In the UK there are a number of courses in Art Schools and Universities that might be of interest. If you are looking for information on art and ecology in schools or informal education, links to pedagogical thinking, or case studies, please go to the Education page.
In Scotland:
On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, (Director Professor Anne Douglas) is an internationally known practice-led research programme with partnerships in the US, Taiwan, Switzerland and Belgium. Students enter a MPhil/PhD programme concerned with developing critical art practice as intervention and reflection in the public sphere. Positioning research between art practice, cultural policy and the academic, On The Edge engages with and informs key issues including the ecological.
PhD level work is positioned within and led by programmes of post-doctoral work focused on specific social, environmental and cultural issues and themes, such as The Artist as Leader. Through 10 years of work On The Edge draws on detailed knowledge of the approaches of exemplary international artists, as well as critical theory that focuses on the changing nature of the public sphere. Suzanne Lacy is currently completing a PhD by Public Output.
Current doctoral students include Reiko Goto, RDI funded student and artist, investigating empathy within ecological art practice; and Georgina Barney, AHRC doctoral student and artist, re-imagining the relationship of art to farming. Chris Fremantle is a Research Associate with On the Edge.
Edinburgh College of Art: The Art, Space and Nature (ASN) programme, established in 2003, is a two year MFA programme, with one year MA option, offering a framework of advanced study for individuals to develop practical and academic interest in the visual arts, architectural and environmental practice.
The programmes principal focus is site informed spatial exploration and project development, where students will be provided with a base to address the opportunities in local, national and international contexts. In ASN this is articulated through methods, which explore the opportunities for collaboration, both speculative and practical, where students are encouraged to be practicing artists, architects, designers or landscape architects, who combine these skills in an interdisciplinary form.
Sculpture and Environmental Art at Glasgow School of Art. The department offers two subject pathways: Sculpture and Environmental Art. Each has its own distinct focus with elements shared across both courses.
The Sculpture course extends beyond the conventional boundaries of object-making to encompass a wide range of contemporary processes and media. Students acquire a practical and philosophical understanding of the subject of sculpture with a focus on studio and exhibition practice.
The Environmental Art course prepares students to develop work in relation to sites and contexts beyond the gallery. This approach is supported through studio practice and site-specific projects. Students acquire practical and conceptual skills through undertaking an annual Public Art Project.
Sculpture and Environmental Art supports a range of creative approaches and philosophies that are shared by staff and students. Tutorials, seminars, lectures, workshops and fieldtrips provide the structure through which we engage and develop ideas. In this way students are prepared to work as artists and creative practitioners in the contemporary world.
GSA web site Sculpture and Environmental Art Department Blog
Rest of the UK:
Manchester Metropolitan University: Art as Environment MA programme (David Haley) and PhDs.
Oxford Brookes: MA in Social Sculpture (Shelley Sacks).
University College Falmouth: MA in Art & Environment and PhDs (Daro Montag).
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