To find out more details about the transfer to The Open University see A New Chapter for OCA.
Explore #WeAreOCA
Skip Navigation
Having been a student with the OCA now for four years I have attended many student study visits. When the news came of a study visit in Lisbon alongside my current tutor Diana Ali there was no doubt that the trip would be beneficial. Especially considering how inspiring Diana’s own work has been on my practice.
Read More
It is an exciting moment for Interior Design studies at the OCA as we have recently had our first student complete the initial HE4 degree unit and submit for assessment!
Read More
In order to complete the project successfully, it proved necessary to learn a lot of new skills. The OCA courses provided me with an excellent foundation, not only in terms of learning about the fundamentals of composition, but also how to undertake research and to work in a structured way.
Read More
The concept of an artist’s residency may be familiar, but a tour around the PADA studios by co-founder Tim Rolston gave OCA students a fascinating insight into the practicalities and workings of an artist’s residency. The tour was an itinerary item on the cross-discipline OCA study visit to Lisbon, 25-27 February 2020, arranged and facilitated by tutors Diana Ali and Dr Michele Whiting (Michele having been a resident artist at PADA during 2019).
Read More
“One of the most important lessons I learned while studying with the OCA is not to give up. That when an assignment does not work out first time it is not a failure but a work in progress. Once I experienced this a number of times I realised that I could work through problems and my confidence in my own abilities grew.”
Read More
I had to resit this module. Of course I was disappointed to have to do so, but it forced me to reflect on how and what I was learning. With the help of the course leader, Rebecca Fairley, I learnt how to use critical thinking skills to notice things I hadn’t considered before: especially composition and marks.
Read More
Your choice of words, ‘active slow-creative journey’, really resonates. I feel that there is a direct link between the length of time I have been allowed to engage with this learning experience to its fullest extent at my own pace and how much of that acquired knowledge I’ve durably assimilated and integrated into my own creative practice.
Read More
Edgeland landscapes are diverse, ranging from non-places, like industrial estates and retail parks, to degraded post-industrial sites. There is often a duality in places like urban woodlands or derelict sites because they can be places of peaceful refuge and biodiverse wildlife habitats, places where young people can experiment away from adult gaze, whilst also being perceived as places of threat
Read More
I came across the OCA by chance and it initially seemed too good to be true. I wouldn’t have thought that a creative degree was possible from home. By this time I had found an interest in photography and the idea that I could undertake that in my own time at my own pace was enticing.
Read More
Through a conversation between tutor Lydia Halcrow and former OCA student Andrew Howe, this blog post explores themes around making through walking and Psychogeography in relation to Andrew’s socially engaged, collaborative and multi-disciplinary artistic practice. The blog post is in two parts with some recommended reading that has shaped the development of Andrew’s practice during and since his time at the OCA
Read More
