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sustaining practice Blog Posts- Page 17 of 22 - The Open College of the Arts

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sustaining practice


Keith Tyson: Isolation Art School thumb

Keith Tyson: Isolation Art School

In recent weeks Turner Prize winning artist Keith Tyson (born 1969) has been putting a lot of energy into his ‘Isolation Art School’ on Instagram. This initiative has encouraged practitioners to offer tips and tutorials about making and to then post them on Instagram with the hashtag #isolationartschool.

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Reading like a writer – Reading prose thumb

Reading like a writer – Reading prose

Recently I ran a couple of workshops on the art of close reading, so for those of you who were unable to attend (and for those who did attend but would like a refresher) I’ve put together a two-part blog, looking first at an extract from a novel and then at a poem.

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Student work: Sarah-Jane Field thumb

Student work: Sarah-Jane Field

Zines are also an incredibly democratic way of sharing work: they’re relatively inexpensive to produce nowadays as digital printers offer a range of accessible services, although you can make them yourself too if you are that way inclined.

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Spellspheres: Part 2 thumb

Spellspheres: Part 2

Due to COVID-19, and the necessary lockdown, I have had a large number of concerts postponed or cancelled. I decided it was important (for my career and my sanity!) to stay as creative as possible, and so I begun looking for opportunities to have my music played by others.

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Throwback Thursday: Where do you do it? thumb

Throwback Thursday: Where do you do it?

Four years ago we asked Where do you do it? Students, staff and tutors sent us images of their work spaces and we compiled them into the video below.

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Student stories: In conversation with Susan Askew thumb

Student stories: In conversation with Susan Askew

Susan Askew is working towards a BA in Drawing and currently on the Level Two Investigating Drawing unit. I was struck by her response to the ‘narrative’ exercise in Part Two of this unit and want her to share some of her thinking about this with other students. 

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Student stories: A bright light in lockdown thumb

Student stories: A bright light in lockdown

Congratulations to OCA Level 2 (HE5) Creative Writing student Elaine Simmonds, who’s been long-listed in the second Comedy Women in Print Prize. The CWIP is the UK and Ireland’s only prize to shine a light on work by funny women. Elaine, who’s just completed her Life Writing unit with OCA, submitted her novel The Club For Mature Indulgence. 

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Student stories: Enterprise grant success thumb

Student stories: Enterprise grant success

The message dropped into my feed from the OCA… ‘We are offering an Enterprise Grant for level 2 and 3 students of £100, or £150 each for group applications.’ All you had to do was complete an application form with a simple proposal setting out why you wanted the grant. This seemed peculiarly appropriate as I had just started my first Level 2 course and was itching to get out in the market place.

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