Julie Teckman describes how transplanting a much loved university course to Northampton College is helping to preserve a tradition of fine young artists in the town…
There’s an old saying that goes “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and it’s a saying that seems particularly apposite in the case of the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, a course that has run successfully for several decades at the University of Northampton, writes Julie Teckman.
Even before it was a University there has been a tradition in the county for young art students, from almost every secondary school, to sign up for the year-long Foundation Diploma at St Georges Avenue to develop creative skills and choose a specialist medium to take forward to a degree at the University or other higher education institution. So there may be some consternation for those young people currently looking to apply to the University for the Foundation Diploma, only to find it isn’t there anymore.
Well, it does still exist, just not at the University any longer as the course has transferred in its entirety to neighbouring establishment, Northampton College, where it will run pretty much unchanged. Students will continue to progress to the University to complete specialist degrees and the strong relationship between the two education institutions will ensure that new students on the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design will enjoy the same quality of provision and teaching as before.
The College has shown its commitment to the Foundation Diploma by creating a brand new studio and exhibition space in its state-of-the art Booth Lane Campus just for the Art and Design students who will also have access to ceramics, print, photographic and fine art studios where they will be able to experiment with a wide range of processes and techniques, supervised by highly experienced teaching staff from a variety of disciplines.
If you’re completing level three Art qualifications this year and hope to continue on to the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design in September 2018, contact Northampton College on 01604 734567 or through the website www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk and you will be invited in to look around and talk to the staff.
