14 Feb 2013

Cyprus College of Art - The Cornaro Institute: Opportunities for Fine Art Graduates

We invite you to join us to become an Associate Fellow or a Fellow of the Cornaro Institute.

First organised in 1978, the Cornaro Fellowship programmes are semi-formal courses for graduates of BA, BFA and other Studio Studies art programmes. The programmes are studio based and those taking part are invited to develop their own studio practice in dialogue with the professional staff of the Cyprus College of Art and Cornaro Institute, visiting artists and critics and each other. The focus is very much on developing a practical art centre, building on the different experiences we have all had in education and the art world to develop and enhance our own personal identities as artists.

As part of the programmes you will be asked to stage at least one exhibition of your work in Cyprus, at the Cornaro Institute or another venue on the island if you wish to organise it.

The Associate Cornaro Fellowship in Fine Art

This is a three month programme involving intense work by you in our studio spaces. We are on hand to give advice if wanted, and we will encourage you to get involved in the artistic community around you. We welcome all kinds of practitioner, but the facilities are deliberately simple and low tech to encourage original thought, creative actions and a spirit of improvisation. Most people taking part are painters and sculptors, but we have also had musicians, writers and other types of visual art practitioner on the programme.

You can either be based in the city of Larnaca, where we are based in the centre of the city in a beautiful old town house, or you can be in the more primitive environment of the village of Lempa, where you will experience a much older Cypriot way of life that is far closer to nature.

The programme fee is 1000 euro. This includes studio space, professional guidance and very simple single room living accommodation (excluding utility bills). If you choose to make alternative arrangements for living accommodation there is no reduction in the fee.

At the successful end of the three month programme you will be made an Associate Fellow of the Cornaro Institute.

The Cornaro Fellowship in Fine Art

This is a six month programme divided into two parts. The first part runs from 1 October to 15 December 2013. The second part runs from 15 February to 15 May 2014. Between the 15 December and 15 February you can either stay in your studio and accommodation at no extra cost, or go elsewhere until the second part begins.

The programme involves intense work by you in our studio spaces. We are on hand to give advice if wanted, and we will encourage you to get involved in the artistic community around you. You will be asked to stage two exhibitions during your stay with us, the first during the first part of the programme and the second near the end of the programme.

We welcome all kinds of practitioner, but the facilities are deliberately simple and low tech to encourage original thought, creative actions and a spirit of improvisation. Most people taking part are painters and sculptors, but we have also had musicians, writers and other types of visual art practitioner on the programme.

You can either be based in the city of Larnaca, where we are based in the centre of the city in a beautiful old town house, or you can be in the more primitive environment of the village of Lempa, where you will experience a much older Cypriot way of life that is far closer to nature.

The programme fee is 1800 euro. This includes studio space, professional guidance and very simple single room living accommodation (excluding utility bills). If you choose to make alternative arrangements for living accommodation there is no reduction in the fee.

At the successful end of the six month programme you will be made an Fellow of the Cornaro Institute. You will also receive the Cyprus College of Art Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art, known as the Diploma Cipris.

Programme leader:

Dr Stass Paraskos is Principal and Founder of the Cyprus College of Art. He is a distinguished painter and sculptor who has exhibited widely, including at the Sao Paulo Biennial. He is the only Cypriot artist to have work in the collection of the Tate Gallery in London, and is also represented in the collections of the Benaki Museum, the Arts Council of England (Hayward Gallery), University of Leeds, Leeds Art Galleries and elsewhere. Previously he was Head of Fine Art at the University of Creative Arts in the UK, and was also a lead tutor at De Montfort University and Leeds College of Art. He is a painter who believes in the importance of subject matter based on personal experience.

Dr Paraskos is assisted by a team of permanent and visiting artists and writers, including:

1 The well known writer on art and anarchism Dr Michael Paraskos,
2. Benedict Read, who is Senior Research Fellow at the University of Leeds
3. Professor Kenneth Hay, Artist and Head of Art Practice at the University of Leeds
4. Andreas Efstathiou, a leading Cypriot artist
5. Sevan Malikyan, a leading Armenian artist
6. The artist Jennifer Harding from the London School of Economics
7. Geoff Rigden, a leading British painter
8. Professor James Fitzmaurice, cultural historian from the University of Sheffield.
9. And numerous others.

Different visitors come to the College and Institute at different times and so the list of visitors might be different during your time with us.

To apply for the programmes you should first complete the basic online application form at our website at:

www.artcyprus.org/newcornaro/college/home.html

We will then contact you to ask for further information.

We welcome applicants from all over the world, but our main language of instruction is English. Most artists taking part in this programme come from the UK, Ireland, North America, Europe and Australia, but we welcome applications from suitably qualified persons from all countries.

The Cyprus College of Art - Cornaro Institute is an unusual and unique environment and it is important that you familiarise yourself with our ethos. You can do this by visiting our website and also asking questions.

Finally, we are a friendly institution and if you are looking for an environment in which art and artists are valued then we will are the place for you. For many taking part in these programmes we are a useful half way house between university or college study and the wider art world. For others, who have been out of art education for some time, we offer a reminder of what made you want to be an artist in the first place. We have been running our programmes for over 40 years, outside of the mainstream academic art education system, and our place is loved and respected by artists from all over the world.