Recently Forte magazine caught up with Glen Smith, a member of the Visual Arts team at Oxygen College to discuss new directions for the college and opportunities for prospective students.
First up, can you give us a run down on what Oxygen College is all about?
Oxygen College is a specialist creative arts training centre offering nationally accredited courses. It is a hub for artists and creatives focused on music performance, music business, sound production, video production, photography and most recently visual arts.
As part of the visual arts team, can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be involved with Oxygen?
I have been a practicing artist for 15 years. I exhibit regularly and am represented locally by Boom Gallery. I have a background in teaching, community art and even do some street art. I was originally invited into Oxygen to give an industry perspective into the development of their new courses. Since then I have been working hard at teaching and creating the new Diploma of Visual Arts, which will be kicking off in 2017. The diploma course is going to be hands on, focusing on techniques and skills development for aspiring visual artists.
What makes your course different to other visual arts courses out there?
Well for a start, locally there is no one else offering a Diploma of Visual Arts. On top of this, the course will be conducted in a brand new purpose built art studio currently being set-up. If you have ever been through the music or photography departments at Oxygen College, you will know how serious they are at having industry leading facilities. Students can expect the same in the new Visual Arts department, which even includes its own onsite art gallery. Other points of difference include workshops by leading artists and focusing students on how to be sustainable and succeed as an artist.
So what aspects within the arts will the course cover?
There are too many to mention all of them, but the course will have a foundation in drawing, painting and printmaking. Students will also undertake studio practice where they create their own body of artwork. This artwork will then be exhibited in both group and solo exhibitions over the year. Through doing this, students gain valuable experience managing aspects of running an art gallery. Having said that, the specific pathway each student takes will be dictated by them and where their passion in art lies.
On completion of the diploma course, what should students expect to achieve?
Students should come out with well-developed, practical art-making skills and a folio of artwork ready to exhibit or use to follow a pathway into further studies.
Where: 22 Gordon Ave, Geelong West
Ph: 1300 195 303
Site: www.oxygencollege.com.au
