Organised by Royal College of Art
The interactive online Contemporary Art Summer School, led by performance artist and academic researcher Dr Despina Zacharopoulou since 2017, examines the rich array of positions, methods and materials that artists use, as well as exploring the questions raised by contemporary art and its production.
This three-week, online, practice-led short course provides a supportive environment for self-led independent practice and introduces participants to the study of contemporary art within the academic environment of the Royal College of Art.
Taught by RCA staff and supported by a broad range of prominent artists, academics, critics and curators, the course provides participants with the opportunity to develop their individual practice within an interdisciplinary, collaborative atmosphere.
The theme of 2025 is ‘Ana-Meta-Materialisms’, and explores how contemporary art practices reinvent, rethink and reference themselves.
Contributors and tutors for the 2025 programme are:
Multidisciplinary artist, Emma Fineman
Visual Artist and Lecturer, Giorgos Kontis
Curator, Editor and Writer, Eva Vaslamatzi
Curator, Dinos Chatzirafailidis
RCA Senior Tutor (Research, MA Painting), John Slyce
RCA Senior Tutor (Research), Professor Johnny Golding
RCA PhD Candidate, Julia Wolf
RCA Alumni, Harriet Tinney
RCA Associate Lecturer (CAP), Juliet Jacques
RCA Associate Lecturer (Photography and Academic Development), Tom Lovelace
You will:
Expand your practice and knowledge on contemporary art through workshops, lectures, film screenings, tutorials and group crits.
Improve your presentation and discussion skills while presenting your work to RCA staff, visiting artists, and academics, in a professional and diverse environment.
Receive feedback and practical advice from RCA staff and experts in contemporary art.
Develop your work under the supervision of the course leader.
Get dedicated time for independent study in your own space.
Benefit from professional online technical support to develop your practice.
Immerse yourself in a multidisciplinary environment
meet artists from all over the world.
Have an online presence at the RCA short courses social media accounts and case studies, including final feedback from the course leader, other RCA members of staff and a group of peers.
Receive an RCA Certificate of Attendance.
Learning takes place in 13 live four-hour sessions over a three-week period. 4.5 hrs a day 11am – 3.30pm BST per day (with a 1-hour break included).
A slot for networking will be available at the end of each session (optional to attend).