Anna Marlen-Summers

Anna Marlen-Summers is a maker living and working in London. Trained in Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University, Anna has worked in arts education for over 20 years.

Having now moved into adult arts education management and away from the classroom full time, as well as recently completing an MA in Arts and Learning at Goldsmith University, Anna’s practice now explores the material nature of thinking and “working out”,  the much maligned value of making something nice to look at, and the symbiotic relationships between learner, educator, artist, audience, art and place.

Anna is also teaching short courses at the West Dean London Bloomsbury campus. (Please see the link in the Short Courses toolbar on the website)

Approach to teaching
My approach to teaching is firstly to not have one! My approach is to learning and how this can be facilitated in my classroom, hopefully with very tittle “teaching” taking place.  Making and creativity are innate skills and my role as an educator is to support their growth and use. 

What inspires my own work
My work is inspired by feeling that all my own creative practice has been done and all that remains is the occasional craft outburst. Deciding that the teaching itself is a creative practice.  Occasionally managing to do a little drawing and feeling utterly fulfilled and wondering why I didn't do it before. Creating events where I will have to show my work so I have to make some.