The Studio Arts Program at Metàfora
Metàfora’s Studio Arts Program can be considered as an alternative to a BFA or a BA in Fine Arts. The full training program carries many of the same characteristics of university training in this field, but comes with a few additional advantages.
The fact that Metàfora is an independent institution means that the level of maturity and the amount of previous experience of our students is often higher than in the big classes of universities around the world.
A part of our students already have university training from other fields or years of professional experience. Others have been around, travelling the world.
This mix of young just-out-of-college students and others with vast life experience is precisely what makes our community a specially open and stimulating place to be.
Another advantage of Metàfora’s independent status is naturally the intimate group size, our direct connections with Barcelona’s art world and the flexible format, which guarantees that all students get an optimal experience according to their needs and ambitions.
This also means that students are admitted for long or short term studies, according to their previous studies and experience.
Each level carries it own certification:
Year 1: Foundation Program in Studio Arts (for beginners)
Year 2: Certificate in Studio Arts (for intermediate level students)
Year 3: Diploma in Studio arts (for advanced level students)
Foundation Program (Year 1)
The Foundation Program is designed for students to experiment with new techniques and materials and learn to feel at home within the world of contemporary art.
The main objective is to give the student a chance to test the artistic possibilities provided by different media and materials.
Metàfora’s Foundation Program is recognized by many universities in the UK and other countries, and is the ideal portfolio preparation for students who wish to pursue further education in visual arts.
The majority of the classes are optional workshops in different tools and techniques in painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography etc. There is also a weekly life-drawing class, as well as classes in Street Art, Performance, Installation, etc.
Students can choose the classes they are interested in and spend the rest of the time in their studios on personal art investigation (we recommend to leave a day or two free for studio practice).
Once a week, students meet with their personal tutor to discuss studio work. The practical work is supplemented by a weekly class of Recent Art History, an introduction to the past 40-50 years of contemporary Western art.
Students on the Foundation Program have several opportunities to show their artwork in the gallery exhibitions organized by Metàfora every semester.
OVERVIEW
| ENTRY REQUIREMENTS | It is not necessary to present an artistic portfolio or to have previous knowledge of Recent Art History to enter Metàfora’s Foundation Program in Studio Arts. |
| LENGTH OF COURSE | One Academic or Calendar year (5 studio blocks)*
Students on shorter stays are welcome. * The one year course is mandatory for students who wish to continue to the second year of Metàfora’s Training Program. |
| ECTS | 60 ECTS*
* Metàfora is an independent institution without university accreditation. |
| EVALUATION AND CONTINUITY | At the end of the Foundation Program, the Evaluation Panel of Metàfora’s Studio Arts Program will assess the overall production of each student, together with grades and attendance, in order to issue a PASS/NO PASS for the student to continue into the second level. Exceptionally, Metàfora can “fast track” Foundation Program students to the second level, if their previous experience and training makes them develop faster than usual. |
Certificate in Studio Arts (Year 2)
After completing the first year on Metàfora’s Studio Arts Program, students move into the Certificate in Studio Arts with a solid base of knowledge of Recent Art History, having tested and tried many different tools and techniques.
At this point, students will have discovered media which they prefer to others and the need to defining an artistic discourse becomes apparent.
The second level is characterized by a series of mandatory classes with a certain level of difficulty, designed to challenge the students and push them out of their comfort zone. The Certificate in Studio Arts, together with the third level on the course are about producing, thinking, debating and formulating ideas.
The students on the Certificate and Diploma are expected to increase their individual studio time and limit the amount of tools and techniques classes they sign up for. The personal studio practice is supplemented with Critical Theory, Debate Groups and Project based workshops, and every semester students submit an academic paper.
During the second year of Metàfora’s Training Program students are expected to be active players on the art scene, visiting openings and art events every week. Students on the 2nd and 3rd year are expected to participate in at least one Open Call for student exhibitions. Some Open Calls are open to all students whereas others are specific to 2nd and 3rd year students.
OVERVIEW
| ENTRY REQUIREMENTS | Metàfora admits students to the Certificate in Studio Arts, if they have achieved a PASS at the end of the Foundation Program, issued by the Evaluation Panel of Metàfora’s Studio Arts Program. Students who are admitted directly to the Certificate must have previous experience from a foundation program in visual art. It is necessary to present a portfolio of approx. 20 works, showing a broad variety of techniques and media. In the required 250 word statement in the application to the course, these applicants must prove a readiness to embrace a mature art investigation and a search of coherent discourse. |
| LENGTH OF COURSE | One Year (5 studio blocks)* Students on shorter stays (down to 6 weeks) are welcome on the Certificate if they meet with the entry requirements described in this section. * Mandatory for students who wish to continue to the third level of Metàfora’s Training Program. |
| ECTS | 60 ECTS*
* Metàfora is an independent institution without university accreditation. |
| EVALUATION | Students who wish to continue into the Diploma in Studio Arts are evaluated on basis of the quality of their work, the engagement in debates as well as grades and attendance. The student can only continue if the Evaluation Panel issues a PASS based on the above. In some cases the Evaluation Panel will request that a student repeat one or more blocks on the Certificate, before continuing to the Diploma. |
Diploma in Studio Arts (Year 3)
The third and final year of Metàfora’s Studio Arts Program is an advanced level course, where students work on turning their personal artistic discourse into a coherent, sustainable professional art project.
Students spend their time between working in the studios, having tutorials and following the mandatory classes they share with 2nd year students (Critical Theory, Debate Groups and Project-based workshops)
Towards the middle of the 3rd year the figure of the external tutor is introduced. The external tutor can be a gallerist, an established artist, a curator or otherwise cultural agent and supplements the weekly meetings with the in-house tutor. This figure is chosen jointly between staff and the students themselves, emphasizing affinities of the artistic discourse of the student and taking into account the student’s immediate goals for the future. Student and external tutor meet monthly during the last 4-5 months of the Diploma.
The last months of the Diploma course are spent finalizing art projects and writing a Thesina, which is an extended artist statement which is presented publicly at the end of the course. This event takes place at Barcelona’s famous Museum of Contemporary Art, MACBA each year in June or January.
The Thesina accompanies the final art work of the student which is presented at an opening at the prestigious “Àngels Barcelona”gallery, right across the museum. Both events are announced publicly and attract a large number of visitors.
OVERVIEW
| ENTRY REQUIREMENTS | Metàfora admits students to the Diploma in Studio Arts from the previous level, Metàfora’s Certificate in Studio Arts, following a strict set of norms. As mentioned above, this evaluation is more demanding than the pass from Foundation Program to Certificate, and in some cases, the student may be asked to repeat one or several blocks before continuing. Metàfora rarely admits students directly to the Diploma in Studio Arts, because this move is based on a profound relationship between Metàfora and the student. |
| LENGTH OF COURSE | One Year (5 studio blocks)*
*Metàfora will rarely admit short term students to the 3rd year of the Training Program. |
| ECTS | 60 ECTS*
* Metàfora is an independent institution, without university accreditation. The credits are counted in ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) to facilitate convalidation by other insititutions. |
| EVALUATION | Students on the Diploma in Studio Arts finish their studies producing work for a major exhibition and writing a thesina, an extended artist statement (5-8.000 words). The thesina is received and corrected by the teacher of Critical Theory. At the end of this process, the Evaluation Panel issues a PASS/NO PASS towards the Diploma in Studio Arts. |
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