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    AA2A AUTUMN NEWSLETTER
     

     
    START OF A NEW AA2A YEAR
    It’s our first full year with all new artists, since the pandemic and we’re delighted to have 10 unis and colleges signed up to welcome artists into their departments. The new cohort should all have access by the end of October. We're hoping there may even be a few more places, as we've offered a couple of potential hosts the option of a late starting scheme.

    We have been doing some work behind the scenes to refresh our website. It now has an updated homepage, more prominent blogs and image albums and an improved Search. Let us know what you think.

    We are also welcoming a new staff member - Mags McLeary joined us as National Coordinator in July. Mags has a history of working in the creative industries and as a Fine Art graduate herself, she has a particular understanding of the visual arts sector and the challenges and rewards of working as an artist.
    INTERESTED IN HOSTING AA2A NEXT YEAR? - GET IN TOUCH
    WHERE ARE THEY NOW...?

    We recently caught up with Kate Sully, who's been an AA2A artist five times over the last 23 years, with a 10 year gap between her last two schemes! Her AA2A hosts were Doncaster and Chesterfield Colleges and Derby Uni (three times). We asked her what she was up to, and why she continued to find AA2A useful for her career

    Kate is a visual mixed media artist based in Sheffield. She originally did a Ceramics degree, followed by an MA in Fine Art. Her work explores the relationship between creativity and brain function through bold, colourful abstract language. She is also a facilitator and project manager for all kinds of community and educational settings.

    In 2019 Kate received a Develop your Creative Practice grant from Arts Council England to travel to Fremantle Arts Centre in Australia. While there, Kate explored creativity and brain patterns and the idea that art can connect us to the world. The resulting artworks are a creative response made with a mix of digitally printed scientific brain scans, collage and paint. The manipulated scientific images tell different stories about memory and function through a creative language.

    Kate told us being an AA2A artist is a fantastic opportunity to go back into a university or art college regardless of when, or if you graduated, as there are so many benefits to working in an educational setting. She says: “The two sides of the project are equally important: access to facilities and meeting new people. Whether it’s students, technicians or the other AA2A artists, being part of a community is a great way to learn and develop ideas.  The availability of facilities, resources and equipment that I didn’t have at home allowed me to make large work, experiment, try out different formats. Being part of AA2A gave me confidence. It definitely helped the progression of my career.” 

    Check out Kate’s exhibition 'The Art of Disconnection' at the Cooper Gallery Barnsley Oct 22 - Jan 23

                                    'Astrocyte'                               photos: James Mulkeen                             Kate's studio                
    VIEW THIS YEARS AA2A ARTISTS PROFILES

    ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMER
     

    Over the summer, we highlighted the work of five previous AA2A artists on our social media channels and our website because their work featured environmental themes. Our thanks to Sally Stenton, Pamela Schilderman, Helen Birmbaum, Estelle Woolley and Eleanor Havsteen-Franklin for their contributions and for their insights into managing a sustainable, planet-friendly art practice

    We always tag Julie's Bicycle in our Environmental Summer posts. They're a pioneering not-for-profit organisation, who work with Arts Council England to encourage arts and cultural organisations to take action on the climate and ecological crisis



    'Arbor'   Eleanor Havsteen-Franklin   photo: the artist
    PREVIOUS AA2A ARTIST? JOIN OUR ENGAGE GROUP
    ARTIST AND STUDENT REP OF THE YEAR 2022 

    We're delighted to name our 'Artist of the year' as Rhiannon Kendall from the University of Loughborough. We loved seeing Rhiannon’s image albums and particularly enjoyed her blog about the process of paper-making

    Congratulations also to Hannah Quill from Birmingham School of Art who was chosen as our 'Student Rep of the year'. We felt she really made the most of the opportunity and has been in regular touch with us. The role of a Student Reps is to encourage links between students and AA2A artists, particularly at host institutions - they are a really valuable addition to the project

    Congratulations and thank you both so much for your contributions to AA2A

     
    'Diamond Patterned Ghost Vessel' Rhiannon Kendall  
    photo: the artist

    'Soft Sculpture' Hannah Quill  
    photo: the artist
    ARTISTS EVALUATIONS 

    One of the best parts of the job for us is reading the comments from artists who've been on AA2A. It's a massive, annual evaluation exercise to ensure we can monitor delivery and keep standards high. Feedback to individual host institutions is also important as it allows the plentiful praise to be fed back to staff and technicians. Here are some quotes from last year's artists...

    “The best thing about AA2A was being in the School of Art with the amazing staff and students. I don’t ever want to leave” 

    “I’ve met wonderful people, gained confidence in my work & it’s allowed me to see strengths in my practice for future development” 

    “All of AA2A was so valuable, from being able to experiment with new materials and engaging with students, to using the library and digital studio facilities. Also access to wider university events led to networking opportunities and being able to show work alongside the degree show” 

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