Artists in Residence
at the University for the Creative Arts

Each academic year the craft programme at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham host an Artist in Residence (AiR) initiative. We are currently offering AiR positions within Ceramics, Glass or Jewellery & Silversmithing for the 2024-25 academic year and invite interested individuals to apply. A total of six AiR positions are available, two in each material discipline.

The residency position offers the time, space and facilities for you to develop your making practice or realise a specific project. The successful applicant will be given access to our specialist ceramics, glass or jewellery workshops and facilities for the duration of the residency, for which there will be no charge. In exchange, the artists in residence will be expected to support curriculum delivery on our undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This may include, but is not limited too; technical workshops, masterclasses, tutorials and professional skills. We would also expect you to contribute to the wider craft community at UCA, by engaging with students, sharing knowledge and skills, and supporting staff teams where necessary.

The position should be viewed as an opportunity for you to develop your own work and technical skills in a creative higher education environment, without the constraints of set course work or timetable. It also allows you to positively extend your CV. This opportunity is open to early and mid-career artists alike, and you would be expected to hold degree level qualifications or have relevant professional experience within either glass, ceramics or jewellery.

Timing

  • The AiR programme runs from mid-September 2024 to the end of August 2025. The duration and start dates of residencies can be negotiated based on availability. Please indicate your preference in your application, details below.
  • Workshop access at UCA is between 10.00am – 5:00pm, Monday – Friday, with occasional Saturday access at our university open days.
  • AiRs would normally be expected to attend for a minimum of three days per week, for the full duration of their residency programme.
  • The residency will normally terminate at the end of session, unless by special arrangement with the Programme Director.

Facilities

We have some of the most extensive ceramics, glass, jewellery and metal facilities of any UK university, supported by discipline specific technical tutors.

To view a summary of our specialist resources and facilities please click below. In addition a virtual tour of facilities can be accessed here.


  • Glaze lab with wet back spray booth, house glazes and glaze materials
  • Slip casting bench
  • Throwing room with 7 Shimpo wheels, damp store, pug mill, extruders, dough mixer, jigger/jolly, blunger, wedging benches
  • Hand building studio with benches, storage, slab roller and drying cupboard
  • Kiln room including; 8 test kilns, 6 medium kilns, 1 large kiln, 3 gas kilns
  • 2 Wasp 3D clay printers
  • Clay shop
  • Dedicated plaster room with 2 plaster lathes, whirlers, bandsaw and hand tools.
  • Plaster mixing with extraction and mould drying cupboard
  • Dedicated wax room with multiple wax pots and steamers
  • Access to campus wide digital fabrication lab with multiple Ultimaker 3D printers, Roland CNC mills, and Resin printers
  • 400kg tank furnace with clear Kuglar glass
  • 4 glory holes and 4 benches
  • 2 top loading colour warmers and medium kiln care front loader
  • 2 large annealers and 1 large solid work annealing kiln
  • Glass centrifuge
  • 2 marvers and 1 heated gas marver
  • Selection of hand tools (mostly Jim Moore tools)
  • Propane fluffy torch and oxy-propane spot heating torch
  • Lampworking bench including; 2 Bethlehem small lampworking torches, Nortel mid-range torch with minor top, small smiths torch and Paragon lampworking kiln
  • 80 grit and 220 grit slurry flatbed grinder
  • 80 and 600 grit reciprolaps
  • Linisher
  • Large diamond saw
  • Diamond pillar drill
  • Double diamond wheel lathe and intaglio diamond wheel lathe
  • Large capacity sandblaster with 220 grit
  • Pneumatic handheld grinder
  • Pneumatic pen engraver
  • Pumice and cerium lathes
  • Cerium reciprolap
  • Large felt-topped pivoting cutting table
  • Dedicated glass kiln room with; 2 large Kiln Care flat beds, 4 large casting kilns, 4 medium casting kilns, 1 small Kiln Care test kiln
  • Newly refurbished jewellery studio with 36 benches, each with individual torches and extraction
  • Jewellery studio machinery includes drill press, rolling mill, wire drawbench, CNC engraving machine, polishing mops and more
  • Demo area and bench with overhead camera
  • Enamelling and chemical processes lab
  • Investment casting area
  • Fully equipped wood, plastics and heavy metal workshop
  • Access to campus wide digital fabrication lab with multiple Ultimaker 3D printers, Roland CNC mills, and resin printers
  • Fully equipped, sound proofed hammer room
  • Brazing/jewellery hearth area
  • Machine room to support milling, pressing, lathe turning, spinning
Throwing 2022 photo by Ismail Ahmad Kamran Jana Griffiths Graduate Student Work 2023 Throwing Room 2022 photo by Ismail Ahmad Kamran Rebecca Scrivens Helen Restorick MA Graduate Student Work 2023 Glass Blowing Tools photo by Ismail Ahmad Kamran Roos Peeters BA Graduate Student Work 2023 photo by Roos Peeters Theo Brooks Air 2023 photo by Gideon Fisher Hannah Norris at the bench Ismail Ahmad Kamran Graduate Student Work 2022 Lathe Wax 2022 photo by Ismail Ahmad Kamran Linnea Thuning 2023

Application

If you would like to be considered for a place as Artist in Residence, please click on the apply now button. The application form requires detailed information including contact details, a written statement, images/videos of your work, and a CV. There is no application fee. We are committed to making our opportunities accessible and easy to apply to, offering support for those facing barriers. Please contact us if you require any assistance.

  • Deadline for applications: Friday 19th July 2024
  • Notification of results: w/c 12th August 2024

Apply now

Terms

If successful, you may be asked to supply an academic Reference of Support and if applicable, evidence of a valid visa. Overseas applicants are responsible for ensuring they have an independent visa in place to cover the academic year. We cannot enter into any dialogue with the UK Border Agency in respect of visa applications. The Residency position is termed as ‘work experience’.

Please also be aware that the successful applicant will need to provide insurance cover, and we will need to see a copy of the policy document. We recommend that you look into a-n: The Artists Information Company – they provide free public liability insurance with an annual membership. https://www.a-n.co.uk/about/insurance/

AiRs are expected to make their own accommodation and/or travel arrangements at their own expense. The costs of materials are not included.

For further information regarding the AiR programme, please contact the relevant member of academic staff:

Glass: Joshua Kerley, joshua.kerley@uca.ac.uk 
Ceramics: Ashley Howard, ahoward@uca.ac.uk
Jewellery: Debra Allman, dallman@uca.ac.uk