Tuesday 14th December 2010
On behalf of the students of the Painting Department, Howard Gardens, UWIC.
Re: Letter sent to all Howards Gardens students on the 1st of December 2010
The students of the department of Painting would like to write in response to the letter sent to all Howard Gardens students on 1st December 2010, regarding the changes to be made to Fine Art in light of the spending cuts. We would like to show our support to the continuation of the Sculpture department at Howard Gardens.
Firstly, students should have been made aware of the situation and allowed the opportunity to offer some input before any concrete decisions were made. It is felt that, as no meetings concerning this particular issue were raised prior to this letter being sent out, there has been a lack of respect to us as members of UWIC in terms of the communication between the UWIC governors and the student body. As fee paying students, we feel that we have a right to be allowed input on such major decisions that affect us all, no matter what year or department we are in.
In the letter that was published on the UWIC website on the 6th December 2010, it states that "any student wishing to work through sculpture will be enabled to do so". On the contrary; any first year student who has enrolled on this course under the understanding that they are entitled to specialise in the area of sculpture has been potentially misled. Despite the opportunity to continue with practicing sculpture, there will inevitably be an overall atmosphere that one is involved in a specialism that is ending and therefore unimportant, without the sufficient tutoring and this is an atmosphere that is not conducive with an effective creative working environment.
To practice and experiment in sculpture is not solely about having the equipment available but maintaining a creative hub whereby all students, in every specialist area, have different passions and interests which inform both our own, and each other's, practice. It is also important to have a range of feedback and the experience of all tutors as practicing artists in a range of disciplines. We feel this is integral to the successful teaching and development of students in a course of this nature.
One of Howard Garden's strongest assets and the reason many enroll, is the close-knit, secure environment whereby departments are willing to communicate and inform each other both socially and educationally. It is of wide-spread opinion that this community will be lost with the new course structure you are proposing.
Furthermore, it is felt that the course is losing credibility in light of both the proposed and recent changes that have been made without our input or consent. Sculpture is integral to the contemporary art scene not only in Cardiff but in South Wales as a whole. This is an art community that is born out of and extends beyond the art school, of which we are all a part. Without a well rounded Fine Art department the lasting effects will be that the contemporary South Wales art scene will suffer.
In the Painting department, we feel that in order to sustain a healthy learning setting and a successful creative environment it is important that all departments support each other and work together to achieve a common goal.
Sincerely,
The Students of the Painting Department, Cardiff School of Art and Design.
Letter from the Dean to Painting representative:
On behalf of the students of the Painting Department, Howard Gardens, UWIC.
Re: Letter sent to all Howards Gardens students on the 1st of December 2010
The students of the department of Painting would like to write in response to the letter sent to all Howard Gardens students on 1st December 2010, regarding the changes to be made to Fine Art in light of the spending cuts. We would like to show our support to the continuation of the Sculpture department at Howard Gardens.
Firstly, students should have been made aware of the situation and allowed the opportunity to offer some input before any concrete decisions were made. It is felt that, as no meetings concerning this particular issue were raised prior to this letter being sent out, there has been a lack of respect to us as members of UWIC in terms of the communication between the UWIC governors and the student body. As fee paying students, we feel that we have a right to be allowed input on such major decisions that affect us all, no matter what year or department we are in.
In the letter that was published on the UWIC website on the 6th December 2010, it states that "any student wishing to work through sculpture will be enabled to do so". On the contrary; any first year student who has enrolled on this course under the understanding that they are entitled to specialise in the area of sculpture has been potentially misled. Despite the opportunity to continue with practicing sculpture, there will inevitably be an overall atmosphere that one is involved in a specialism that is ending and therefore unimportant, without the sufficient tutoring and this is an atmosphere that is not conducive with an effective creative working environment.
To practice and experiment in sculpture is not solely about having the equipment available but maintaining a creative hub whereby all students, in every specialist area, have different passions and interests which inform both our own, and each other's, practice. It is also important to have a range of feedback and the experience of all tutors as practicing artists in a range of disciplines. We feel this is integral to the successful teaching and development of students in a course of this nature.
One of Howard Garden's strongest assets and the reason many enroll, is the close-knit, secure environment whereby departments are willing to communicate and inform each other both socially and educationally. It is of wide-spread opinion that this community will be lost with the new course structure you are proposing.
Furthermore, it is felt that the course is losing credibility in light of both the proposed and recent changes that have been made without our input or consent. Sculpture is integral to the contemporary art scene not only in Cardiff but in South Wales as a whole. This is an art community that is born out of and extends beyond the art school, of which we are all a part. Without a well rounded Fine Art department the lasting effects will be that the contemporary South Wales art scene will suffer.
In the Painting department, we feel that in order to sustain a healthy learning setting and a successful creative environment it is important that all departments support each other and work together to achieve a common goal.
Sincerely,
The Students of the Painting Department, Cardiff School of Art and Design.
Letter from the Dean to Painting representative:
Dear ****
Thanks for forwarding to me the views of the painting group. I appreciate fully that there are strong views here, which are understood, but there is also considerable disinformation at the current time.
The following reiterates the situation as it currently stands.
The changes have been brought about because of the cap on student numbers, the requirement that degree portfolios are planned regionally, and a reduction in the funding available to Higher Education in Wales. Something had to give. The decisions were taken at the highest level, in response to demands that are external and beyond our control or influence. They were profoundly difficult decisions to take and none have been taken lightly or without considerable thought.
Currently CSAD has about 1377 undergraduate students. CSAD has to reduce this to 1000 by the beginning of the 2013 academic year. We are no longer in a position where we can continue to offer everything. All CSAD programmes are affected. Those programme remaining are being reduced in size. However, all facilities are being retained, so that if in time we can have more undergraduate students again, we will have the basis from which to grow.
There is no cap on masters numbers, so CSAD is able to expand the number of opportunities for graduates to take the MFA, MDes, MA (art& design), or the Masters in Ceramics, Advanced Product Design, and Ecological Building Practice. CSAD will also be recruiting more doctoral students. Current Masters students are not affected. They will continue to have access to all facilities and support required, including sculpture. Indeed, there will be more facilities available in Howard Gardens, as we begin to bring some of the technologies and processes down from Llandaf.
The decision to discontinue the sculpture pathway does not affect any of the current Fine Art undergraduate students, including those graduating in 2013. All the facilities, equipment and technical support will be in place and they will continue to have first-rate academic tutors until they graduate.
CSAD is retaining all facilities, technical expertise and opportunities to explore and make sculpture. Sculpture is currently well established in textiles, illustration, ceramics, as well as in fine art: all of which will be on the HG campus. In 2012, we will also have a new degree with the provisional title of BA (hons) Maker: Artist Designer (working title, on which we have been advised by the Goldsmiths Company). In the future, sculpture at CSAD, like all our disciplines, will not be corralled into one exclusive area. All of our disciplinary approaches will become much more inclusive and integrated.
From 2012, all of our programmes are opening out so that students, registered from that point, not only get deep immersion in their specific discipline - its concepts, theoretical underpinnings and practices - but also get to work on research driven projects alongside students from other CSAD degree courses, where they can share ideas and challenges, whilst applying what they have learnt in their specific discipline areas.
Both the Staff Unions and the Student Unions were advised of the changes in advance of the letters going out to each and every staff and student member. UWIC Student Union is now handling the questions and concerns of the students, expressed through the student representatives. These will be dealt with through the appropriate channels, according to UWIC SU and UWIC protocols.
I hope this helps. Claire Rafferty, President of the Student Union, should be contacted if further clarity is required.
******
Painting representatives letter to the Dean:
On behalf of the students of the Painting Department, UWIC.
Thursday 16th December 2010
Dear ******,
Thank you for acknowledging the letter sent to you on Tuesday. Unfortunately it is still felt that particular questions have still not been answered and the issues raised have yet to be pointedly addressed. Would you please be able to clarify where the demands that are "external and beyond our control or influence" are coming from and what they are? It is appreciated that these decisions were not taken lightly and as we understand, have as yet, only been made provisionally. Though you say these decisions were made with considerable thought, the thoughts and considerations of the student body should have been of paramount and respected importance prior to this statement of the closure of the department of Sculpture. As we have already pointed out, the lack of communication between the board of governors, yourself and the students before these decisions were undertaken is insulting. This issue should now at least be addressed in person and discussed with representatives of the student body and the governors: as yet no meeting that has been arranged between us and you has actually gone ahead. Please rectify this.
You also wrote that "all facilities are being retained." Facilities for Sculpture and the facilitating of Sculpture are not equivalent to an integral and specialist Sculpture department within the context of a higher education institution. You also wrote that the Fine Art programme will "continue to have first-rate academic tutors." Will any of these tutors be dedicated Sculpture specialists? You say that you are "no longer in a position to continue to offer everything." To discontinue the productive and nationally reputable department of Sculpture within UWIC is short-sighted and destructive to the overall wellbeing of Howard Gardens as a campus, Fine Art as a course, UWIC as an institution and as we have discussed before, the art community of South Wales. Since the announced closure of the Fine Art department of Newport, the difference in the course at Swansea to what has worked so well here in Cardiff, South Wales will in turn no longer have a specialised art course and therefore lose the credibility, productivity and thriving community that it has achieved for 100 years prior.
It is also important to address your comment that "Sculpture is well established in textiles, illustration and ceramics as well as Fine Art." This completely misrepresents what Sculpture is. There is a considerable difference between a sculpture and an object, which is what you are effectively describing. These things are interdependent yet completely separate. The links between Painting and Sculpture are symbiotic and invaluable and something that is increasingly important in contemporary art practice. In order to have a productive creative working environment and for UIWC to continue it's fantastic alumni that includes artists such as Phyllida Barlow, Cornelia Parker and Mona Hatoum, it is essential that students are offered the relevant expertise and experience of staff that has been so integral to the success of the course in the past. We fear that you are attempting to solve an (albeit unavoidable) problem by stripping UWIC of one of its most recognised and strongest assets. It is essential here, to emphasise the importance of the holistic nature and productivity of this course. It is not about a hierarchy of discipline- it is about the Art School thriving as a whole by creating a structured and specialised range of experiences and skills in order to cultivate an interdisciplinary artistic talent amongst the young artists that come out of this university.
It would be appreciated if these questions were addressed in person and as frankly as possible. When will students be able to meet with governors and yourself face to face to discuss these issues?
We look forward to your reply ******.
Sincerely,
The students of the Painting Department, UWIC
Year Representatives of the Fine Art programme, Painting:
Letter from Dean to Painting:
Dear ****
Whereas I appreciate your concern and your commitment to the Fine Art programme, the issues regarding the reconfiguration of the CSAD portfolio have gone through detailed consideration and very difficult decisions have been taken. The School has been instructed on the changes required and is now implementing them. I have to advise you that we are not in a position to alter these decisions, nor debate them further.
I understand that this will come as a blow to you, but this is the situation.
Yours sincerely
*****
Whereas I appreciate your concern and your commitment to the Fine Art programme, the issues regarding the reconfiguration of the CSAD portfolio have gone through detailed consideration and very difficult decisions have been taken. The School has been instructed on the changes required and is now implementing them. I have to advise you that we are not in a position to alter these decisions, nor debate them further.
I understand that this will come as a blow to you, but this is the situation.
Yours sincerely
*****
