Living Memories of St Albans School of Art is a project that captures people’s memories of the art school and shares their stories. Bringing together alumni, students and staff, as well as relations of those who were part of the school’s community, the project has collected their stories to explore the school’s history and its place in the region’s culture.
History
Originally located in St Albans Town Hall, St Albans School of Art later moved to Victoria Street and was renamed Hertfordshire College of Art and Design in the 1970s. It later merged with Hatfield Polytechnic in the early 1990s to form the institution now known as University of Hertfordshire, where the arts and humanities subjects are taught at the School of Creative Arts.
Students at St Albans School of Art , circa 1980 © University of Hertfordshire archives
Research
The research in this project has been co-created by inviting participants to share their recollections in their own words. A series of sessions enabled them to record oral histories and contribute to the project in their own personal ways, as well as exploring the history of the school through local archives, art collections and group conversations. This research was then collated into a publication which you can view in digital format here or click on the front cover below.
We would like to extend our gratitude to all our participants for their generosity in sharing their stories and contributing to the developing research archive, which has now marked this unique and important School in the wider context of art education history.
Find out more about St Albans School of Art
Watch this space as we will soon have a dedicated page on the University’s Heritage Hub, which will contain the full collection of oral histories, images of shared material and written essays by our collaborators.
What’s Next?
This research will lay the groundwork for a major dual-venue exhibition in spring/summer 2025 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the School of Art. The exhibition will take place at St Albans Museum + Gallery as well as the Art + Design Gallery situated on the University’s College Lane Campus.
There may be other opportunities to get involved in the second phase of the project in 2025, as we seek further funding to record more oral histories and develop the publication. If you would like to find out more or get involved, please email: uharts@herts.ac.uk
Students at St Albans School of Art , circa 1980 © University of Hertfordshire archives
This project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, through an award from the University of Hertfordshire’s AHRC Impact Acceleration Account.
Protocol number: cCTA/SF/UH/06122
Approving committee: University of Hertfordshire Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Ethics Committee with Delegated Authority
