Camberwell College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art and design university in London, England. The college offers further and higher education programmes, including postgraduate and PhD awards. The college has retained single degree options within Fine Art, offering specialist Bachelor of Arts courses in painting, sculpture, photography and drawing. It also runs graduate and postgraduate courses in fine art as well as design courses such as graphic design, illustration and 3D design. It has been ranked as the top British art school by The Times.[1]
It was established as the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in 1898, and adopted its present name in 1989.[2]
History
The history of the College is closely linked with that of the South London Gallery, with which the College shares its site.[3] The manager of the South London Working Men's College in 1868, William Rossiter, purchased the freehold of Portland House on which the College now stands in 1889. The resulting Gallery opened in 1891, followed by the Technical Institute in 1898.
The architect was Maurice Bingham Adams.[4] Originally, the school offered classes in specific trades. By 1920, a Fine Art Department had been created.
Camberwell temporarily lost its Fine Art courses but by 2004 the department had been fully restored to the College.
Affiliations
Camberwell and its sister colleges Chelsea College of Arts and Wimbledon College of Arts makes up CCW, a three-college model that allows sharing of resources between colleges. CCW combined their foundation courses from the academic year starting in September 2011, and bases them at the Wilson Road campus in Camberwell.[7]
Peckham Platform
Peckham Platform is a public gallery dedicated to location-specific artwork made locally. Originally known as Peckham Space and part of Camberwell, in 2013 it became an independent charity.
Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts: its students & teachers, 1943–1960 by Geoff Hassell. Published by Antique Collectors' Club, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1995. ISBN1-85149-180-5.