Funding cuts and a move to banish art lessons from schools made 2013 a sad year for creative education. But art students and their staff are regrouping for a fight they believe is there to be won.
The number of students applying to study creative arts at university is on the decline. According to the latest available data from Ucas, the number of applications fell 17% from 2011 to 2012.
In 2011, 303,204 applied, and 53,258 were accepted. In 2012, those numbers fell to 253,140 and 47,736, little surprise in a context of huge cuts to the Arts Council, high tuition fees and a cost of living crisis.
Unless they come from privileged backgrounds, art students battle to make ends meet. Viana Gaudino, a foundation student at Central Saint Martins, says: “Many of us are struggling with living costs. We are expected to pay for our own materials and many students cannot afford to use the best. This directly affects the standard of work being produced.”