TOMA

Can we take control of our own education?

The Other MA (TOMA) is a new 12-month alternative art education model, set up by practicing artists and based at Metal Art School in Southend-on-Sea. TOMA aims to make art education accessible to all and has recently recruited 10 artists to be part of the first cohort in 2016 / 2017.

TOMA will be a space for artists to work and develop their practice within a postgraduate level critical framework. It will be unaccredited in the traditional sense, but will provide a programme of learning that will benefit artistic practice in the same way and is designed to fit the everyday lives of contemporary working artists. TOMA is a response to the fact that many artists who wish to continue their learning and critical discourse with peers are unable to access most current MA provision for a number of reasons – time, cost, work or family commitments.

At Village Green TOMA seeks to ignite questions around the value of education and art in the 21st century. These questions include; what is the cost of education? Is creative education important? What is the value of art? Is art education being sidelined in schools because of public policy? Part art installation, part discussion site, TOMA will explore these questions through discussions with young students, teachers and you. Manned by the new TOMA artist cohort come and see the installation and engage in discussions surrounding 21st century education.

TOMA artist cohort 2016 / 2017:

Michaela Bannon

Richard Baxter

Matthew Curtis-Knight

Emma Edmondson

Laurence Harding

Emma Mills

Tricia North

Ian Ryan

Anna B. Sexton

Imogen Welch