RCA News

RCA Fine Art Degree Shows 2011
Fine Art: Sculpture - Painting - Printmaking - Photography
This was the first year that ‘Fine Art’ Degree shows took place in the new purpose built Studios in the College’s Battersea campus*. All these disciplines converged in Howie Street - merging practice boundaries and interspersing performance and zany kinetic installations with the more traditional wall works and static monoliths.

Sir James Dyson to Succeed Sir Terence Conran as Provost of the Royal College of Art. The Head of the College, the Provost presides over meetings of the Court and confers degrees at Convocation. Sir James will take up the post on 1 August 2011. Sir James Dyson, whose term of appointment is five years, is widely acclaimed as one of the world's most successful and influential design entrepreneurs. Earlier this year, his report for the Conservative Party, Ingenious Britain, called on the Government to re-awaken Britain's innate creativity and competitive spirit.

Tuesday 7th December 6.30pm
RCA Café Kensington

The annual Fashion Degree Show at the College is always a must see.
RCA Society members and associates were there too - using the occasion to also select a winner for the 'RCA Society and T&H Art Book Prize'. Amidst all the fashion aficionados you may recognise members and design colleagues from the trade who are designing, co-ordinating, buying, teaching or reporting - See picture gallery and video.

28 May–6 June 2010: SHOW One - Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU - Photography, Printmaking, Ceramics & Glass, GSM&J.
Show One has opened (see photos)
RCA Society members met up at the opening of "Show One" - not only to enjoy what is a jolly occasion to bump into old friends (and maybe make new ones) but also to decide on their nominations for this year's "RCA Society and Thames & Hudson Art Book Prize". Send your nominations immediately and make sure to meet up at the other shows opening nights.

Don't wait for the Degrees shows to come around as you can catch up with how the work by the College's current student intake is developing. The interim shows are good to see because the pressure is not yet quite on for the students so the work is still experimental and personal. The first of this year's 'interim shows' included work from the Fashion and Textiles, Photography, Gold/Silver/Metalwork schools.

Sir Neil Cossons, chairman of the College Joint Selection Committee of three members of the Council and three members of the Senate, announced the appointment of Paul Thompson as the new Rector and Vice-Provost with effect from September, 2009 when the current Rector, Sir Christopher Frayling, steps down from the post.

Every October over 1200 UK venues, from scout huts and schools to national museums and palaces, take part in The Big Draw. This annual programme demonstrates that drawing is the perfect medium for learning, observation, self-expression and fun. Wide-ranging events and themes span the arts and sciences, proving that drawing can be an enjoyable public activity as well as a private passion.

Chris Orr - painter, draughtsman and printmaker left his post as Professor and Head of Department of the Printmaking Department at the Royal College of Art London (1998 - 2008). Other accolades coming in this decade include Royal Academician and Professor Emeritus and the MBE - (nothing to do with empirical). His beautifully crafted and acerbic work (reminiscent of Cruikshank and Gillray) is exhibited worldwide and graces a number of public collections - Arts Council of Great Britain, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts, Science Museum, and the Tate Gallery.

Sir Terence Conran, who has succeeded the Earl of Snowdon as Provost of the Royal College of Art, chaired his first Meeting of Court on 14th December 04.