Courses and structure

Teaching and learning

Our aim is to enable you to work more independently as an artist, to generate and develop your own ideas and to undertake further study by progressing to Level 1 of the BA (Hons) Fine Art or the BA (Hons) Fine Art and History of Art degree.

As an Extension Degree student you'll be allocated a studio space, which forms the focal point of your activities, and you are assigned a Studio Practice tutor who will support and assess your progress. You take part in regular individual tutorials and studio seminars with staff and other Extension students, and are introduced to a range of technical laboratories to support your work.

You'll be integrated into the BA (Hons) Fine Art programme through attendance at mixed level group presentations and discussions. You'll benefit from contact and shared activity with other students working across different levels.

A Critical Studies course designed specifically for the needs of the programme runs throughout the year. The lectures and seminars will introduce you to key issues and debates relevant to the understanding of contemporary art.

Some seminars are based on tutor-led visits to museums and galleries, improving your understanding of the context within which the work that you make is seen and understood. The course also helps you to become conversant with the various modes of writing that are used to discuss contemporary art.

Assessment

Studio Practice coursework is continuously assessed through individual tutorials and group seminars. In the summer term there is a final assessment of Studio Practice through a presentation.

Critical Studies is assessed through submission of essays and collaborative presentations in the first two terms and by a portfolio of writing in the third term. If you complete the coursework for both components successfully, you can expect to proceed to the next level of your degree.

Skills and careers

Our Art programmes are aimed at equipping you with the necessary skills to develop independent thought and confidence in your practice. As well as this, these skills will be of use in other career paths you may wish to follow.

Our BA programmes enable you to progress to postgraduate level in art-related disciplines. In addition, the interdisciplinary nature of the programme will enable you to progress to a variety of careers: practising artist, art historian, arts administrator, gallery curator, arts journalist, teacher, lecturer, writer, conservationist or designer. Students have been successful in many fields including media, museums, galleries, education, the music business and academia.

While at Goldsmiths, our students actively seek opportunities to exhibit their work through external networks. Many have continued to be successful, practising artists long after graduating, winning major prizes and exhibiting around the world.

The Turner Prize shortlist has consistently included at least one of our former undergraduates, including Angela de la Cruz in 2010. Six of the prize-winners have studied here: Grenville Davey, Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, Steve McQueen and Mark Wallinger.

See a full list of Department of Art alumni who have been nominated for the Turner Prize.

The Department of Art provides you with a series of opportunities for specialist advice and further information to complement your studies and prepare you for professional life after graduation. Our students actively seek opportunities to exhibit their work beyond Goldsmiths through external networks whilst they are here. Many continue to be successful practising artists long after graduating.

The skills you'll develop

Critical and analytical skills; creative and practical skills; ability to express ideas clearly; IT skills.

• Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths
• Our alumni

About the department

The Department of Art

We specialise in making, curating and writing about contemporary art in a dynamic, critical and interdisciplinary environment. We've a world-leading reputation that brings together students and researchers from all over the world.

We work with a network of artists, curators, galleries and museums both in London and internationally to create an inspiring and dynamic place in which to study and develop an artistic practice. Many graduates of Goldsmiths Art Department are among the most recognised names working in art today.

The Turner Prize shortlist has consistently included at least one of our former undergraduates, including Angela de la Cruz in 2010. Six of the prize-winners have studied here – Grenville Davey, Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, Steve McQueen and Mark Wallinger. See the full list of Alumni Turner Prize winners.

The latest Research Assessment Exercise (2008) confirmed that Goldsmiths’ Department of Art has retained its position as one of the top Fine Art research departments in the country.

Goldsmiths’ Art students form an important part of the stimulating environment that is the London art scene. The Department’s international reputation enables it to establish and maintain links with many of the world’s most prestigious institutions and university Art departments. This, together with the cosmopolitan nature of the student body, provides unique opportunities to develop cross-cultural collaborative projects.

More information about the department can be found on the Department of Art's pages.

Open Days

Find out more about the Department of Art Open Days.

Please also see College-wide open days.

Facilities

Following rapid expansion in the Department of Art over the last two decades, our spectacular new Ben Pimlott Building opened its doors to students in January 2005. It provides purpose-built teaching space on campus, including some of the art studios, lecture theatres, and digital media labs.

The large north elevation of the building is entirely glazed, flooding the building with natural daylight and revealing the unique mix of studios and digital media research laboratories within. The studios are naturally ventilated and benefit from generous floor-to-ceiling windows.

A two-storey chunk of the box space has been removed at high level to leave a roof terrace, which is wrapped with a metal structural scribble making the building an unmistakable landmark on the south London skyline.

The department provides space for:

• art studios
• performance work
• installations
• temporary projects and exhibitions
• a range of research laboratories

You also have access to the Rutherford Building, which integrates library, computing and language learning facilities. It allows access to information for learning, scholarship and research at a single point, breaking down the boundaries between traditional and electronic resources.

Studios

All students have their own studio space. This is a place in which to work, to meet and spend time with other students, and to have tutorials. It is also a base from which to organise your work in other parts of the college – such as the various research laboratories, the workshops, and the library – as well as your research visits to galleries and exhibitions in London.

The studios are open, and are occupied by students from all three years of the course. This arrangement maximises opportunities for conversation and exchange, and helps greatly to encourage sharing of knowledge, interest and experience between students.

Further details on our Department of Art facilities and laboratories.

Staff

The Department of Art has 47 academic staff. We also have 19 technical staff providing a service from our research laboratories. See a full list of our Art academic staff and their research interests.

Annual Degree shows

Our annual undergraduate degree shows take place in June and are held at Goldsmiths.

Private View

Thursday 14 June 2012 from 6pm to 9pm

Open to public

• Friday 15 June 2012 from 10am-7pm
• Saturday 16 June 2012 from 10am-7pm
• Sunday 17 June 2012 from 10am-4pm
• Monday 18 June 2012 from 10am-7pm

Admission is free.

Student profiles

"Being an overseas student means that learning reaches an experimental place – and while Goldsmiths grounds itself on a highly independent and self-motivated way of learning, friendly tutors and support groups means there is always someone to consult.

The sheer diversity of the student body is also incredible, just walk along Goldsmiths’ corridors and you’ll see people from just about everywhere!"

Lisa, BA Fine Art (Extension degree)