Art & Design

Unleash your artistic talents

Our large art and design studios, stocked with all the materials you'll need, are the ideal environment to hone your craft and build up an unbeatable portfolio of work.

Experience real exhibitions

We provide lots of opportunities during your course to show off your projects, with art shows hosted in and outside the College throughout the year. Even better, you also have the chance to exhibit your project with the University of Arts London at one of their exclusive annual events.

Get inspiration for your projects

You will visit a range of museums, art galleries and installations in the UK and abroad, including a day trip to London and touring Venice in Italy!

FLUX featured the Final Major Project work of Creative Communications Level 2, Art & Design Diploma Level 3 and the Extended Diploma in Art & Design Level 3 students from Abingdon.

The exhibition took place within the Art & Design block, where over two floors of exhibition space were created for over fifty students to showcase their work to family, friends and the general public.

Discover new skills by pen, paintbrush, lens, print, Mac and more.

With all the equipment you will need at your disposal, you will cover new materials, techniques and processes within art and design, as you continually gain new skills by working on multiple personal projects and industry-related briefs.

That's just the start. There are the many visits to galleries and museums too, at home and abroad, and guest speakers (including former students) who we bring in to share experiences.

We also make a big deal of making sure you're ready for anything, as sometimes it's about more than just natural talent – you need to be determined, street-smart and be ready to take setbacks if they come your way.

Our experienced tutors will be there to teach these career-ready transferrable skills, preparing you for life after college.

Staff Profile: Pete Collins

Pete's academic artistic pursuits began at Stroud School of Art, where he studied his Level 2, Level 3 and Foundation Diploma, before going on to complete his degree in Illustration.

He started work at what used to be Gloscat (now Gloscol) in Gloucester as Arts and Media Technician for three years. After moving to Oxford he spent two years in two different roles: a Media Technician at OCVC and at Modern Art Oxford as a Gallery Assistant.

His move to Abingdon & Witney College as Art & Media Technician came in November 2006, where he started off teaching adults oil painting during the evenings. After successfully completing his teaching qualification, he's now an Art Technician and an Hourly Paid Lecturer at our Witney campus.

"The best part about teaching can be summarised by a quote from a recent student: ''I think that I might actually be getting the hang of this...'' Enough said!

It's a constant joy to be working with talented, inspirational, and creative people. The biggest benefit I feel that students get is the ability to think differently and develop their own voice in order to progress into higher education or a career.

I have learnt a lot from my department colleagues too; the continual cycle of sharing ideas and working collaboratively keeps things fresh, interesting and makes the College an exciting place to be."

Staff Profile: Emma Baldwin

With a degree in 3D Design from Bristol University and a specialism in ceramics, Emma began her career as an artist in residence at Christchurch Cathedral School in Oxford.

A shift towards education saw her gain her PGCE at Oxford Brookes University and take up a teaching position at Radley College, before moving on to Banbury School of Art (now Banbury & Bicester College) to teach on the Foundation Art programme.

A move to Abingdon & Witney College in 1997 saw Emma heavily involved with setting up the Foundation Art course that exists today, first as a part-time Lecturer to now teaching Art & Design full-time, from Level 1 all the way up to Foundation level.

"The opportunity to work with young people at this important stage of their lives, where they are deciding their future career aspirations, is what drives me to teach.

There's a two-way satisfaction from the teaching and learning process – we hope to inspire our students, and they in turn inspire us with their creations, their development and achievements.

Every year is different, the dynamics in the department change, but we always have students staying in touch after their studies to share their successes and stories, and we often will invite some back to speak to current students.

This is the most obvious sign that our students benefit immensely from our courses and it's fantastic to see them blossom and progress to positive destinations."

Staff Profile: Gary Annells

Gary attended Abingdon & Witney College as a student, completing the Foundation Art & Design course before studying Illustration at Loughborough University. Soon after graduating, he worked at the College as an Art & Design technician before moving on to the newly-created Student Performance Manager role for two years.

He also worked in the Student Services department where he was responsible for organising Student Rep meetings and the annual Student Conference. For the past six years he has worked solely in Art & Design as a lecturer, teaching all levels from Level 1 to Foundation Degree and as Course Leader for Level 2 Creative Communications and Level 3 Art & Design.

"For me, the most rewarding part of the job is the end of year exhibitions when the students display the outcomes of their Final Major Project. We turn the entire art block into a gallery and showcase a huge variety of work spanning several disciplines, including photography, graphics, illustration, fashion, sculpture, painting and film/animation.

It's great to see how far each student has come over the course of the year and the Final Major Project allows them to be truly individual and play to their strengths. The overseas trips are always great fun too, and really enrich the students' cultural awareness and inform their ideas.

While our students gain a wealth of valuable practical skills and an understanding of the facilities that they may not have had access to at school, I would say that the most important things they will take away from college are the transferable skills that they will need in the real world. Our students develop teamwork, communication, professionalism and independence through their project work and these will benefit them in life wherever they end up working."

Staff Profile: Lewis Saunders

Lewis is a former student of the College, studying on the Level 3 Art & Design course at the Abingdon campus, and holds a degree in Fine Art & Printmaking from Loughborough University.

After his studies, Lewis was a practising artist for a number of years and worked as an Art Technician at Wheatley Park School to support his artistic endeavours. During his time there, he set up a printmaking studio and helped raise the profile of the school through community projects, working with local artists and the students to change opinions through art.

In 2007, Lewis joined the College as an Art Technician and is now the Curriculum Manager for Art & Design.

"When I was a student at the College, I had an amazing tutor who inspired me to tap into what I was really interested in at a time when I had no clear idea about my future plans.

What resonated with me is that one teacher can make a massive difference and now being this role, I see students who are in a similar place to where I was. My job is to recognise their potential, nurture their strengths and teach them that it's never too late to change their path.

As well as developing technical creative skills, the dialogue between the tutor and student is critical for developing soft skills. That first feedback for a student can be difficult, especially hearing criticism no matter how positive. However, this helps build resilience and understanding of one's own practice, and shows a student how their craft is more of a commodity than just a past-time or hobby."

Did you know?

Employment in the Creative Industries sector has grown by more than 30% in the past 8 years, and is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK economy.

Your work could be seen by thousands thanks to our projects in the community, like our students' collaboration with Witney Town Council to completely overhaul their bus stops.

Every year, our students have the chance to design the main trophy for the West Oxfordshire Business Awards!

Philippa

Previous school:
Faringdon Community College

Art is my passion but I didn't know where studying it could lead to; now I understand it's so broad that you can go into everything!

The environment at the college is so open and welcoming, which allows for a lot of creativity. There's a wide variety of equipment and materials at college, and the teaching staff are amazing – it's more like a family here.

My first year FMP (final major project) was on optical illusions, looking into family and identity. My plan now is to carry on to the second year and potentially do an art degree in the future, with a gap year travelling in Asia in between.

Kirsty

Previous school:
Larkmead School

I loved the safe and friendly environment at the College, and I made lots of friends over the five years I was there.

I really enjoyed working on my own projects where I could explore different techniques such as illustration and animation. My Final Major Project (FMP) was also a highlight for me, as this helped me improve my skills and gain confidence.

I now have a really good qualification for the future, with my goal being to continue studying at a higher level. The College gave me a great experience and wonderful memories!

Luke

Previous school:
Henry Box School

Luke had a great experience doing his BTEC in Art & Design and his National Diploma with Abingdon & Witney College, before moving on to Swindon College & Oxford Brookes University to do a degree in "Sequential and Narrative Illustration".

After his studies, he started working part-time as an illustrator and graphic designer and was putting on exhibitions alongside his work. Someone who'd seen his work asked if he'd consider being a tattoo artist; within two years, he had become a business partner of a tattoo studio in Witney! As he now says: "I see myself as an artist that tattoos and my medium is skin."

After having such a positive experience with us, he's looking give something back, offering Abingdon & Witney College students the chance to exhibit their work at his studio.

Abigail

Previous school:
Wood Green School

Abigail studied her BTEC 3 in Art & Design at the Witney campus, and quickly realised how different college was to school:

"They took everything I knew about art and smashed it, so that I started to see art in a completely new way and I loved working in different mediums.

After college I did a few general jobs like pub work and put art on the back-burner, although I was still drawing at home but there weren't many jobs in art available.

I studied for a foundation degree at Oxford Brookes and whilst in Oxford met Luke who gave me a tattoo. Luke reignited my passion for art and reminded me of what I was capable of. I'm now doing an apprenticeship at his tattoo studio which I've almost completed; soon I will become a Junior Artist and I already have my own clients."

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