The Art School is a vibrant, inspirational and engaging creative environment, where every student's individuality and potential to fully realise their artistic ambitions is highly valued.
Innovative art can be created through an investigative outlook. Here students have the opportunity to explore and gain accomplishment in both contemporary and traditional art making techniques, via the exceptional teaching expertise and outstanding resources available.
All year groups are encouraged to work with new and unfamiliar art materials, alongside approaches that are challenging, to extend the boundaries of their experiences and acquire new skills. This also helps to instill a progressive approach for all future studies.
Varied creative methods of tuition are practised, through art forms ranging from the core discipline of observational drawing to the use of digital media. From experimental printmaking, or ceramics, to sculpture and painting workshops, every pupils personal artistic process, knowledge and interests is enriched. This initiates a greater visual sensitivity to life in general and enables a more articulate visual dialogue within our students art.
The Art School not only endorses the structured teaching of examination criteria, but is also flexible in accommodating both group and individual student’s creativity and aspirations. We nurture imaginative, critical thinking and provide opportunities to communicate creative initiatives, techniques and original ideas, all of which, contribute to an highly rewarding artistic life at Marlborough.
Our teaching team and technicians are all respected artists, who bring a complementary group of art specialisms to our students and collectively form a progressive centre for excellence. All staff are encouraged to develop personal schemes of work to enrich the curriculum, as some of the most demanding and exciting art by students, often emerges through inspiring teachers, working from their own specialisms.
All students are welcome to work in the Art School during afternoons and at weekends, to pursue personal interests, utilise different media, or extend school projects. Photography, Film, Animation, Sculpture, Printmaking and Ceramics workshops are also available within the Shell and Remove Options Programme. Poster design; prop making; Art School and Gallery support and Film Making for Prep Schools are also offered. There are weekly Life Classes for the Sixth Form, held in the Art School throughout the Michaelmas and Lent Term.
Talks by visiting Artists are also held at the College, sometimes taking place in conjunction with their own exhibition. The interaction between student and visiting artist is regarded as invaluable for sharing knowledge, intentions and developing visual language.
The Art School has been instrumental in introducing and supporting the annual College Film and Photography Competitions. Open to students from all year groups, both competitions are well supported by the College community.
All pupils, teachers, parents and the wider community are able to regularly view a diverse programme of curated exhibitions within the College gallery, the Mount House. The gallery is primarily an educational resource, providing valuable opportunities to experience an extensive range of artworks at first hand. Formal exhibitions of students' work are held in both venues, individual students' work is also shown around the Art School. Displays are frequently renewed within each boarding house and suitable College sites, further allowing pupils' work to be promoted.
The Mount House Gallery also hosts exhibitions by invited Artists. Painting, printmaking, sculpture, performance art, installation, ceramics and photography are all represented. The College grounds also provide key sites for large scale sculpture and artworks.