Wimbledon College of Art

Infobox University
name = Wimbledon College of Art


established = 1890
type =
faculty =
head_label =
head =
undergrad =
postgrad =
city = London
country = United Kingdom
campus =
affiliations = University of the Arts London
website = [http://www.wimbledon.arts.ac.uk www.wimbledon.arts.ac.uk]

Wimbledon College of Art (formerly Wimbledon School of Art) is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London and is one of London's major art institutions. It is located in Wimbledon and Merton Park, South West London.

History

Wimbledon College of Art was founded in 1890 as an art class in the Rutlish School for Boys. In 1904, the school expanded, housing four rooms in the Technical Institute situated at Gladstone Road. The Headmaster of the school, AJ Collister, also acted as joint head for Reigate and the Kingston School of Art. In 1930, Gerald Cooper was appointed as Principal when Wimbledon became independent of Reigate and Kingston, introducing theatre design shortly after in 1932 by Morris Kestelman. The school moved to its present site in Merton Hall Road in 1940. The theatre design class expanded in 1948 and introduced its own theatre, adjacent from the school in 1963. The school was approved to offer diplomas in Fine Art Painting and Sculpture in 1966 and 1970 with William Brooker as the newly appointed Principal.

In 1974, undergraduate degrees were offered throughout the school, with the first postgraduate diploma being offered in 1981. The school was incorporated as an independent Higher Education institution with its degrees accredited by the University of Surrey in 1995.

The school was the first to offer artists residency, studio and exhibition space in the United Kingdom in 2000, with new studios and a lecture theatre opening in 2003. Wimbledon School of Art joined the University of the Arts London in 2006 and was renamed Wimbledon College of Art. The New Gallery and Foyer Space, two exhibition spaces, opened during the same year.

chools

Wimbledon is divided into three academic schools:

*School of Foundation Studies
*School of Fine Art
*School of Theatre

Each school delivers a suite of specialist art and design courses ranging from foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate, as well as providing research supervision for students undertaking a research programme of study.

Affiliations

Wimbledon is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, with Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London College of Communication and London College of Fashion.

Notable Alumni

* James Acheson (Consume Designer and triple Oscar Winner)
* Nik Borrow (Artist)
* John Joseph Haldane (Philosopher)
* Raymond Briggs (Author)
* Jeff Beck (Musician)
* Georgina Chapman (Co-Founder of Fashion Label Marchesa)
* Tony Cragg (1988 Turner Prize winner)
* Prunella Clough (1999 Jerrold Prize Winner)
* Peter Doig (1994 Turner Prize nominee)
* Harry Riley (1985 Winner of the Liverpool Art Certificate)
* Sarah Greenwood (Production Designer and Oscar nominee)
* Iona McLeish (Theatre Designer)
* Christopher Oram (Theatre Designer and Laurence Olivier Award Winner)
* Phoebe Philo (Fashion designer and 2004 [British Designer of the Year)
* Mark Tildesley (Production Designer)
* Martin Aynscomb-Harris (artist) (Artist)
* Margaret Rhodes (artist) (Artist and Illustrator)
* Patrick Bremer (Artist and 2007 Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition winner of the De Laszlow Award)

External links

* [http://www.wimbledon.arts.ac.uk/ College Website]
* [http://www.arts.ac.uk/index.htm University of the Arts London]
* [http://www.wcatheatre08.co.uk/ Theatre Degree Show 2008]
* [http://www.wcatheatre07.co.uk/ Theatre Degree Show 2007]
* [http://www.wimbledonma2007.com/ Wimbledon MA Show 2007]
* [http://www.wimbledonmashow.com/ Wimbledon MA Show 2008]

* [http://www.vizlang.co.uk/ Wimbledon MA Visual Language of Performance]