A Fine Art degree at Northumbria offers you the opportunity to explore, experience and study the practices and ideas of Contemporary Art. Find out what it means to be an Artist and what it means to be making Art NOW. The course will support you on a journey of material and critical discovery as you develop your own ideas and practices in a working studio environment. You will be taught by practising artists, writers and curators who will offer you constructive guidance and feedback on the development of your ideas, your making and your position as an artist. The studios will provide you the space to develop an exciting and dynamic peer group in which mutual support and critical debate are cultivated. The workshops offer an opportunity to develop your technical expertise and realise your creative ambitions. All of this is supported by a critically informed programme of historical, theoretical and professional engagement that will give you the confidence to step into the world and realise your own creative potential.
On completion of the BA, many of our students move straight into practicing as artists, with a number of graduates receiving critical acclaim for their work while others move into related fields in the Arts infrastructure. Fine Art graduates are perfectly placed to move into roles in community arts, teaching, curating, arts management, assisting artists, gallery or studio management. You may also choose to further your learning on the Northumbria Master of Fine Art course, delivered in partnership with BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. Northumbria Fine Art graduates will enter the workplace environment with confidence, gained from a range of skills that will allow them to maximise their potential in an increasingly automated workplace, the so-called 'soft skills of critical thinking, collaboration, creative development and project delivery will be the new hard skills of the future. We understand how valuable work experience can be in terms of giving you a head start in your career, so we enable you to gain real-world experience in an arts setting with the option to spend a year in industry or take a short professional placement. Previous placements have included gallery and museum work in schools, art therapy, events management and production, or assisting artists in an exhibition or art production. If you are looking to spread your wings whilst also building on your knowledge of fine contemporary art, there is the opportunity to study abroad at fine art institutions in Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, or the USA.
