22 May 2025
Alongside a Turner Prize winner and nominees, St Albans School of Art saw generations of artists, designers, academics and creatives pass through its doors.
Kim Wilde completed a one-year foundation course there before pursuing her music career and English writer, actor and raconteur Quentin Crisp was a life model at the school from 1968 until 1976.
Now Firm Foundations, a major new exhibition at St Albans Museum + Gallery celebrates the school’s 150th anniversary while exploring its history and achievements.
The school opened in the Town Hall in 1875 and offered lessons in art and science. In 1882 it moved to a purpose-built school on Victoria Street (initially shared with the library,
and now The Maltings Surgery building). In 1973 it moved to a new building on the Hatfield Road, before merging with Hatfield Polytechnic and becoming the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Creative Arts which continues to foster creative arts students to this day.
During its history it had a profound and long-lasting impact on its students and staff as it became known for its creative and innovative ways of teaching.
The school’s art therapy and part-time fine art courses were the first of their kind accredited in the UK, and its
trailblazing Foundation course was a jewel in the school’s crown with many students going onto major art schools in London and regional art colleges.
Exhibition visitors will be able to see paintings, prints, photography, sculptures and video by over 30 alumni artists including Turner Prize-winning Veronica Ryan, Turner Prize nominee Simon Patterson, as well as celebrated artists such as Rana Begum, Marcus Coates, Graham Boyd, Jo Stockham, John Brunsdon and Arnold Van Praag.
Historical archive material will also be on display including two still life drawings dating back to 1883, and prospectuses, yearbooks, photographs and catalogues will share the memories and stories of those who have worked, or studied at the school.
The exhibition has been largely informed by ‘The Living Memories of St Albans School of Art’ project which collected memories of those connected with the school.
Michael Wright who is a practising artist, a former student, and a long-time tutor in fine art remembered: “The newly created art school in 1973 on Hatfield Road was a revelation for me.
“As students we were subject to so many new and radically other experiences, not just visual art but also to music, poetry, theatre and film which were part of the role of the art school provision to both the students and the wider community. It was without exaggeration a life-transforming and inspirational experience.
“I subsequently studied Fine Art in Liverpool school of art and then the Royal Academy schools in London specialising in sculpture.”
One of his most significant experiences was drawing under the tuition of Roger Leworthy, an exceptional draughtsman who deeply influenced a generation of artists.
“Consequently, drawing was and is central to my own practice and teaching.”
He added: “To have been a part of the creative life of the art school and included in the exhibition is a privilege.
“It is moving to witness the gathering of artists and art works which have had a real influence on generations of students, artists and designers who have contributed to the cultural life of St Albans, the region and internationally.
Jonathan McCree, who studied the Foundation course between 1982-3 is showing a set of sculptures in the exhibition.
He recalled his first impressions of the School of Art: “The jump from a school/A level environment was large and challenging! I remember all my assumptions, likes and dislikes, being slowly unpicked and dismantled. This was both scary and exciting as all good education should be; it wasn’t easy.
“I remember a drawing exercise where we had to paint black and white boxes. Something clicked in me that day and through the most mundane of tasks, a whole world opened.
“My personal tutor was John Fuller, and I understood very little of what he said. However, he somehow left a lasting impression, mostly by encouraging me to be relentlessly critical and ambitious. He placed large sheets of paper on his desk and would add marks, notes, dirt and coffee cup rings as he went about his day. These sheets of paper became drawings and paintings.
“Day-to-day the environment of the school was challenging and there was a definite air of competition from being around so many talented people. I loved being with people who were into what I was into.”
Firm Foundations: St Albans School of Art is a free exhibition curated by UH Arts + Culture and runs in the Weston Gallery at St Albans Museum + Gallery from May 23 to September 21.
