Visual art seems to get short shrift in Cambridge University. King’s had to ditch their artist-in-residence programme due to lack of funding, whilst Peterhouse are guilty of having razed some prime studio space (a rare commodity in this city) to the ground. The University-wide art exhibition has not been held for the past two years. The role-call of alumni associated with the literary/theatrical slices of the arts pie is overwhelmingly long and illustrious –visual artists produced by the university pales in comparison. Whilst sculptor Anthony Gormley, famed for his landscape pieces such as Angel of the North, completed his BA in Archaeology, Anthropology and Art History at Cambridge, he is one of very few professional artists in the public eye to have emerged from the University.

This is hardly surprising, especially as Cambridge, unlike Oxford, has no department of Fine Art. It would appear to have little to offer the budding artist, and little means of providing adequate opportunity for those that do end up here. Is it impossible for an institution which places such a strong emphasis on academia to nurture the creative capacities of its students?

On closer inspection the situation is not so completely disheartening. With a bit of perseverance, evidence of artistic activity can be detected across the University. Individual colleges such as King’s and Pembroke have thriving art societies, with King’s offering weekly life drawing to all members of the University, and Pembroke holding a bi-annual exhibition. Moreover, for the last nine years, Christ’s college has been running a student artist-in-residence scheme, funded by the Levy-Plumb trust. Each residency lasts for a year, and any student of the University under the age of 25 who is eligible to apply. The current holder of the post, Bea Priest, emphasises the uniqueness of the position, which does not require prior professional training and endows the resident artist with their own studio space and materials for the year.

Whilst working towards an exhibition of her own material, Priest also organises weekly life-drawing classes at Christ’s. The post is beneficial both for the individual artist, and for the student body, encouraging a creativity which the traditional structure of the University would not allow for. Previous holders of the position have gone on to hold independent exhibitions and begin fully fledged artistic careers, so that in its relatively brief run, the programme has demonstrated not only the potential for the university to involve the visual arts to a much greater extent, but also the existence of a strong artistic ambitions in the student body.

Is it impossible for an institution with such emphasis on academia to nurture the creative capacities of its students?

That there are problems with the practice of visual art in the University is undeniable. Whilst there is actually quite a lot going on, there is no centralised body to lend coherence to the various initiatives. This is partly due to the essentially solitary nature of artistic activity – much depends on personal endeavour and dedication. It can also be difficult to access the space required for larger artistic endeavours, with many students having to work on pieces in their rooms. Perhaps the largest obstacle to the production of art in Cambridge, however, is time. Both Priest and second year artist Naomi Grant admit that the substantial amount of work required for a larger piece can only be done in the holidays. Grant, who combines her painting with a degree in English Literature, describes term time in Cambridge as ‘thinking time’ – the production takes a back seat whilst she studies.

Currently, the continued presence of the visual arts within the University depends on the attitudes of individual colleges, and the motivation of individuals within them. That this perseverance remains constant despite all hindrances suggests that the role of the visual arts in Cambridge has by no means attained its full potential.

Tom Stenhouse investigates contemporary college-funded projects in creative writing