Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (often abbreviated as
Central Saint (St.) Martins,
Saint (St.) Martins or
CSM) is a constituent college of the
University of the Arts London, and is widely regarded as a leading
British art and
design school, and one of the leading design institutions in the world.
Profile
Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design was formed in 1989 from the merger of
Central School of Art and Design, founded in 1896, and
Saint Martins School of Art, founded in 1854. Central Saint Martins became a constituent College of the
London Institute in 1986, a federal body formed by the
Inner London Education Authority to bring together
London's art, design, fashion and media schools into a collegiate structure for administrative purposes. The London Institute was granted University status and was renamed
University of the Arts London in 2004. The
Drama Centre London, founded in 1963, and the
Byam Shaw School of Art, founded in 1910, joined Central Saint Martins in 1999 and 2003 as integral schools, maintaining their individual titles and teaching approaches. Central Saint Martins is currently collaborating with the
London Studio Centre to develop new courses in dance and related disciplines.
Central Saint Martins remains one of London's most revered art and design institutions, producing some of the most important artists, designers and performers over the last 150 years and has developed an internationally recognised research profile as rated in the
Research Assessment Exercise in 2001.
The
Queen's Anniversary Prize was awarded to Central Saint Martins for its significant contributions to the UK fashion industry and for nurturing the creativity of students in 1998.
Central Saint Martins also attained
Skillset Media Academy status in 2007, recognising the achievements in the area of
media and
interactive design.
Central Saint Martins establishes links between artistic practice, leading to research projects and employs graduates onto national and international design consultancy schemes through its Innovation Centre and Design Laboratory. Central Saint Martins has become one of the largest providers of art and design education in the world
and has registered
museum status for its historical and contemporary collections.
History
Central School of Art and Design
The Central School of Art and Design, formerly the
Central School of Arts and Crafts, was established by the
London County Council in 1896 to provide specialist art teaching for workers in the craft industries. The school was intended to be a centre at which art scholars and students could be brought under the influence of established artists and employers. The aim was a direct outcome of the
Arts and Crafts movement sponsored by
William Morris and
John Ruskin.
The Royal Female School of Art, founded in 1842, was transferred to the London County Council and was incorporated into the Central School of Art and Design in 1908. The
architect,
educationalist and
conservationist William Lethaby was a key figure in the foundation of the school and was appointed joint principal with
George Frampton from 1896 to 1911. Under Lethaby the Central School of Art and Design was innovatory in both its educational objectives and teaching methods. The majority of teachers were successful practitioners of their crafts, and provided the school with a variety of practical skills and valuable contacts with the creative industries.
Saint Martins School of Art
The Saint Martins School of Art was established in 1854 and was founded by the authorities of
St Martin-in-the-Fields. The vicar,
Reverend M McKenzie, and others were concerned that industrial education should be developed and allied to the general education already provided by Church schools. Art education was intended to form part of this industrial instruction for apprentices. The school became independent of the
parish in 1859. The school was recognised by the Technical Education Board of London County Council in 1894 and became part of the development of technical education taking place in London and Britain. The school became firmly established as one of the major
fine art and
commercial art schools, producing many well-known artists of the era.
The
Gilbert-Garret Competition for Sketching Clubs was started in 1870 at Saint Martins School of Art, during Mr. John Parker's term as headmaster, and was named after its first president,
Sir John Gilbert.
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 the
Conference of Drama Schools and its undergraduate
Acting course is accredited by the
National Council for Drama Training. The Drama Centre London merged with Central Saint Martins in 1999.
Byam Shaw School of Art
The Byam Shaw School of Art, founded by the artists
John Byam Shaw and
Rex Vicat Cole in 1910 as a school of
drawing and
painting (originally located in
Kensington, until its move to
Archway in the 1990s), merged with Central Saint Martins in 2003.
Schools and location
Central Saint Martins comprises five schools:
- School of Fashion & Textiles
- School of Graphic & Industrial Design
The schools are based in London with sites situated at
Holborn,
Soho,
Clerkenwell and
Archway.
Kings Cross
Central Saint Martins has revealed plans to move to a purpose built complex at
Kings Cross in 2011. The move will create one college site thereby unifying the five schools at one location.
Showcase
Gallery
Central Saint Martins houses the
Lethaby Gallery and the
Window Gallery that collectively exhibit historical and contemporary collections. Established in 1896, the galleries include books, prints and original works of art and design. The College has an active policy of collecting contemporary work by its staff, students and alumni. The College also does research, produces publications and curates exhibitions based on the collections it holds.
Cochrane Theatre
The
Cochrane Theatre is a receiving and producing theatre that aims to present all aspects of the performing arts within a proscenium arch. The theatre is situated next to the College's
Southampton Row campus in
Holborn. The theatre largely serves as a performing platform for students and alumni of the
Drama Centre London.
Affiliations
Central Saint Martins is a constituent college of the
University of the Arts London, with
Camberwell College of Arts,
Chelsea College of Art and Design,
London College of Communication,
London College of Fashion and
Wimbledon College of Art.
Exchange
Central Saint Martins has exchange links with the
Parsons The New School for Design in
New York City,
USA the
Bunka Fashion College in
Tokyo,
Japan and the
School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago (SAIC).
Notable alumni
Former students and staff include:- Michael Chow (Restaurateur, Interior Designer, and Part Time Actor)
- A. A. Gill (British Newspaper Columnist and Writer)
- Eric Gill (Sculptor, Typographer, Stonecutter and Printmaker)
- Ben Lee (Art Director and Graphic Designer)
- Bill Moggridge (Industrial Design and Faculty Member at Stanford University, Co-founder of IDEO)
- M.I.A. (Singer, Artist and Filmmaker)
- Phoebe Philo (Fashion Designer Creative Director for Celine.)
- Tom Vek (Musician and Graphic Designer)
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