Central Saint Martins

Central Saint Martins

The King's Cross campus of Central Saint Martins
Established	1854 – Saint Martin's School of Art 1896 – Central School of Art and Design 1910 – Byam Shaw School of Art 1963 – Drama Centre London 1989 – Central Saint Martins
Parent institution	University of the Arts London
Head	Jeremy Till[1]
Location	London, United Kingdom Coordinates: 51°32′8″N 0°7′30″W / 51.53556°N 0.12500°W
Campus	Urban
Address	Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, King's Cross, London, N1C 4AA
Website	www.arts.ac.uk/csm/

Central Saint Martins, often abbreviated to CSM, is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London.^[2][3] It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of short and summer courses.

It was formerly known as Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, and before that as Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.^[4]

History

Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design was formed in 1989 from the merger of the Central School of Art and Design, founded in 1896, and Saint Martins School of Art, founded in 1854.^[4][5] Since 1986 both schools had been part of the London Institute, formed by the Inner London Education Authority to bring together seven London art, design, fashion and media schools.^[6] The London Institute became a legal entity in 1988, could award taught degrees from 1993, was granted University status in 2003 and was renamed University of the Arts London in 2004.^[6] The Drama Centre London, founded in 1963, joined Central Saint Martins in 1999 as an integral school, maintaining its name and teaching approaches. The Byam Shaw School of Art, founded in 1910, was merged into Central Saint Martins in 2003.

Central School of Art and Design

Central School of Art and Design, Southampton Row, Holborn, London WC1B 4AP: Blue Plaque for William Lethaby, first Principal of the Central School of Arts and Crafts, placed by London County Council in 1957

The Central School of Art and Design was established as the Central School of Arts and Crafts in 1896 by the London County Council. It grew directly from the Arts and Crafts movement of William Morris and John Ruskin. The first principal, from 1896 until 1911, was William Richard Lethaby; a blue plaque in his memory was erected in 1957.^[7] The school was at first housed in Morley Hall, rented from the Regent Street Polytechnic. In 1908 it moved to purpose-built premises in Southampton Row, in the London Borough of Camden.^[8] In the same year the Royal Female School of Art, established in 1842, was merged into the school.^[9] Central became part of the London Institute in 1986, and merged with Saint Martin's in 1989.^[10]

Saint Martin's School of Art

Saint Martin's School of Art was established in 1854 by Henry Mackenzie, vicar of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. It became independent from the church in 1859.^[11] Frank Martin became head of the sculpture department in 1952; he brought in young sculptors and recent graduates of the department as teachers. Among these, Anthony Caro was particularly influential. The group around him came to be known as the New Generation of British sculptors and the sculpture department of Saint Martin's became, in the words of Tim Scott: "the most famous in the art world".^[12] Saint Martin's became part of the London Institute in 1986, and merged with Central in 1989.

Drama Centre London

The Drama Centre London was founded in 1963 by a breakaway group of teachers and students from the Central School of Speech and Drama, led by John Blatchley, Yat Malmgren and Christopher Fettes. The school is a member of Drama UK^[13] and its undergraduate Acting course is accredited by Drama UK.^[14] The Drama Centre London merged with Central Saint Martins in 1999.

Byam Shaw School of Art

The Byam Shaw School of Art was founded by the artists John Byam Shaw and Rex Vicat Cole in 1910 as a school of drawing and painting. It was originally located in Campden Street, Kensington, and moved to larger premises in Archway in 1990. It was subsumed by Central Saint Martins in 2003.

Awards and assessment

In 1998 the London Institute received a Queen's Anniversary Prize for the "massive contribution" of Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design to the growth of the fashion industry in Britain.^[15] In 2013 the University of the Arts London received a Queen's Anniversary Prize for the contribution of CSM industrial and product design graduates to commerce, industry and the design profession.^[16]

CSM did not receive independent assessment in the 2014 Complete University Guide league tables, but was ranked as part of the University of the Arts London, which received an overall ranking of 67 out of 124 institutions, down from 48th place in 2013 and 59th in the 2012 ranking. UAL was ranked 102nd out of 124 for graduate prospects, and 123rd out of 124 for student satisfaction with teaching.^[17][18]

Schools and location

Teaching at Central Saint Martins is organised into nine programmes, which include acting, art, design, fashion, graphics, and jewellery and textiles, as well as foundation courses.^[19]

Central Saint Martins moved to a converted warehouse complex on Granary Square at King's Cross in 2011. Most of the college is housed there, but it also uses the former Byam Shaw building in Elthorne Road, Archway, and premises in Richbell Place, Holborn.^[20]

Lethaby Gallery

At King’s Cross, Central Saint Martins houses the Lethaby Gallery, which exhibits historical and contemporary collections. Established in 1896, the gallery displays a wide variety of artefacts including books, prints and original works of art and design. The College collects contemporary work by its staff, students and alumni. The College also does research, produces publications and curates exhibitions based on the collections it holds.

Platform Theatre

The Platform Theatre is part of the Central Saint Martins complex at King's Cross. It is a receiving and producing theatre, hosting professional companies as well as student work from Drama Centre London and elsewhere in the University of the Arts. The theatre aims to present all aspects of the performing arts within a flexible space.

Affiliations

Central Saint Martins is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, which also includes Camberwell College of Arts, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Art. Central Saint Martins has exchange links with the Parsons The New School for Design in New York City, with the Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo, and with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Staff and alumni

Notable past and present staff of Central Saint Martins include the theatre designer Maria Björnson.

Among the alumni of the school are the Turner Prize winner Laure Prouvost, the musician Jarvis Cocker and many fashion designers, including Sarah Burton, John Galliano, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Zac Posen and Riccardo Tisci.^[21]

References

1. Jeremy Till (n.d.). Research Profile Central Saint Martins. Accessed August 2013.
2. [s.n.] (2007). Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design. Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Accessed October 2015.
3. Natasha Lennard (29 September 2008). Best British Art Schools. The Times. (registration required)
4. Julie Tancell (2002). Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design. AIM25: Archives in London and the M25 area. Accessed September 2014.
5. Alex Needham (22 June 2011). A change of scene for Central Saint Martins. The Guardian. Accessed August 2013.
6. [s.n.] (August 2012). University of the Arts London (formerly The London Institute) A Brief History University of the Arts London. Accessed August 2013.
7. Lethaby, William Richard (1857–1931): Plaque erected in 1957 by London County Council at Central School of Arts and Crafts, Southampton Row, Holborn, London WC1B 4AP, London Borough of Camden. English Heritage. Accessed July 2013.
8. Overview: Central School of Arts and Crafts. Oxford Reference. Accessed July 2013.
9. Julie Tancell (2002). GB 2753 Central School of Art and Design. AIM25: Archives in London and the M25 area. Accessed July 2013.
10. Malcolm Le Grice (2011). History Lessons. Frieze Issue 142, October 2011. Accessed July 2013.
11. Overview: St Martin's School of Art. Oxford Reference. Accessed July 2013.
12. Bruce McLean (2 March 2004). Frank Martin: Visionary teacher who inspired a generation of great British sculptors (obituary). The Guardian. Accessed August 2013.
13. "Drama UK Member Schools". Drama UK. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
14. "Drama Centre London". Drama UK. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
15. The London Institute. The Royal Anniversary Trust. Accessed September 2013.
16. Previous Prize Winners. The Royal Anniversary Trust. Accessed September 2014.
17. [s.n.] (15 July 2013). University of the Arts London. The Independent. Accessed August 2013.
18. University League Table 2014. Complete University Guide. Accessed August 2013.
19. Our Programmes. University of the Arts London: Central Saint Martins. Accessed September 2014.
20. Locations and Map. University of the Arts London: Central Saint Martins. Accessed September 2014.
21. Caroline McClatchey, Alex Murray (16 September 2011). Fashion week: Why does Central Saint Martins produce so many designers?. BBC News. Accessed February 2015.