Featured artists
Artists Access to Art Colleges (AA2A) project / research opportunity
The Artists Access to Art Colleges (AA2A) project is a national set of schemes, providing visual artists and designer makers with the opportunity to undertake a period of research or realise a project, using workshop and supporting facilities in fine art and design departments of Higher and Further Education institutions in England. In return, participants are asked to propose how they would be prepared to share their knowledge with students.
If you're in your last year at Uni or College, you will only need to wait about * 12 months to be eligible to apply for an AA2A placement, either where you’re studying, or at one of the other AA2A schemes around the country. For full details about eligibility and how to apply visit www.aa2a.org/apply
Here are some of the benefits the scheme can offer once you’ve graduated and had some experience of professional practice outside of education :
• Geographical coverage - there are over 30 schemes running in England, so even if you move away after graduating it’s likely there will still be a scheme not too far away. Have a look at the map/list on the website, to see the colleges running the scheme this year: www.aa2a.org/colleges You can also apply to more than one institution. The list of colleges for each year is finalised in May.
• Peer support - each participating institution usually offers places to four artists or makers, so it’s a great way to meet other artists, who may have many years of experience and contacts in the local arts scene
• Access to specialist facilities - that you may not normally be able to use/afford; typical supporting facilities available to artists/makers include college workshops, lending libraries, access to lecture programmes, IT equipment, life rooms, etc.
• Time - each artist/maker has at least 100 hours access, which can used between October and April (some schemes extend these hours and the scheme length)
• Materials grant - a small grant of around £200 may be available for materials, formal childcare or travel (if your AA2A scheme is more than 30 miles away).
• NB: This budget is reviewed annually and may not be available to all participants.
• Publicity and documentation - each Artist has a webpage on the main website:
www.aa2a.org. They can also use the networking site to record
their project
www.aa2a.biz. Many colleges also offer exhibitions as part of
their scheme.
• Shared experience - giving something back to students; artists on the scheme usually do this through formal or informal presentations of work, sharing a record of their project on the AA2A networking site or arranging studio visits.
