We are delighted to have recently received a generous donation of Salvador Dalí lithographs by the family of the late John Crowley. John Crowley’s daughter, Karen Gardner, is an alumna of West Dean College of Arts and Conservation, having graduated with an MA Visual Arts in 2008 (now Master of Fine Art).

As she heads into her second year on the MFA programme, Chantal New reflects on her experiences on the programme so far, including the significance of receiving a bursary to fund her studies.

The Whose Heritage? project was set up in 2019 to explore the cultural legacy of colonialism at West Dean College. Working with academic staff, students, external subject specialists and source communities, the project aims to re-evaluate and inform how objects in our collection are cared for, curated, and displayed.  

Starting as part of the College’s 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2021, the Oral History Project gathers together memories from staff, students and alumni from the early days of the College’s inception in 1971, right through to the present.  

This month we welcomed author Courttia Newland to West Dean College as Writer-In-Residence. We sat down to find out more about his residency, work, advice for students hoping to get published, and much more!

Fine Art tutor George Charman is currently completing a practice-led PhD investigating the sculptural and architectural possibilities of the Edward James Archive. Find out more about the project in this blog post.

Short course tutor Dan Lobb recently visited The Regis School to deliver Sculpture in the Landscape workshops to Years 9 and 10 as part of their Super Curricular day. 

For National Writing Day, MA Creative Writing and Publishing alumnae Jenny Browning and Emma Ward share what they are currently working on, reflections on their time at West Dean College and how they continue to pursue the dream of becoming published writers.

MFA student Philippa shares an insight into her practice and current work considering ways art and agriculture come together.