Insights - Camden Art Centre

Insights is a practical, informative and nurturing project for young people (aged 17+) who are considering Foundation or Degree courses in the Arts

The project brought together expertise from Camden Art Centre and Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design to support young people in making informed decisions about their creative futures.

We offered free portfolio viewing sessions, practical workshops, university tours and contact with professional artists and academics. Working with us, participants can produce a new body of work, receive advice on their choices and feel more confident about how to structure an effective portfolio.

Introductory workshops
During September and October our Education team was available to deliver an introduction to schools, discuss study options with students and invite them to sign up to the project.

Viewing Portfolios
Schools and Colleges booked a free workshop at Camden Art Centre where current Foundation and Undergraduate students show and talk through their portfolios. The workshop included opportunities to ask questions and consider what makes an effective portfolio for different disciplines.
Students could also attend Portfolio Review days at Central Saint Martins on 4 October, 1 November, 6 December, 10 January and 7 February.

Winter School
The Insights Winter School was an opportunity for students to get stuck into building and shaping a portfolio.  Hosted both at Central Saint Martins School of Arts & Design and at Camden Art Centre, workshops included practical activities using facilities at the two venues, and an opportunity for discussion around how to structure a portfolio.
All workshops were led by professional artists and tutors and supported by undergraduate students. While each workshop was led in different specialisms, there was an emphasis on the importance of drawing, working quickly and keeping preparatory studies as a way to demonstrate the progression of ideas.
A further two workshops in the New Year prepared participants for interviews through visits to exhibitions and artists’ studios. These visits were a fantastic opportunity to build a greater awareness of contemporary art in London, develop confidence in speaking about art and skills in debating opinions about art.

Images Related events

Insights: Winter School: Building a Portfolio 2

Saturday 30 November 2013, 9.30am – 4.00pm
Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design: King’s Cross Site
Aimed at young people (aged 17+) who are thinking about a future in the arts, this day focused on how you can build work for portfolios.  Young people had he opportunity to work, do taster workshops, tour the Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design [CSM] King’s Cross Site, and meet tutors and students from the university.

Taster workshops in Graphic Media and Architecture ran by tutors from CSM, young people got a chance to experience ways of working within these subject areas, create a body of work in less than a day and discuss with the tutors how they might go about presenting the work in their portfolios.

All workshops were led by professional artists and tutors and supported by undergraduate students. There was an emphasis on the importance of drawing, working quickly and keeping preparatory studies as a way to demonstrate the progression of ideas.

Insights: Winter School: Building a Portfolio 3

Saturday 7 December, 10.00am – 5.00pm
Camden Arts Centre
Aimed at young people (aged 17+) who are thinking about a future in the arts, this day focused on making work for portfolios.

Working with 2 artists in 2D and Ceramics, young people got a chance to explore how you can quickly generate ideas and projects. Taking the form of a carousel workshop, artists and young people were challenged to create 20 works in 20 minutes, developing a new body of work for their portfolios. Young people also had a chance to visit the exhibition at Camden Art Centre and have discussions with artists around building a portfolio.

Insights Portfolio Preparation

Wednesday 18 December, 7.30 – 8.30pm
Camden Art Centre invited young people aged 17-19 preparing to apply for foundation and degree courses for a portfolio advice session held in the Drawing Studio. Led by Oonagh O’Hagan, Senior Lecturer and Curriculum Leader at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, this event gave students the chance to receive one to one advice on how they might structure and select work for their portfolios.