A Week In The Life of a KSA Student
I'm a third year student on Kingston University's BA (Hons) Fine Art and Art History course, studying within the Kingston School of Art faculty - here's a quick rundown of what a week in my life looks like!
Monday
During my first and second year, I had a two-hour art history lecture or seminar at 10am on a Monday. However this year, because more focus was placed on student-led independent research (particularly for the final dissertation project) that class was replaced with midweek dissertation support tutorials. This means I get a much needed lie-in! In the afternoon, I'll usually head to the Fine Art studios to get some work done; I'm primarily a painter, so I always have a few works in progress at once lying about my studio space. Today, I'm stretching some canvas over a few strainer frames I ordered from the workshop - tomorrow, I'll focus on priming it.
Tuesday
I arrive into the studio early and apply the first coat of primer. One of my friends comes by my studio space half-way through the second coat, so I briefly leave it to dry and grab a coffee with her at the on-site cafe. I go back to apply the third coat before heading to the library. Aside from my dissertation project, I also have another 3500 word art history essay due soon that I need to start writing. I pick up a couple of books which relate to my topic (the 1998 São Paulo Biennial) and draft out a rough essay plan before heading home.
Wednesday
Wednesday is my big lecture day - I have a Professional Skills Lecture in the morning (11-1pm) and then an Artist Talk in the afternoon (2-4pm). Admittedly, the best thing about lectures is seeing the friends that I don't usually see in the studio - either because our spaces are too far apart to naturally cross paths or we have different schedules - and having the opportunity to have a catch-up between the two talks. Professional Skills Lectures usually focus on what it's like to be a professional artist - e.g how to secure funding, residencies, self-publishing art books - whilst Artist Talks bring in working artists to discuss their current practices. I don't have an automatic favourite: to be honest, it depends on who’s presenting!
Thursday
Tutorial time! Aside from my essays I also have a degree show on the horizon, so I talk briefly with my personal tutor about my current plans for that (a mixed media, gift-shop inspired installation). They ask how my research/writing is coming along; I show them a brief snippet of a dissertation draft and they provide some ideas for other topics I could look further into to develop my overall theme.
Friday
I study two art history-based modules - and although I no longer have class in one of them (Monday), I still have a lecture in the other! I wake up at 9 to head to KU’s Penrhyn Road campus for 10. Once the lecture is over, my classmates and I head to the studios. Now my canvases are primed, I can start a light pencil sketch on the surface of each to make sure I get their overall proportions correct. It takes me a while as I'm sketching across four 60x40cm canvases - however, I make good progress and know I'll be ready to start painting them properly next Monday.
I hope this helped form a picture of what studying at KSA/studying an arts course is like for anyone currently interested in applying! Personally, I'd definitely recommend it - I think my schedule is ideal, because it's relaxed enough that I'm never significantly stressed but still busy enough that I always have something to do.
Eve (Kingston Rep).
Monday
During my first and second year, I had a two-hour art history lecture or seminar at 10am on a Monday. However this year, because more focus was placed on student-led independent research (particularly for the final dissertation project) that class was replaced with midweek dissertation support tutorials. This means I get a much needed lie-in! In the afternoon, I'll usually head to the Fine Art studios to get some work done; I'm primarily a painter, so I always have a few works in progress at once lying about my studio space. Today, I'm stretching some canvas over a few strainer frames I ordered from the workshop - tomorrow, I'll focus on priming it.
Tuesday
I arrive into the studio early and apply the first coat of primer. One of my friends comes by my studio space half-way through the second coat, so I briefly leave it to dry and grab a coffee with her at the on-site cafe. I go back to apply the third coat before heading to the library. Aside from my dissertation project, I also have another 3500 word art history essay due soon that I need to start writing. I pick up a couple of books which relate to my topic (the 1998 São Paulo Biennial) and draft out a rough essay plan before heading home.
Wednesday
Wednesday is my big lecture day - I have a Professional Skills Lecture in the morning (11-1pm) and then an Artist Talk in the afternoon (2-4pm). Admittedly, the best thing about lectures is seeing the friends that I don't usually see in the studio - either because our spaces are too far apart to naturally cross paths or we have different schedules - and having the opportunity to have a catch-up between the two talks. Professional Skills Lectures usually focus on what it's like to be a professional artist - e.g how to secure funding, residencies, self-publishing art books - whilst Artist Talks bring in working artists to discuss their current practices. I don't have an automatic favourite: to be honest, it depends on who’s presenting!
Thursday
Tutorial time! Aside from my essays I also have a degree show on the horizon, so I talk briefly with my personal tutor about my current plans for that (a mixed media, gift-shop inspired installation). They ask how my research/writing is coming along; I show them a brief snippet of a dissertation draft and they provide some ideas for other topics I could look further into to develop my overall theme.
Friday
I study two art history-based modules - and although I no longer have class in one of them (Monday), I still have a lecture in the other! I wake up at 9 to head to KU’s Penrhyn Road campus for 10. Once the lecture is over, my classmates and I head to the studios. Now my canvases are primed, I can start a light pencil sketch on the surface of each to make sure I get their overall proportions correct. It takes me a while as I'm sketching across four 60x40cm canvases - however, I make good progress and know I'll be ready to start painting them properly next Monday.
I hope this helped form a picture of what studying at KSA/studying an arts course is like for anyone currently interested in applying! Personally, I'd definitely recommend it - I think my schedule is ideal, because it's relaxed enough that I'm never significantly stressed but still busy enough that I always have something to do.
Eve (Kingston Rep).
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