practicing artist today.

Industry Links

HCA have excellent links with local, regional, and national visual arts organisations, including New Art West Midlands, Meadow Arts, Sidney Nolan Trust, Canwood Gallery Queenswood H-Energy, H-Arts, National Trust and Hereford Cathedral. You will be supported in a work placement tailored to your own goals and future career ambitions within the creative arts sector, such as: working as a professional artist, teaching, community art, art therapy, curating or other roles within arts institutions.

After this Course

Graduates are equipped to pursue a broad range of careers within contemporary Fine Art and the wider creative arts sector, including Fine Artist, Arts Management, Art Therapist, Art Teacher/Lecturer, Gallery/Museum Curator and Community Arts worker. Many of our graduates continue to postgraduate study – such as our MA Fine Art or MA Curating programmes, or a PGCE for school, college, or university teaching.

Highlights

1. Personalised individual tuition from experienced practicing artists and curators as well as expert technical assistance 2. Lively studio culture with individual space for every student 3. Weekly collaborative student projects and events in the course’s Project Space 4. Lectures and workshops with professional visiting artists 5. Workshops including 3D, video, photography, textiles, ceramics and print 6. Exciting collaborative events, exhibitions, residencies, work placements, and site-specific projects working with our network of external partners 7. Transformative Art Camp.