Exeter College of Art and Design was an art college based in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal c ...

, Devon. Founded in 1854, it amalgamated with what would become

Plymouth University The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...

in 1989. The main building was located at Earl Richards Road North Exeter from the 1970s with some facilities based at Barts until the early 1980s. Graphics was based on Gandy Street in the old School of Art buildings until it relocated to the main site in 1984. The Printmaking department was initially located at The Mint. The Art College offered higher education courses including Foundation, BA (Hons) and Combination courses with the University of Exeter as well as MA/Pg diplomas. Disciplines were, Fine Art Ceramics, Graphics, Painting, Printmaking, Photography, Sculpture and 4D (Film, Video, Sound). The Priory Press was introduced by Alan Richards and Bernard Beard in association with The Bartholomew Print Workshop in the 1960s and produces limited edition handmade printed books.

History

The School of Art was founded in Exeter in 1854 as part of the

Royal Albert Memorial Museum Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) is a museum and art gallery in Exeter, Devon, the largest in the city. It holds significant and diverse collections in areas such as zoology, anthropology, fine art, local and overseas archaeol ...

and promoted by

Edward Bowring Stephens Edward Bowring Stephens (10 December 1815, in Exeter – 10 November 1882, in London), (works signed E B Stephens) was a British sculptor from Devon. He was honorary secretary of the Institute of Sculptors circa 1861.Mapping the Practice and ...

a local sculptor. In 1858 decorative designer Kent Kingdon offered a £5 prize for a decorative design. In 1951 The Exeter School of Art was renamed as the Exeter Central College of Art.

Clifford Fishwick Clifford Fishwick (21 June 1923 in Accrington, Lancashire – 22 January 1997 in Exeter) was a painter and Principal of Exeter College of Art and Design who exhibited regularly with the Newlyn and Penwith Societies. Fishwick is regarded as an im ...

(1923–1997) was appointed Painting Master in 1947 and was principal of the college from 1958 to 1984 a skilled painter having trained at

Liverpool School of Art The John Lennon Art and Design Building (formerly the Art and Design Academy) in Liverpool, England, houses Liverpool John Moores University's School of Art and Design. The school was formerly located at the Grade II listed Liverpool College of ...

, he was a friend of

Peter Lanyon George Peter Lanyon (8 February 1918 – 31 August 1964) was a British painter of landscapes leaning heavily towards abstraction. Lanyon was one of the most important artists to emerge in post-war Britain. Despite his early death at the age ...

and exhibited regularly with the

Penwith Society of Arts The Penwith Society of Arts is an art group formed in St Ives, Cornwall, England, UK, in early 1949 by abstract artists who broke away from the more conservative St Ives School. It was originally led by Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, ...

. Fishwick is now regarded as an important, if underrated figure in post-war British painting and one of the better artists of the St Ives group. In 1966 students print work was featured in an exhibition entitled "An Approach to Printmaking in Exeter" at The

Whitechapel Gallery The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the f ...

, London. In 1973 the College was renamed again as Exeter College of Art and Design and a new building opened at Earl Richards Road North on the outskirts of Exeter. In 1976 painting tutor John Butler set up The Spacex (art gallery) which became a registered educational charity in 1990. The college amalgamated with Polytechnic South West based in Plymouth in 1989 and in 2007 the facilities moved permanently to the Plymouth Campus. In 2011 planning permission was granted to demolish and redevelop the site to provide 39 dwellings with parking and landscaping.

Tutors

(Principal) 1958–84 *Michael Mayer, (Head of Painting) *Brian Southwell (Head of Ceramics) *Lawson Rudge (Ceramics) *

Edward Allington Edward Thomas Allington (24 June 1951 – 21 September 2017) was a British artist and sculptor, best known for his part in the 1980s New British Sculpture movement. Born at Troutbeck Bridge, Westmorland, to Ralph Allington and his wife, Eve ...

(Fellow Ceramics) now Professor, Head of Graduate Sculpture at

Slade School of Fine Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

*Mike Bartlett (Head of 4D) * Chris Garret (4D, also Biff cartoons) *Lesley Kerman (Art History) *Mike Garton (Slade Dip.RWA) (Painting) *

Marek Laczynski Marek Laczynski (1925 – 23 November 2021) was a printmaker, illustrator and teacher, born in Warsaw Poland. Laczynski was a member of the Polish Home Army in 1941 and was involved in the Warsaw uprising. From 1949 to 1952 he studied book illust ...

(Printmaking) *Graham Clucas (Printmaking and Painting) *Mike Leggett (film) *Liz Nicol (Head of Photography) *Steve Berry (Photography and MATTA) *Steve Eastwood (MATTA) *Steve Thorpe (Printmaking) *Alan Richards (Painting, Head of Fine Art) *Bernard Beard (Head of Print at The Mint) *Tom Bates (Sculpture) *Roger Dean (Head of Sculpture), *Margaret Dean *George V Stephenson (Senior Lecture, Sculpture and Fine Art) 1967-1988 *Arthur Goodwin (Painting, Head of Fine Art) *John Butler (Painting) *Jeremy Diggle (4D,MATTA) 1986–99, now Professor and Head of the School of Art, RMIT, Melbourne Australia *Katy Macleod (Critical Studies) *David O'Brien (Design History and Art History) *Mike Gorman (Painting) *Sam Smiles (Art History) * Ray Smith (Painting) *David Eddington (Painting Fellow) 1988–89 * Alexander McNeish (Head of Painting) *Peter Stitt (Painting) *Mike Phillips (4D, Media Arts) 1987-1992 *Michael Bull (sculpture)

Alumni

* John Angel (1881–1960) sculptor * Christian Birmingham illustrator * Peter Bright artist and musician * Penny Dale illustrator and writer of children's books. *

Julian Dawson Julian Dawson (born 4 July 1954 in London) is a British singer–songwriter, guitarist and author. His style has been compared to Wilco and Ron Sexsmith. He is fluent in German and French. Outside his solo work, acts he has recorded with (as si ...

(b. 1954) singer songwriter author *

Elaine M. Goodwin Elaine M. Goodwin is a British artist and author. She has exhibited extensively, written several works on art and design, and was founder president of the British Association of Modern Mosaics (BAMM). Together with other prominent artists, Goo ...

author and mosaic artist * Diana Jane Howse (b. 1956) visual arts specialist and wife of David Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood *

Iain McKell Iain McKell is a British fashion, portrait and social documentary photographer. He has specialized in photographing British subcultures since the 1980s and his work has been published in '' L'uomo Vogue,'' ''i-D'' and ''The Face.'' Early life M ...

fashion, portrait and social documentary photographer * Chris Pig (b. 1965) printmaker * Kev F. Sutherland (b. 1961) comedian and comic strip creator *

Keith Towler The Children's Commissioner for Wales is responsible for protecting children's rights as set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Peter Clarke was the Commissioner from its introduction in 2001 until his death in 2007. The job inte ...

social worker *

Heather Tweed Heather Tweed (born 1959) is a visual artist, educator and writer based in the UK whose artwork is exhibited nationally and internationally. Graduating from Exeter College of Art and Design in 1983, she first came to national attention with her Anu ...

(b. 1959) visual artist *

Frederick John Widgery Frederick John Widgery (May 1861 – 27 January 1942), was an English artist who painted landscapes and coastal scenery in Devon and Cornwall. Frederick was the younger son of William Widgery (1826–1893), a self-taught artist. He stu ...

(1861–1942) landscapist and mayor of Exeter

References

External links

Historical photos of the college

Spacex Gallery website

Exhibition catalogue written by Lesley Kerman

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627035410/http://sarahbennett.org.uk/projects-IT2.html , date=27 June 2013 Art schools in England Educational institutions established in 1854 Education in Exeter Further education colleges in Devon Buildings and structures in Exeter Arts organizations established in 1854 1854 establishments in England