At Colchester School of Art we are proud to have a history dating from 1885, the year the original Art School was founded.
As well as being witness to the many great developments and upheavals of the twentieth century, the Art School has adapted to the increasing pace of change in contemporary art and design practice.
Today we strive to maintain the integrity of our courses, at the heart of which is a desire to develop concepts, designs and objects that will challenge and inspire. We believe in skill, traditional or otherwise, as a basis for understanding how ideas can exist.
© Opening ceremony of the original School of Art in 1885
Deciding where to study and invest in your future is an important decision. At Colchester School of Art you learn in small groups, with regular quality contact time with your tutors. Our students, past and present, speak highly of the support, encouragement and advice they receive from our dedicated and experienced staff.
We invite you to visit us to see what we do, meet our staff and students and to view the excellent work being created by them.
Study with us
The creative industries continue to make a significant and growing cultural and economic contribution to our society. Colchester School of Art, part of Colchester Institute, will help you develop the skills and attributes that you need to be successful in those industries. We have an expanding, well-equipped and vibrant study environment, with access to a high ratio of tutorial and contact time.
Our courses are modular in structure. They provide a broad educational experience in relation to the theoretical and practical aspects of art and design study. We strive to achieve this using the very best of contemporary and traditional approaches.
The Hay Gallery within Colchester School of Art displays works created by our students and exhibits work by visiting artists. At the end of the year, you will exhibit your work in our summer showcase. Students from our BA (Hons) Art and Design: Fashion and Textiles course also exhibit at Premiére Vision in Paris, Europe’s largest trade show for the fashion textile industry, where Colchester School of Art is one of only seven colleges to exhibit and sell students’ work. There are also opportunities to exhibit in London shows.
With a range of courses from post GCSE to postgraduate, and a range of subject disciplines on offer, our students have great opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge to enable them to achieve their goals and ambitions.
Through hard work, commitment and a talent for utilising creative ideas, our current students have come from a variety of backgrounds and have chosen different course to study.
Colchester School of Art Studios and Workshops
Our students enjoy good access to our workshops and studios. Each course in the School has its own dedicated studio space, and we encourage our students to use the studios to develop work in their own time. Our workshop areas are well equipped and staffed by experienced tutors and technicians to assist our students with the creation and realisation of their ideas and concepts. They include:
Colchester, Sheepen Road
Ceramics ~ Printmaking ~ Wood/Metal/Plastics ~ Print and Constructed Textiles ~ Mac Suites ~ Photographic Studio and Darkrooms ~ Fashion Construction ~ Drawing Studio
As an undergraduate student you will study Personal Development Planning throughout your course, whatever subject you choose. This is designed to assist you in preparing for Postgraduate study or entry into the world of work after you graduate. Student feedback regularly indicates that this is a valued aspect of their studies, as is the extent and quality of the tutorial support they receive. Our dedicated team of tutors all see their role as educator and practitioner as symbiotically linked and the feedback we get from students is a great source of pride and encouragement to us all, but the thing we are most proud of is the effort and success of our students, many of whom go on to employment in different areas of the art and design industries.
We offer daytime and evening courses in drawing suitable for all levels, from complete beginners to experienced artists and creative professionals. Arts and crafts courses may take place outside of the studio, at the Minories galleries and gardens. The Printmaking courses run on-site and in our Art School print room, and art history lectures and in-conversations with contemporary artists on both sites are bookable ticketed events. All courses available from September. Prices vary depending on the nature of the course (Extra cost for some materials may be incurred).
Click on the courses below for more details and to find something for you.
Creative Industries – Make it Digital
Upcoming courses
If you are interested in learning something new please use the form to register an interest in one of the courses from the drop-down list and we will contact you with start dates as soon as they are finalised.
Leisure Courses at The Minories Galleries
Prices start from £15 per person (with lunch included) . Contact the.minories@colchester.ac.uk with your enquiry and we’ll do the rest!
Arts & Crafts Spaces
Our students enjoy good access to our workshops and studios. Each course in the School has its own dedicated studio space, and we encourage our students to use the studios to develop work in their own time. Our workshop areas are well equipped and staffed by experienced tutors and technicians to assist our students with the creation and realisation of their ideas and concepts
