New MA Art and Social Practice Launched
A new postgraduate course from the University of the Highlands and Islands is looking to equip learners with the practical and theoretical skills required for a career in social art practice and community engagement. The MA in Art and Social Practice sits within the Centre for Rural Creativity, an interdisciplinary research centre which is based at Shetland College UHI.
The course is believed to be the first award of this nature to be delivered by distance learning with a rural setting – reducing barriers to education and allowing learners to participate from elsewhere in the UK or internationally. This includes sharing ideas through video conference at a ‘Virtual Symposium’ and face-to-face at an annual ‘Winter School’ residency. While the course is expecting to start with a core group of students in the Highlands and Islands, applications have already been received from Scotland and elsewhere in the UK.
The programme is led by practising artists, and aims to address the increasing trend of producing art within a participatory setting, which requires skills in creative, social engagement. This necessitates non-conventional ideas about where art practices are located and how artwork is shared with others. The fundamental inter-disciplinary nature of the field will provide opportunities for engaging with a diverse range of local industries, networks and communities. Staff will support learners to engage effectively with their communities to harness the powers of making, meaning and imagination - inspiring creative responses to new or existing situations. They will also be equipped with the skills necessary to be successful 21st century creative practitioners.
While participants will not be restricted to engaging with rural places and communities, the university’s expertise in the strengths and needs of artists working in these areas will be of particular value to those pursuing socially engaged art beyond the city. This could include place-specific concerns such as coastal landscapes, environmental phenomena, archaeology or rural community development.
‘This exciting new course is a major development for our college and the university,’ described Course Leader, Roxane Permar. ‘It is our first postgraduate visual arts course to be delivered entirely virtually, and features unique opportunities to study and develop professional networks in this field, particularly for those working in remote geographical locations.’
For more information see the course page or the Centre for Rural Creativity page.