Student Andriani Maimaridou (Professional Development Diploma and MA in Conservation Studies - Ceramics and Related Materials) conserved a painted plaster bust of world-famous Scottish Christian missionary David Livingstone (1813-73) in time for the re-opening of the David Livingstone Birthplace, Blantyre, South Lanarkshire on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.  

Don’t fret – we can’t go to Japan for the Olympics and Paralympics, but you can come to West Dean College of Arts and Conservation for courses inspired by Japanese art and creativity. Learn traditional Japanese techniques and crafts and bring a touch of Japanese style to your home.

With restrictions easing West Dean College of Arts and Conservation has just launched over 180 short courses, including 18 new courses, running from October to December 2021, to help makers and artists develop and perfect their new skills.

Prize winning success, visiting tutors and work inspired by West Dean College make for a busy time in the Foundation Degree Arts - Metalwork studio.

Each year the work of the Fine Art students’ Summer Show goes on tour. This year, a selection of work from Fine Art students at West Dean College will be exhibited at Copeland Gallery, part of the thriving creative community at Copeland Park, London (Unit 9I, Copeland Park, 133 Copeland Rd, London SE15 3SN). The free exhibition will run from Friday, July 16 to Sunday, July 25, 2021 between 1-7pm, with a preview on Thursday, July 15 between 6-8pm, where there will be an opportunity to meet the artists.   

The hugely-popular West Dean Fine Art Summer Show will be open to the public at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation from Saturday, July 3 to Friday, July 9, 2021 from 10am – 5pm.

With 5.6million people watching the Great British Sewing Bee – making it one of the top 10 most watched programmes in the UK, according to BARB, there’s no denying that there’s a resurgence of creative inspiration on TV.

When lockdown looked set to put a pause on external placements for MA Conservation Studies students at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation, the College benefitted from several creative solutions, enabling students to continue to gain valuable work experience. Students specialising in Ceramics and Related Materials undertook an online work placement for five weeks with The Corning Museum of Glass, New York.   

The Introduction and part of a translated text (by Edward James) of Salvador Dalí's iconic lecture at the International Surrealist Exhibition in London in July 1936, which was recently found among miscellaneous papers in the archive of West Dean College of Arts and Conservation is on display for the first time in an exhibition at Whitechapel Gallery in London. Complementing the major retrospective Eileen Agar: Angel of Anarchy, the archival exhibition Phantoms of Surrealism runs from Wednesday, May 19 to Sunday, December 12, 2021 and examines the pivotal role of women as artists, organisers, editors and animators of the Surrealist movement in Britain.