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Management at the University of Brighton have informed Continuing Education staff that they are cutting all of the Adult Education and Higher Education Saturday Art School courses at the Grand Parade site. The courses include workshop-based classes in silversmithing, ceramics, carpentry, bookbinding, photography, printmaking, letterpress, web design and computer studies and studio-based classes in life drawing and illustration.
It is disappointing that the reversal of the University’s commitment to community engagement and life-long learning is taking place during a time of recession. This is precisely when many are interested in considering either entering or re-entering education. The part-time courses that are delivered by the arthouse team are used regularly by students to prepare for further study in the arts and many of our students enter into full-time Higher Education via the route of Saturday Art School. A good proportion of students also go onto Master’s level.
Staff have been informed that the closure of arthouse is due to funding cuts in Higher Education. Despite assurances that this is only a suspension, it has also been made clear by the management that if arthouse courses are run in the future, they will be feeder courses into Higher Education and Masters for students and therefore have a very different demographic and not for the local community.
Management has proposed that the community courses might be resurrected with the development of these new courses and their successful recruitment.
The proposed suspension of Adult Education and Saturday Art School has been decided without due process and discussion. Cutting these courses demonstrates the University’s abandonment of providing art and craft education for the community and undermines its commitment to life-long learning and widening participation.
If you would like to join in our protest against this closure please email or write to the Dean c/o T.Spencer@bton.ac.uk or to arthouse, University of Brighton, Faculty of Arts, Grand Parade, Brighton BN2 0JY. Or post a comment here or email us at info@savebrightonarthouse.org.
I am very disappointed to hear this. I have recently been attending the drawing course and have really enjoyed the experience. It would be such a pity to lose these opportunities.
I followed the Illustration course a few years ago which led me going on to an MA at Brighton – a path I would never otherwise have dreamed I might have taken. This facility means a lot to me and I’d be very disappointed to see it go.
I was horrified to hear of this, this cut in community invlolvement, in enabling people to learn about and develop their artistic interests. In fact I studied photography there in the 70s, one day a week (as part of an MA course)… but from the experiences of other members of my family and local people I know how important such courses are… they change some people’s lives!
Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help!
Good luck
Dave Hill