Alternative art schools: a threat to universities?

By David Batty. Angry at soaring fees and disillusioned with established courses, artists are simply doing things for themselves. A former library in Hackney may seem an unlikely venue for London's most talked-about new art school. The 1970s Rose Lipman building lacks the architectural wow factor of Central Saint Martins King's Cross campus, but demand for places on the postgraduate Open School East in De Beauvoir town is high. The year-long programme boasts visiting lecturers, including the curator of contemporary art and performance at Tate Modern, Catherine Wood, and artists such as Pablo Bronstein and Ed Atkins. And, at a time when art MAs in the capital cost up to £9,000 a year, the students pay no tuition fees. More...