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. 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.
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.
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. 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. 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= 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. 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. In the same year the Royal Female School of
Art, established in 1842, was merged into the school. Central became part of
the London Institute in 1986, and merged with Saint Martin's in 1989.
= 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.
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". 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 and its
undergraduate Acting course is accredited by Drama UK. 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. 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. 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.
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.
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. = 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 designers Maria Björnson and Anna Fleischle.
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.
References