The visual and creative arts are a broad collection of disciplines that have a huge impact on all aspects of society and culture.Sabuhi Mir goes on an arty trip.
Prose writing, poetry, sculpture, painting, acting, photography, crafts and architecture are just some of the disciplines that fall under the umbrella of visual and creative arts. They are all integral to everyday life. Where would we all be without seeing the latest sculptures paintings or photographs of people, objects and places or reading contemporary writing?
The answer is that society and culture would stagnate without the range of artists that create a distraction or offer a different point of view via their artwork. Modern society and culture needs to be continually challenged by visual and creative art in order to grow on an intellectual and emotional level.
Visual and creative art can be found everywhere, from advertising, galleries and buildings, to film, fashion and festivals. Art can be controversial, which can stimulate debate and challenge society’s assumptions about of what is traditional. For instance, Ang Lee’s Oscar-nominated film Brokeback Mountain challenged preconceptions of the traditional ‘cowboy movie’. Films like this need to be made by new directors otherwise we would just watch the same thing over and over again and not learn how to think in a free way.
Events like the annual Cannes Film Festival, the Notting Hill Carnival and the Fashion Weeks in London, Milan, Paris and New York not only provide entertainment and bring cultures together, but also serve to showcase that latest international film directors and fashion designers. Presenting new artistic talent on an international level is vital for any economy and this can stimulate business growth.
In the UK for instance, the Arts Council for England has launched the Cultural Leadership Programme in conjunction with the following bodies: the Treasury, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; Creative & Cultural Skills; the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council; and the Clore Leadership Programme will invest £12m over a two-year period, focusing on the arts, crafts, libraries and archives, museums and galleries in England, so tourists will have lots of improved attractions to visit and look forward to along with events like the 2012 Olympics in London.
We interact with art in some shape or form on a daily basis, and without it society would be a very dull place. In the UK, for instance, you cannot fail to notice creations such as Sir Norman Foster’s ‘Gherkin’ building or William Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. On a cultural level, there are lots of museums and galleries to visit, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Modern, Liverpool Museum, the Lowry Centre and the Barbican, which present not only history, but also the best traditional and contemporary art.
There are many opportunities if you are a visual or creative artist to participate in events, contribute to international art forums, join organisations and enter competitions throughout the UK.
Artangel
Artangel is an organisation founded in 1985 by Michael Morris and James Lingwood. The company commissions and produces contemporary art projects largely shaped by the vision of the artists. Each project takes root in a particular place, and over the past decade these have ranged from a ‘ghost’ village on Salisbury Plain and a vacant department store on Oxford Street to an ex-mining community in West Yorkshire and twin terraced houses in Whitechapel. One project included a film co-commissioned with Channel 4 which was written and directed by Penny Woolcock. Set in Margate, it retold the story of Exodus for the 21st century.
PILOT
PILOT is an independent, non-for-proft initiative led by artists and independent curators. The primary aims of the project are to enable emerging artists who are not commercially represented to show work (via an annual large-scale independent forum) to develop networks, and generate debate with members of the public, other artists, curators, critics, writers and collectors. Up to 100 nominated artists submit their work for exhibition, plus documentation of past and future projects.
Beck’s Futures
The Beck’s Futures contemporary arts prize was created in 1999 by the alcoholic drinks brand Beck’s and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). It was devised as an exhibition and awards programme to support emerging UK artists at a vital stage in the careers.
A film about a Northern Soul music event won the 2006 award. Matt Stokes’ Long After Tonight won the £20,000 cash prize. The 13 nominees included sculptors, film-makers and illustrators working in the UK. High-profile judges including Cornelia Parker, Jake and Dinos Chapman, and Martin Creed were asked to cast their votes along with the general public.
The panel of judges also included artists Yinka Shoninare MBE and Gillian Wearing. According to the organisers, thery were looking for artists who
‘genuinely and uniquely demonstrated the impulses and relevance of the contemporary UK art scene.’
Necessary skills
A variety of skills are needed to study visual and creative arts subjects, including creativity, imagination and determination. The ability to generate new and innovative ideas at all times is essential as is the ability to think ‘out of the box’. Non-lateral thinkers need not apply. When you are studying subjects like design or architecture, you have to combine creative, technical and practical skills. For instance, with a design or architectural project you have to create or follow a brief, be able to draw in a communicative way and present your thoughts coherently.
With a subject like photography, you need to have a ‘good eye’ or ‘perspective’ to select the right location to shoot your photographs, and have an adequate commercial or marketing sense in order to display your photographs successfully for some sort of financial return. Determination is key too when studying a visual or creative arts subject.
There’s a lot of competition out there, so you must be prepared to continually rework your ideas or artwork until you are happy with it. Most importantly, you cannot be too precious about the artwork you create. There is such a thing as artistic integrity, but being too protective about what you created is not beneficial to anyone. Studying a visual or creative arts subject should be enjoyable, so have fun and take criticism with a pinch of salt. A flexible personality is essential as well as the ability to rise to the challenge.
Yu Jordy Fu studied a BA in Arts and Design (Spatial Pathway) at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, graduating in 2003. She says:
‘There weren’t many art schools in China. I did my research and I found that Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art were the best places to study.’
After completing her BA she went to the Royal College of Art to study an MA in Architecture. Once she had graduated in 2005, Fu began working for Future Systems, the award winning architectural firm behind the Selfridges building in Birmingham, in the UK. She says: ‘I had lots of job offers after leaving the Royal College of Art, but I chose Future Systems over larger, more corporate firms.’ She has also been nominated for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Sliver Medal in 2005 and was runner-up in the British Standards Institution (BSI) Environmental Design Awards in 2004.
Never before has the UK been such an exciting place to study or be a visual or creative artist. With so many institutions offering courses in your chosen area and numerous outlets to showcase your work from the traditional to the modern, the choice is infinite.
The Hobsons Visual and Creative Arts Guide 2007