To find out more details about the transfer to The Open University see A New Chapter for OCA.
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Sketch-a-day is the name of a community of people that create and share drawings and sketches every day. During January I committed to doing a sketch every day for at least one-month, partly because the beginning of the new decade seemed like an auspicious time to commit to something, and partly because I was intrigued to see what I could achieve.
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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.
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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
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When I started my first module with Open College of the Arts, I hadn’t even committed to a Undergraduate degree let alone considered the possibilities of going on to study at master’s or PhD level, but here I am! My time studying with OCA allowed me to start believing in myself giving me the opportunity to fully explore materials and techniques that lead eventually to a very research-based approach to my practice.
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“The ‘piece of paper’ would have been nice to have but what is more important is that I have enjoyed the journey, I have met some talented people, created some interesting projects and am continuing to work at creating unique pieces which express how I see the world.”
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It was immediately obvious when assessing that Martyn shows an admirable advancement for what is a level one unit, with little or no previous video making experience.
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OCA North invited Middlesbrough-based artist Miranda Richmond to discuss her work in January. Richmond’s current exhibition Presences at Dean Clough Mills in Halifax focuses on portraits created using intense looking and expressive mark making.
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“I knew that I didn’t have the qualifications to enter a photography degree at a traditional university but in my search for a course I came across the OCA’s ethos of open access and inclusion it gave me a path into a level of education I would otherwise have been denied. With my academic angst it took me a year or so to pluck up the courage to enter the course.”
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The textiles and fashion industry is second only to the oil industry in terms of the huge amount of pollution created from production and manufacture, and it needs real change to become sustainable in terms of the effects on the environment and being sensitive to kinder production within the design supply chain. I wanted to write a blog post that shines a little spotlight on some contemporary practitioners who are creating the innovative fabrics the industry is so desperate for whilst also using sustainable fibres and waste material, to push traditional weaving techniques and create exciting fabrics.
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Cathie Lloyd has just completed Painting 2: Concepts in Practice while studying for a Painting Degree. While studying this unit she has developed a method of making that incorporated traditional drawing and painting techniques with those offered by digital image-editing software. Her tutor, Bryan Eccleshall, asks her a few questions about this workflow and how it has impacted on her approach to making and thinking about that making.
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