The second European art and design graduation ceremony for the post-graduate students of The Margate School has been held.
Like last year, the celebrations took place at Turner Contemporary art gallery.
The graduands and academics paraded from The Margate School to Turner Contemporary led by the Mayor of Margate Cllr Heather Keen,who also opened the ceremony. The graduands were then addressed by Professor Michael Earley, formerly Principal and CEO of Rose Bruford College. He highlighted the historically innovative nature of small arts schools and colleges in this country. The students the received their awards.
Professor Earley said: “Small, fiercely independent institutions like The Margate School are now critical to the continuing ecology of—indeed, the very survival of—visual arts training in the U.K..
“The large, university-based art schools are fast losing their way. But TMS is a kind of perfected placed artistic haven port, still tethered to Britain-in-Europe ideals and anchoring its students in the very best and most current practices in contemporary art and design.”
The graduation ceremony included the first cohort of students on the Visual Communication ‘Design Society Nature’ programme. The year-long programme aims to instil independent thinking and creative confidence in designers who are socially and environmentally engaged.
Over the last ten years there has been much discussion about alternative art schools outside the mainstream university sector in the UK, mainly driven by the introduction of increasing student fees and the changing nature of university education.
The world of education has also long been the playground of experimentation and attempts to provide alternatives to existing school provisions. The Margate School is part of these explorations, yet doesn’t see itself as an alternative but rather an addition to the spectrum of art education opportunities.
The European Fine Art MA ‘Art Society Nature’ programme offered at The Margate School is the first of its kind in the UK. The two-year programme is accredited by one of the oldest art schools in France, École Supérieure d’Art et Design Le Havre-Rouen (ESADHaR) in a unique Anglo-French collaboration. The MA degree qualification is recognised across Europe and opens up opportunities for graduates to teach within European universities.
Since opening its doors in June 2019, The Margate School has welcomed more than 30,000 visitors to a diverse range of creative events, conferences and exhibitions, hosted over 60 events and exhibitions and supported artists from diverse and local communities, children and adults with special needs, designers, researchers and professionals.
Find TMS online at www.themargateschool.com
