MA Arts in Social Contexts

The MA Arts in Social Contexts is aimed at a broad spectrum of artists/educators across the visual, creative and performing arts. To give you an idea of the type of person it is suitable for, read through a selection of our profiles below.

 

The MA Arts in Social Contexts is shaped around the individual. To talk about your own requirements or ideas, contact:

 

Email: d.richardson-webb@rsamd.ac.uk

Tel: 0141 270 8234  

        

 

Profile 1  

 

Annie is a Canadian theatre worker with more than fifteen years’ experience of professional theatre practice incorporating direction, devising and workshop practice. She became involved in her professional world by working directly in the field and without taking any form of initial training, so does not hold a recognised academic qualification at undergraduate level.

 

The MA in Social Contexts allows Annie to embed her intuitive and experiential approach to working in the arts in an articulate framework of underpinning theory. In addition, she is able to test her practice in a variety of UK settings but can conduct the final module in her Canadian theatre context receiving online tutorial support via email and video calling.

 

 

Profile 2

 

Joseph is an African musician, dancer and storyteller with an undergraduate degree and wide-ranging professional experience. His interest in the course developed through a sense of being out of touch with contemporary developments in his field, combined with a belief that his government are beginning to see the potential of the arts as an educational process towards positive interventions in a range of social concerns of national importance.

 

Following the programme has allowed Joseph to better understand the norm, values and processes informing such interventions. This, combined with the  fact he will hold a UK higher degree will he feel, help him achieve the prestige necessary to gain a senior appointment in higher education on his return and to be viewed as a significant contributor to new developments in the arts.

 

 

Profile 3

 

Teko is a freelance, practising artist with more than ten years’ experience in the field. His practice has always embraced multi-media and performance approaches but he trained in the visual arts at a time when the emphasis was on personal practice. Although he is only too well aware that funding is currently tied to some level of community regeneration, social inclusion or participation agenda, he has felt ill equipped to build these priorities into his work.

 

Teko wanted to work with artists from other disciplines and to have a structure which supported his learning as a part-time student. The option to complete a Masters in fours years is helpful, allowing him to continue to work freelance and maintain his professional contacts while spreading the cost of tuition.

 

He is committed to the ideology of a socially engaged practice and is keen to develop this in familiar contexts. He is planning on submitting some of his freelance work as part of his masters degree.

 

 

Profile 4

 

Jenna is a full–time arts administrator with both a first degree and a wide-ranging experience in dance. Her current position involves her in supporting a range of performance and outreach projects for a building based company. Jenna enjoys her work and believes it to be both challenging and valuable but missed the opportunity to engage regularly in the creation of artistic events herself either as a performer of facilitator.

 

With the support of her employer Jenna has undertaken the Programme on a part-time basis, working this round her full time job. The fact that the taught elements are twilight sessions helps her to negotiate time off work for the longer practical modules.  Her experience has given her a thorough knowledge of the arts scene in Scotland and she is keen to use her network of contacts. She is however, open to the programme pushing her into exploring areas that she has not previously considered such as arts in criminal justice settings.