We are Janine Goldsworthy, Charis Jones, Natasha Kuth and Kate Lynch. The four of us currently on the AA2A scheme at Staffordshire University. This is the first year that Staffordshire University has hosted the scheme, and we have been overwhelmed by what the opportunity has offered us in terms of the studio space and workshops available to us…so far so good!
We all work from a studio space which was offered to us at the beginning of the residency. We all decided we wanted to each have a table within the space, and divided the space between us; we each get a good amount of wall space, a table or two and floor space. So far this has proved to be invaluable for the type of work we are producing, it is also great to have space to develop sketchbook work or to sit and think within the creative studio atmosphere. We also added in a workbench table which we use as a hub point for the group to eat lunch, present work and sit around.
The space is situated within the level 5 Fine Art Studios, offering passing students and staff daily insight into our residency. Being re-immersed in this academic and creative atmosphere has been beneficial to us as AA2A artists ; whilst students and staff are able to see work in progress and have contact with us on a daily basis.
The space has become a hub for us (when we are not spending individual time within workshops). It has become a space where we can display work in progress and meet up with each other on a frequent basis throughout the residency.
As a group we decided that orgainising group crit sessions would be helpful and a good opportunity for us to share ideas and skills and gain feedback from others in the group. This approach means that each of our areas of expertise and insights which include fine art, public realm work, crafts and design can be shared and discussed, offering crits which cover a range of art and design skills and therefore bring about interesting discussions and alternative viewpoints.
We held our second crit session at the end of January. By now our themes and directions have been more established and some of us are thinking about outcomes and further developments of the ‘testing’ and ‘playing’ which happened within the initial months of the residency.
Please see our individual profiles for specific information about our practice and themes within the AA2A residency:
http://aa2a.biz/pg/profile/natasha
http://aa2a.biz/pg/profile/charis
http://aa2a.biz/pg/profile/janine
http://aa2a.biz/pg/profile/katelyn
Interestingly, there are points where all of our practices meet and cross-over .One common theme which we have established amongst us is the desire to create meaningful artworks and the importance of process, and the thought process behind the making. All of us are very much interested in ‘maker’s marks’, yet our work is strikingly different. It is refreshing to work amongst artists and designers with similar approaches to work, yet with completely different processes and outcomes. The collective approach to our residency has also brought about some forth-coming collaborations so watch this space for collaborative work and more updates about our future crit sessions.
