At Sussex we recognise the value of studying art works in situ and the need to develop links beyond the University, and do all we can to encourage this. These links feed directly into the learning culture of Art History at Sussex, creating a vibrant community that presents numerous opportunities to engage with leading professionals including writers, curators and artists.
Teaching at undergraduate level takes advantage of the excellent galleries, museums, buildings and archives located along the south coast. We make use of Brighton’s close proximity to London. Students can expect to go on study visits to institutions such as Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Tate, Victoria and Albert Museum, The National Gallery and Charleston Farmhouse.
In the last week of the spring term, all second-year Art History students go on a study trip to Rome. They are accompanied by three members of Art History faculty, who teach throughout the city, and by two PhD students. The trip allows students to see objects, buildings and spaces they have been learning about in lectures. There is a big emphasis on on-site teaching and learning, as well as time for students to explore the city themselves.
The University has an active student Arts Society, with which the department collaborate to programme guest speakers and artists’ film screenings. In recent years, these have included talks and screenings by Jeremy Deller, Ronnie Close, Turner Prize nominee Vong Phaophanit and Claire Oboussier. The Arts Society also provides students with the opportunity to curate exhibitions.
All our faculty have close links to a long list of galleries, museums and archives, and many of us are active as curators. In recent years, members of the Sussex Art History department have curated exhibitions at venues and festivals including Tate, Camden Arts Centre, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Brighton Photo Biennial, PhotoEspana, National Maritime Museum and the V&A. We often find opportunities to involve students in these projects.
The University of Sussex has a long tradition of staging high standard exhibitions on campus. In recent years, these have included new commissions by Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller and Turner Prize nominee Mike Nelson, an exhibition about the work of architect Sir Basil Spence and a show examining photographs of revolutionary Egypt produced in collaboration with artists and curators from Cairo.
The department’s weekly research seminars provide an opportunity for staff and students studying Art History at all levels to come together and listen to current research by leading scholars from the UK and abroad.
