Key details
Time
- 9:30am – 6pm
Location
- White City
Price
- Free
Who could attend
- Everyone
Type
- Conference or symposium
FOUNDATIONAL is a three-day symposium; day one took place online on 18 June, and days two and three on 29–30 August at the RCA's White City campus. The events explore the Legacies and Impacts of Foundation Art & Design Education.
FOUNDATIONAL is the third INFE symposium organised in collaboration with The Royal College of Art and The University of the Arts, Helsinki.
Within art schools and beyond it is common to hear Foundation art and design courses described as a key moment in people’s lives. Foundational sets out to explore how this is so: to ask in what ways Foundation courses, and their equivalents both internationally and at other levels of education have been foundational; what experiences have stayed with people and continue to shape their personal, professional, and creative selves? What aspects of foundation teaching have been adopted and adapted by other levels of education and why does this seem to be increasingly common? How can we begin to archive these experiences and how can we explore them creatively using modes of artistic research? How can we ensure that future generations can continue to benefit from the experiences of these pedagogies?
Foundational is the third INFE (International Network of Foundation Educators) symposium organised in collaboration with The Royal College of Art, London, and The University of the Arts Helsinki. It is taking place over three days each taking a different approach to exploring the legacies and impacts of Foundation art and design courses and their equivalents including ground courses, basic courses, preparation courses, and the (post-) graduate diploma.
Day two will consist of presentations exploring the legacies of Foundation Art and Design Education.
Day three will also take place at the RCA and consist of workshops that are based on methods of Foundation Art and Design pedagogies and artistic research. They will use materials from day one and two as their basis.
Day two will take place at the RCA’s White City campus with contributions from:
- Dr Judith Winter (Gray’s School of Art)
- Martha Lineham (Manchester School of Art)
- Dr Jake Watts (University of Edinburgh)
- Dr James Bell (University of Edinburgh)
- Oliver East (Sheffield Hallam University)
- Geetanjali Sachdev (Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology)
- Dr Timothy Smith (UniArts Helsinki)
- Dr Heather Connelly (University of Lincoln)
- Nicola Flitchett (University of the Arts London)
- Claire McCormack (University of the Arts London)
- Martin Newth (Glasgow School of Art)
- Patricia Ellis (University of the Arts London)
- Pauline Clancy (Ulster University)
- Yasmine Robinson (Belfast School of Art)
- Eva Masterman (Newcastle University)
- Sergio Patricio (Universidad Academia Humnismo Crisitiano)
- Dr Patricia Healy McMeans (Minneapolis College of Art and Design)
- Marie Judge (Sheffield Hallam University)
- Madalaine Blyth (Arts University Plymouth)
- Giovanni Contreras (University of Sussex)
- Paul Taylor (Carlisle College of the Arts)
- Kate Timney (Carlisle College of the Arts)
- Doug Bowen (British Higher School of Art and Design)
- Chris Roberts (University of the Arts London)
- Gabriel Birch (University of the Arts London)
- Raz Barfield (City Literary Institute)
- Nadine Hecht (Pforzheim University)
- Katharina Wittemann (Pforzheim University)
- U S Ramesh Kalkur (Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology)
- Adam Farcus (University of South Florida)
Day three will also take place at the RCA’s White City campus and consist of workshops that are based on methods of Foundation Art and Design pedagogies and artistic research. They will use materials from day one and two as their basis. Workshops led by:
- Kate Moss (Landing Thoughts / Kronoberg Konstskola)
- Chensy Guan (RCA)
- Madalaine Blyth (Arts University Plymouth)
- Giovanni Contreras (University of Sussex)
- Georgie Hooper (Brighton MET College)
- Patricia Mulligan (DGHE London)
- Roshanak Khakban (DGHE London)
- Neill Prewitt (Georgia State University)
- Robert Roach (University for the Creative Arts)
- Gabi Mind (University for the Creative Arts)
- Chrissie Peters (University for the Creative Arts)
- Darren Willams (Hereford College of Arts)
- Claire Burgoyne (Hereford College of Arts)
- Keynote: Professor Jaana Erkkilä-Hill (University of Lapland)
Booking a ticket is essential — ticket prices vary from institutional.
Affiliated rate at £65.71, non-institutional support rate at £35.37, and free for Royal College of Art and UniArts Helsinki staff and students.
![Foundational: Narratives event](https://rca-media2.rca.ac.uk/images/FOUNDATIONAL_NARRATIVES_POSTER_1.original.png)
![FOUNDATIONAL Day Three](https://rca-media2.rca.ac.uk/images/FOUNDATIONAL_WORKSHOPS_POSTER.original.jpg)