how much does an art designer maker
Overview
This exciting course embraces the possibilities of making for both art and design. Glass and Ceramics are a focus but you can work in other materials, for example, wood, metal and plastic - as well as digital media. You will work in excellent individual student workspaces in studios in National Glass Centre and FabLab, bringing you into contact with professionals in the field as well as opportunities such as external competitions and exhibitions.
Why us?
- This course has100% Overall Satisfaction (National Student Survey 2021)
- Our graduates embark on a diverse range of careers including professional artists, community artists, academics and teachers
- Studying at National Glass Centre puts you at the heart of an international network of creative professionals
- National Glass Centre is also home to the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, which has a 50-year history of showing cutting edge contemporary art
- Learn both traditional and modern making techniques and have access to world-class production facilities
- Meet internationally renowned, high-profile artists and designers currently working in the glass, ceramics and making fields
- Be part of a supportive creative community and be encouraged to become nationally, even internationally, networked during your time on the course
- Develop your confidence, problem-solving skills, communications skills and professionalism so that you are well prepared to enter the professional world
Our student work
Course structure
Your first year will introduce you to a range of traditional and contemporary craft skills, through staff led demonstrations and seminars as well as hands-on making. You will learn making skills, ideas development and about key subject themes – all of which will prepare you for self-negotiated projects in your second year where you will learn about making for particular contexts as well as for exhibition. You will start to identify your own voice through your work as well as considering debates in the subject and professional practice. The final year is significantly about developing your degree show work, reflecting on your practice, critically positioning your work and importantly planning for your future career.
Whilst building the core skills of being an artist, designer or maker, this programme also offers the chance for students to develop a broader range of skills and attitudes that can allow them to work in other areas. These include: creative thinking, team working, presentation skills, writing skills, research skills, digital skills, and time management.
Throughout the course, you'll be assessed through a range of studio practice, visual research – sketchbooks, technical notebooks, and contextual files, your professional development portfolio, written assignments and presentations to fellow students and staff.
View student work on our Sunderland Creatives website.
Year 1 (national level 4):
Focus on skill acquisition to introduce a broad base of techniques:
- Ceramics: throwing, glazes, hand building, slip casting, decals,mono-printing, press moulding
- Glass: glassblowing, kiln casting, stained glass, glass painting, sandcasting, sandblasting, glass cutting, gluing and construction
- Finishing techniques: grinding and polishing, wood finishing, metal patination
- Digital crafts; for example rhinoceros, tinkercad, blender, fusion 360, 3d printing, water jet cutting, laser cutting
- Wood and metal - basic skills
- Artists talks and visits will provide examples of professional careers and practice verbal presentation skills
- Aspects of historical and contemporary artist designer maker contexts
- Academic research, referencing and writing skills
Core modules:
- Studio Techniques for Making (60 credits)
Explore a variety of processes in glassmaking, ceramics, wood, metal and digital fabrication. Experience the value of team-work in shared studio spaces. Organise schedules for different making processes and accomplish new tasks to deadline. Learn traditional making techniques, as well as more recent developments such as waterjet cutting, 3D printing and laser cutting. Enhance your knowledge by researching technical processes used by other artists, designers and makers.
- Ideas Into Practice (40 credits)
Gain the ability to use 3D design software and traditional drawing as tools to develop, research and design ideas. Explore the basic aspects of both traditional and digital drawing. Investigate processes of model making, testing of materials, and thinking skills to generate two bodies of work in response to a project brief. Gain a greater understanding of what different material processes have to offer you and advance your technical and manipulative skills.
- Key Themes for Art, Design and Making (20 credits)
Develop your knowledge and understanding of the historical and contemporary contexts of art, design and making. Explore the work of significant key practitioners - artists, designers and makers. Understand the development of Modernism, Abstraction and Post Modernism and their relationship to movements in contemporary art, craft and design. Learn how to communicate your understanding and build your confidence in research skills, writing and presentations.
Year 2 (national level 5):
Focus on development of professional transferable skills, understanding of contexts of practice and broader cultural issues, and of independent study and skills acquisition:
- Continuing skill acquisition, including printmaking for glass and ceramics, advanced ceramics techniques, and digital skills
- Applying for 'real world' opportunities like competitions, exhibitions and work experience
- First semester: Focus on work in place, space and context through developing a project in response to a specific place, purpose or audience
- Design boards, visualisations and sample making
- Second semester: planning, executing and evaluating a self-directed project for exhibition at a professional public gallery - usually at Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead
- Opportunity to study abroad including USA, Australia or Sweden
Core modules:
- Making for Place, Space and Audience (40 credits)
Develop a project that investigates space, place, context and audience. Explore different modes of practice including socially engaged, site-specific and site-sensitive and working to commission for clients. Identify and use appropriate skills and techniques in the manipulation of materials for a particular place, space, or context. Learn analogue and digital (Rhino) model-making skills and develop testing methodologies to explore your ideas at smaller scale. Develop confidence to pitch your ideas to intended audience and potential clients and learn how to use analogue and digital skills (Illustrator) to create a design board that charts your ideas visually.
- Making for Exhibition (40 credits)
Exhibit your work in a professional gallery (either online or in the gallery). Explore your creative potential and extend your technical abilities through the creation of a body of work. Develop, implement and reflect upon your own work, and exhibit as part of a group show hosted by Shipley Art Gallery and Museum in Gateshead. Expand your knowledge of project management through helping to organise and curate the exhibition.
- Dialogues in Art, Design and Making (20 credits)
Develop your academic skills, including researching, reading and writing. Build on your writing skills and plan a written argument. Hear from professional artists through the weekly 'Creative Lives' programme. Gain a unique insight into professional artists' practice and possible career pathways.
- Collaborative Creativity (20 credits)
Negotiate a relevant placement where you will position your practical and creative skills, build networks and begin to identify relevant professional pathways. Alternatively, work with fellow students from across our different Arts disciplines to create a group negotiated creative outcome.
Final year (national level 6):
The final year is geared towards the exhibition of a professional body of work at National Glass Centre:
- Experimentation, visualization, testing in order to develop a professional and resolved body of work for exhibition
- Refinement of making skills, finishing techniques, presentation methods and consolidation of ideas in a final body of artworks
- Research and write a critical dissertation relevant to students' individual studio work and/or career goals. Also, focus on establishing a professional identity and career plan
- Research career options, understand the nature of the sector the student aspires to enter and in turn develop a relevant career plan
- Develop online portfolio or drawings and finished work
Core modules:
- Experiment Visualise Prototype (40 credits)
Experiment with a range of materials and processes. Make a body of test pieces while developing a specialised understanding of your materials and the technologies required to develop your ideas into an object. Record your research and experimentation in a testing folder to provide a solid reference for future work. Explore how to realise your ideas in two dimensions through drawing and other image making processes, and through computer aided modelling. Produce a professionally presented portfolio of images and design proposals to display a clear narrative on the development of your ideas. Present a prototype artwork or object.
- Refine Resolve Exhibit (40 credits)
Explore your creative potential and extend your technical abilities to a professional level. Create work with a high degree of sophistication and conceptual rigor for online exhibition. Benefit from further opportunities to exhibit within the National Glass Centre and elsewhere. Plan a scheme of work and manage your personal project. Set and achieve goals, culminating in the production of a body of work with a personal creative identity.
- Dissertation: Your Creative Context (20 credits)
Research and write a dissertation of 3500-4500 words that relates to themes and issues relevant to your studio practice or your career ambitions. Demonstrate coherent specialist knowledge and understanding of the historical and contemporary themes/practices relevant to artists, designers and makers and how these relate to your own independent work. Evaluate the creative context in which you hope to work in the future and develop your understanding of the professional world in which you hope to work.
- Professional Practice: Planning Your Creative Career (20 credits)
Develop a career planning portfolio which will help you launch your professional career on graduation. Understand where your practice is placed within the creative industries and prepare yourself to enter your chosen sector. Research the requirements and principles of self-employment and graduate employment. Explore methods of recording and promoting your work and understand the principles of how to cost work realistically. Learn how to produce a range of presentation and communication materials appropriate to present your practice in a professional manner to your intended audience.
Entry requirements
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| Singapore / Cambridge GCE A-level | 112 UCAS Points |
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.
If you are studying a HND or Foundation Degree you may be able to enter onto the final year of our degree courses. For more information, please contact studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk.
Portfolio requirements
We'll invite you to an informal interview to talk about your work, where we would like to see evidence of your creative potential. Previous experience in glass, ceramics or making is not essential.
Please prepare a portfolio of work you have completed so far. We are not looking for perfection as we appreciate you are still developing work. Your portfolio should be simply mounted and include:
- Art and design work completed in or outside of your studies
- A variety of art and design work – we want to see a range of styles and technique
- Ideas that didn't work
- Research: for example sketchbooks, scrapbooks of things that inspire you or design sheets
- Photographs of 3D, and large 2D, work are acceptable
- A USB stick or online link with any digital and screen-based work
- Uncompleted or work in progress is also useful to see
If you are an international applicant, please send a link to your online portfolio.
Please see our guide on how to prepare your portfolio.
Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.
Fees and finance
Full-time fees
The annual fee for this course is:
- £9,250 if you are from the UK/Europe*
- £13,000 if you are an international student
Part-time fees
Tuition fees for part-time students are £6,935 per 120 credits.
Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.
*European Union (EU), EEA (European Economic Area) and Swiss nationals are classed as international, however, for 22/23 admission you will receive a European student fee scholarship and will pay the home tuition fee rate for the duration of your studies. The discounted fee will be reflected in your offer letter. Learn more in our Help and Advice article .
Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
Career ready
We aim to develop you as graduates who have the skills to work in diverse art, design and making contexts. You are likely to develop 'portfolio careers' that might involve a mix of working as artists for gallery exhibitions, designers making work to commission for specific contexts, and makers who can fabricate work for yourselves or others.
'Real-world' experiencesfor employment
Professional 'real-world' experience is central to this programme which could include the chance to show your work in public exhibitions, undertake internships, work on real commissions, and competitions – all of which will help you to build a professional CV.
Our modules mirror the approach that professional artists will need to take in their careers. These aspects of the programme will present you with challenges through which you can build experience and confidence for your dynamic career in the creative industries.
Industry links
Our links with the arts and creative industries are key to giving you the real world experience that will help your future career. Our current links include Sunderland Arts Studio, British Ceramics Biennial, Arts Council England, Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA), National Association for Ceramics in Higher Education (NACHE), Equal Arts, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art (NGCA) and Nissan.
Our students have progressed from our Glass and Ceramics studios to work with Wanganui Glass School New Zealand, Devereux and Huskie Glassworks, GLASSTORM UK/Danish Studios, Angels' Share Glass, Cumbria Crystal, English Antique Glass, Antony Gormley Studio, Crafts Council, Sorrel Foundation, British Ceramics Biennale and Hepworth Museum.
Join award winners
We encourage students to take part in competitions and they've had considerable success:
- Sienna Griffin Shaw, First Prize and Best Craftsmanship Award, Stevens Architectural Glass competition 2017
- MA graduate Jade Tapson, who took the Student prize at the 2017 British Glass Biennale
- Dawid Stroyny, joint winner in The Glass Prize, Other Glass category for 2017
- Neil Edwards, Highly Commended, Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) Glass Prize and Graduate Review 2017
- Sienna Griffin-Shaw and Jonathan Michie, both shortlisted Gillian Dickinson North East Young Sculptor of the Year 2017
Sunderland Creatives
Sunderland Creatives shares the work and creativity of students, graduates and staff from the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries. The site launched with a celebration of the work of our BA art and design students from the class of 2020. Going forwards this site will host exhibitions of students work throughout their course and all graduating students will have their own online portfolios to complement their degree shows.
Sunderland Culture
Sunderland Culture is a collaboration between the University, council and the city's key cultures organisations. This partnership brings big-name creatives in contemporary visual arts, glass, ceramics and performance to the city; showcases exciting local talent; and gives our students unique experiences including exceptional career-enhancing opportunities.
Meet the students
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how much does an art designer maker
Source: https://www.sunderland.ac.uk/study/creative-arts/undergraduate-glass-ceramics/