BA (Hons) Fine Art

Our degree mixes new and traditional technologies to reflect the evolving world of contemporary art.With an emphasis on interdisciplinary and international practice, we will encourage you to become a highly skilled and self-sufficient practitioner with good working habits and a clear understanding of the placement of your work within historical and contemporary social, political and cultural contexts.We offer a rich experience of guided assignment briefs, self-initiated projects, national or international competitions, ‘live’ projects, and both internal and external exhibition opportunities. Typical graduate portfolios include: painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, installation, photography, performance, digital media, moving image production and socially engaged practice. Socially engaged practice is work such as Ai Wei Wei’s ‘Sunflower Seeds’ installation exhibited in the Tate Modern Turbine Hall or the activist, community work of the collaborative art group Assemble.Helping to prepare you for graduation and the world of work, from the outset we aim to develop the professional skills associated with evaluating, exhibiting and distributing your work, which will become more visible to the outside world as the course progresses and your confidence grows.We have strong links with many regional arts organisations, for example, the Mead Gallery at the Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry ArtSpace Projects, Coventry Collective//Pod, Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry Contemporary Art Biennale and New Art West Midlands. Our commercial partners currently include Warwickshire NHS Trust, the Coventry Building Society and Severn Trent Water, which runs an environmentally-themed tri-annual student art commission with the chance for six students to display their work in the company’s state-of-the art Operations Centre in Coventry (subject to availability, competitive application and additional costs).Our FACeTS (Fine Art at Coventry Talk Series) aim to provide an opportunity to hear direct from some of the most innovative contemporary artists and creative practitioners from the UK and beyond – recent topics have explored current changes in cultural opportunities across Eastern and Western Europe, post-object art practices in the context of digital media and the impact that artists can have on their environments.You may also be invited to take part in study trips to exhibitions and events. Past events have Britain, Tate Modern, White Cube, Saatchi Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, Birmingham Ikon Gallery, Digbeth First Friday, Liverpool Biennial and British Art Show and many others.Key Course Benefits;- Workshop facilities for print, wood, metalwork, photo-studio, ceramic, laser cutting and computer labs.- Access to specialist photographic and media resources, including digital audio recorders and manual/digital still/video cameras via our dedicated Media Loan Shop.- A thriving studio culture with dedicated workspaces for all students in purpose-built studios with permanent exhibition displays, supported by wide-ranging technical facilities in both traditional and new technologies.- Research expertise in a broad range of areas pertinent to contemporary Fine Art including the changing relationship between art and society, hybrid practices, trans-local/transnational dialogues and the relevance of the image in painting. - Guest lecture programme.