{"id":6851,"date":"2020-11-24T12:05:47","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T12:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=6851"},"modified":"2020-11-25T14:26:40","modified_gmt":"2020-11-25T14:26:40","slug":"a-community-of-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2020\/11\/24\/a-community-of-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"A Community Of Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

British artist,\u00a0Alex Roberts, shares with CONNECTED her journey since graduating from Reading including what inspires her, how she feels about being shortlisted for the prestigious Wells Art Contemporary competition, and the impact the pandemic has had on her work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alex\u00a0attests that the two main things she took away from Reading were the deep-rooted friendships she made, and the sense of \u201ca community of practice\u201d that was encouraged within the Reading School of Art<\/a> which Alex and her peers still call on today.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI met some of my closest and dearest friends at Reading, and we\u2019re all still really close. They\u2019re almost like extended family, really. We\u2019re all godparents to each other\u2019s kids, and I feel very lucky as it doesn\u2019t always work out like that. Even throughout the pandemic, we\u2019ve been having virtual Saturday night Reading get-togethers.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI always really appreciated the open tutor-student relationship and the lack of hierarchy within the Fine Art Department, along with the open studio access and a sense of a community of practice.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

“There was a real hub on the corner of Earley Gate where we used to go \u2013 of making, creating and critiquing, and building creative networks. Even today, we still support each other\u2019s exhibitions and work.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Reading to Berlin<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Having access to a studio and practising art has remained an important part of Alex\u2019s journey since graduating from Reading. From graphic design to tutoring, mentoring and now lecturing, Alex has worked really hard to keep her studio alive \u2013 from her first studio on Earley Gate to her current studio based in Berlin.<\/p>\n

She said:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAll these different strands since I left Reading have been part of a learning curve and now form part of my wider practice, but are also part of my financial sustainability to keep the studio going \u2013 I\u2019m an artist and I need that studio space.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Alex spent 16 years working and practising art in London which she loved, but as rent for studio space increased Alex found that she spent a lot of time working to keep the studio going and not enough time practising, which didn\u2019t give her the art-work balance she was yearning for. And at that point, Alex felt she needed a change of scenery.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cAbout seven or eight years ago I applied for a residency; I applied to lots and one in Berlin came up. I was really pleased to get it \u2013 it gave me a great sense of perspective. I\u2019d been working really hard on a lot of jobs that were really rewarding but not paying very much, and I just needed a break and some uninterrupted time for the studio again.<\/p>\n

\n

“I had an opportunity to pause time and think about my work a bit more, which is something I realised I had been missing. I really loved it, and I actually got more than I bargained for \u2013 I also met my husband!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A full circle<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Now working as a full-time lecturer between the UK and Germany, Alex was excited to discover that Reading graduates are enrolling on the courses she is teaching on at Bauhaus Summer School<\/a>, Bauhaus-Universit\u00e4t in Weimar.<\/p>\n

She explained: \u201cTim Renshaw – one of the lecturers in the School of Art – spread the word I was a guest lecturer at Bauhaus Summer School and students were interested. It\u2019s really nice to know that someone from Earley Gate is coming across to the middle of Germany.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI get really excited talking to students about their work – it gives me ideas and feeds my studio, and hopefully what I do in my studio inspires students too.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThere seems to be a full circle of things you go and do beyond when you leave university that filter back into what you do as a creator, or in your career – it\u2019s that wider community of practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

A curious creator<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Alex told CONNECTED that the inspiration for her art comes from people, experiences and observations. She said: \u201cNot just what you see with your eyes, but what you feel, and the questioning of those perceptions.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019m very curious about who we all are, and how we all keep changing, and I\u2019m really interested in what we reveal and what we don\u2019t reveal about ourselves. There\u2019s lots of layers \u2013 within relationships and when painting \u2013 and it\u2019s those relationships that inspire me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Wells Art Contemporary\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Wells Art Contemporary (WAC) was established in 2012 by a group of artists in Wells. It is an international open competition for contemporary visual arts. The competition is open to artists working in painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography, installation or video \u2013 and aims to stimulate debate, challenge and provoke, pushing the boundaries of the visual arts scene both nationally and internationally.<\/p>\n

\"\"This year, Alex entered the competition and her work has been shortlisted for the WAC Awards. Alex explained: \u201cThe painting that got selected is called Midpoint II<\/em>. It\u2019s from a series of work \u2013 the Midpoint Series<\/em> \u2013 that investigates poised moments of being \u2018on the brink\u2019, hovering, suspended, tensions in transit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are paintings that confront revisited \u2018encounters\u2019 that have emerged from my commuting experiences; where the urgency and immediacy of mark making, and my relationships between drawing through painting, and painting through drawing, explore human fragments of empathy, hints of narrative, spectacle and the non-reveal of identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

When CONNECTED asked Alex how she felt about her work being shortlisted for the WAC Awards, Alex said:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI was really chuffed to be selected, to test your work in an international, open competition is always energising and it\u2019s really important. In my job as a lecturer I give critique to students, but it\u2019s important that we critique ourselves too. I\u2019m really excited to be part of the competition this year and to be showing artwork in such strong company.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Find out more about Wells Art Contemporary<\/a>, or view the online exhibition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The impact of COVID-19<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Alex told CONNECTED that although the pandemic has been difficult \u2013 particularly for those in creative industries \u2013 she has learnt how to adapt, and discovered different ways to share her work. She explained:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cCreative subjects teach you to be problem-solvers and how to be resilient. At the moment, my lockdown studio is a tiny space in the corner of my kitchen next to the freezer. I\u2019ve also created some new works on paper that have seen me readdress my use of scale, which has been a really good challenge for me.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cDuring the pandemic, new initiatives have also emerged like the #artistsupportpledge<\/a>, setup by Matthew Burrows MBE, which is a movement designed to keep artists sustained financially. But also with WAC, the digital sharing of work in a really considered and cleverly curated way has brought in a wider audience to my work. Things have opened up in a different way that might not have happened otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying those channels weren\u2019t already there, but they have been harnessed in a really positive way and have adapted for the situation we now find ourselves in.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no denying it, though, I am craving to get back to throwing paint around in a more expansive manner than I can do in my lockdown studio, and I\u2019m confident that those times will come again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Go with your gut <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Turning her thoughts to today\u2019s aspiring artists, Alex\u2019s advice is simple: \u201cDon\u2019t give up \u2013 you\u2019ll find your way and your time will come.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cBe patient. Don\u2019t compare yourself to others, everyone\u2019s journey starts at different points and levels \u2013 some people flourish really quickly, and for others it takes a long time to have your work recognised.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cKeep practising, so that when that moment comes you\u2019ll be ready to share your work. And go with your gut – you\u2019ll be ready for the exposure and the critique if you\u2019ve followed your instincts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find out more about studying Fine Art<\/a> at Reading.<\/p>\n

All artworks<\/em>\u00a0\u00a9 Alex Roberts 2020<\/a>, and\u00a0photo credits included within this article are acknowledged to Laurin Gutwin.<\/em><\/p>\n

Alex’s recent, smaller works created during lockdown are viewable @torncontemporary<\/a>.\u00a0 TORN Contemporary<\/a> specialises in works of art on paper.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

British artist,\u00a0Alex Roberts, shares with CONNECTED her journey since graduating from Reading including what inspires her, how she feels about being shortlisted for the prestigious Wells Art Contemporary competition, and the impact the pandemic has had on her work.\u00a0 Alex\u00a0attests that the two main things she took away from Reading were the deep-rooted friendships she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":6870,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[54,14,64,85,69,24,34,94,68],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Community Of Practice - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Artist, Alex Roberts, shares her journey since graduating from Reading and how she feels about being shortlisted for the prestigious Wells Art Contemporary.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2020\/11\/24\/a-community-of-practice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Community Of Practice - 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