Art & Design Short Courses
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Art & Design short courses take place throughout the year delivered live online and on campus in subjects including curating, contemporary art, graphic design and portfolio development.
Editorial Design
2, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24 & 30 May 2023
“Learn the craft and art of editorial design, which is defined as the presentation of information (text and image) in a coherent, relevant and innovative manner, allowing the reader access to subject matter of all kinds and on various platforms."
Adrian Shaughnessy and Astrid Stavro, Short Course Leaders
Typography
5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26 & 28 June 2023
“Typography is part science and part art. This course aims to acquaint you with the core principles of typography (the science) and inspire you to develop your powers of typographic expression (the art).” Adrian Shaughnessy, Short Course Leader
The Graphic Novel: Visual Storytelling
3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24 & 26 July 2023
“How we start a story can prove difficult but to make this possible we are offering you a starting point. Composition, tone, colour, pacing and tempo are the things we have to engage with.”
Professor Andrzej Klimowski, Short Course Leader
Art and Design Portfolio Development
29 & 30 June, 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 July 2023
“The portfolio as a practice is inherently multidisciplinary. As a self-authored publication, a portfolio translates a body of work through thoughtful art direction, critical writing and content curation.”
Richard Nash, Short Course Leader
Curating Contemporary Art and Design
3–14 July 2023
Applications open in January 2023
“We provide a highly interactive environment in which participants develop their own curatorial practices and critical perspectives while building new networks and working collaboratively together.”
Dr Rosie Ram, Short Course Leader
Contemporary Art Summer School
24 July–11 August 2023
Applications open in January 2023
“This course offers the unique opportunity to look at your practice differently. I want people to walk away with a new joy in their practice and a different way of looking at what they have been working on so far.” Dr Despina Zacharopoulou, Short Course Leader
Architecture Summer School
2023 dates to be announced soon
"The course brings together theoretical reflection and production, pushing participants to develop their skills and to generate conceptual and physical products of the highest standard for their portfolio."
Tania López Winkler, Short Course Leader
Curating Contemporary Art and Design: Archives and Collections Intensive
2023 dates to be announced soon
"This intensive provides a vital forum to explore the possibilities of working creatively and critically with archives and collections of art and design. A unique opportunity to engage deeply with the latest developments in curatorial thinking and practice, encountering approaches that activate archival materials and objects in experimental ways."
Dr Rosie Ram, Short Course Leader
Curating Contemporary Art and Design: Writing Intensive
2023 dates to be announced soon
"We are excited to offer this new opportunity to engage deeply with the practice of writing and to explore the role of written text across different art and design contexts and curatorial modalities. The Intensive offers a space to develop your creative and critical skills and your understanding of writing in relation to contemporary art and design curating."
Dr Rosie Ram, Short Course Leader
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We have been running Art & Design short courses for more than 6 years and have attracted a global mix of participants from over 60 countries.
In academic year 2022-23 we continue to deliver short courses on campus and live online.
Register your interest for our short courses
Back to the main Short Courses page
About our Art & Design Short Courses
Key benefits
- Advanced level lectures and seminars by RCA academic faculty who teach on the postgraduate degree programmes
- Notable guest speakers and professional practitioners connected to industry
- Real time interaction with the course leaders to exchange ideas and receive feedback
- Learn about the RCA's most recent case studies and practices
- Opportunity to collaborate and connect with an international network of peers
- Certificate of achievement on completion.
Who should attend
Our short courses reflect our advanced level of teaching and are aimed at:
- postgraduate or undergraduate students preparing for Master’s study
- career changers or those interested in art and design
- professionals seeking to develop specific knowledge and skills.
Online delivery
The majority of our short courses are organised in synchronous sessions in a live virtual environment.
The delivery is rigorous and highly interactive.
Participants:
- engage with the RCA’s esteemed academics and facilitators via the audio and video conferencing service Zoom
- access resources on the College's learning platform Moodle
- work with peers in breakout rooms in real time using visual collaboration tools such as Miro
On campus delivery
Certain short courses may be delivered face to face at our campuses in London.
Covid-19
RCA Short Courses will continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation in the period up to the course dates.
Our planning incorporates the latest UK Government guidance as well as consideration of how best to ensure a safe and inclusive learning space for participants and staff team.
Our participants health, wellbeing and quality of experience while attending our on-campus courses is paramount to us.
Full details of the Covid safe guidelines in place for the course will be provided to you in advance of your start date with your welcome information.
Disclaimer: Change to online delivery
It may be necessary due to Covid-19 restrictions to change the mode of delivery to live online or postpone to a later date.
We will endeavour to notify all participants in advance of any changes, no later than 2 weeks before the course start date.
Terms & conditions apply.
Custom short courses
Our experts can develop custom short courses and many of our existing short courses can be adapted, combined or customised for the particular needs of an organisation. The courses are ideally suited for groups of 15 to 30 or more participants.
Courses may be delivered online or at one of the RCA's central London sites, at your premises or other venues in the UK and internationally.
Contact us to discuss developing a custom programme:
Peter Christian, Head of Executive Education
Hattie Allen, Executive Education Manager
Art & Design Short Courses at the RCA
Contact us
Get in touch with Jo Chounta if you'd like to find out more about this or any of our other short courses.
[email protected]
