An online petition has been launched in protest to proposed cuts to the sculpture pathway at University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC).
The petition follows an announcement the programme will be suspended prior to a cap on undergraduate student numbers entering the unversity.
While UWIC maitains the decision is no reflection on the quality of students on the course, petitioners argue sculpture students contribute to the art scene in Cardiff and south Wales-wide.
Sam Hasler – a visual artist based in Cardiff – says on the petition site:
Sculpture as a discipline and mode of thought underpins the most radical and progressive art that takes exists today bringing important contribution to the visual language of painting, print, photography, Performance, Writing...
The closure of the sculpture department of the Fine Art course alongside the recent closure of the MAP/Timebased department shows a regressive attitude toward contemporary art, it shows a lack of belief in diverse and imaginative arts education, and it shows a grave lack of responsibility towards it's role in a growing creative hub in the city.
See the petition in full here.
Changes to the art course at UWIC were announced on Friday. On the Cardiff School of Art and Design website, a blogpost today states why the school is considering cutting out the sculpture pathway. The statement says:
The new BA (hons) Fine Art will spring substantially from painting and printmaking; however any student wishing to work through sculpture will be enabled to do so. Recent degree shows attest the degree to which sculpture is undertaken by students working freely. This work will continue through one degree: named Fine Art.
All facilities currently in use by the sculpture pathway will remain available to all students. These will be augmented by new technologies and a range of making processes, currently at Llandaff, to which many students have not had access, until now. The possibilities for working through critical practice in sculpture will increase.
The changes have been brought about through the need to reduce student numbers, rationalize the portfolio and achieve a fully sustainable financial position for CSAD. A far more holistic and flexible approach is being taken than has been possible to this point.
Are you being affected by the reduction of the Fine Art course at UWIC? Get in touch in the comments section below.
