Art and Design

The Art and Design Department based at Orkney College UHI has a fantastic purpose built open plan studio with views over Kirkwall bay. There are excellent workshop and technical facilities, including printmaking, photography and textiles. Our courses cover a wide variety of fine art, design and applied arts specialism, from drawing, painting and sculpture to photography, felting and knitting. Students span all ages and ranges of experience - you can study full time or part time, one day a week or come and try a short course.

As part of the University of the Highlands and Islands we are partners with Moray School of Art, Shetland College and Lews Castle College in North Uist. This unique network provides links and connections with other island communities, mainland Scotland, and internationally. There are shared and networked projects and courses, exciting opportunites for exchanges,exhibitions and research.

Our tutors and lecturers are all practicing artists and designers who work and exhibit locally and internationally. This real life experience of the professional art world feeds into live projects, teaching and research. We also have regular visiting artists who do talks and run short projects.

We work closely with the wider cultural community in Orkney, with local arts and crafts businesses and with museums and galleries, particularly the Pier Arts Centre who also helps to deliver our professional practice programme. New courses have been developed that involve interdisciplinary work with for example, archaeology and science.