Craft AiR Programme: Jewellery & Silversmithing
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Artists in Residence at the University for the Creative Arts
Each academic year the craft programme at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham host an Artist in Residence (AiR) initiative.
We are currently offering AiR positions within Ceramics, Glass or Jewellery & Silversmithing for the 2026-27 academic year and invite interested individuals to apply. One or two AiR positions are available in each material discipline.
The residency position offers the time, space and facilities for you to develop your making practice or realise a specific project. The successful applicant will be given access to our specialist ceramics, glass or jewellery workshops and facilities for the duration of the residency, for which there will be no charge.
In exchange, the resident artist will be expected to support curriculum delivery on our undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This may include, but is not limited to; technical workshops, masterclasses, seminars, recruitment events and professional skills. We would also expect you to contribute to the wider craft community at UCA, by engaging with students, sharing knowledge and skills, and supporting staff teams where necessary.
The position should be viewed as an opportunity for you to develop your own work and technical skills in a creative higher education environment, without the constraints of set course work or timetable. It also allows you to positively extend your CV.
This opportunity is open to early and mid-career artists alike, and you would be expected to hold degree level qualifications or have relevant professional experience within either glass, ceramics or jewellery and silversmithing.
Jewellery
- Newly refurbished jewellery studio with 36 benches, each with individual torches and extraction
- Jewellery studio machinery includes drill press, rolling mill, wire drawbench, CNC engraving machine, polishing mops and more
- Demo area and bench with overhead camera
- Enamelling and chemical processes lab
- Investment casting area
- Fully equipped wood, plastics and heavy metal workshop
- Access to campus wide digital fabrication lab with multiple Ultimaker 3D printers, Roland CNC mills, and resin printers
Silversmithing
- Fully equipped, sound proofed hammer room
- Brazing/jewellery hearth area
- Machine room to support milling, pressing, lathe turning, spinning
Timing
The AiR programme runs from early-September 2026 to the end of June 2027. The duration and start dates of residencies can be negotiated based on availability. Please indicate your preference in your application, details below.
Workshop access at UCA is between 10am – 5pm, Monday – Friday, with occasional Saturday access at our university open days.
AiRs would normally be expected to attend for a minimum of three days per week, for the full duration of their residency programme. Curriculum support would equate to approximately half a day per week, on average.
The residency will normally terminate at the end of our academic year, unless by special arrangement with the Programme Director.
Facilities
We have some of the most extensive ceramics, glass, jewellery and metal facilities of any UK university, supported by discipline specific technical tutors.
Application
Application is now open.
If you would like to be considered for a place as Artist in Residence, please click on the apply now button. The application form requires detailed information including contact details, a written statement, images/videos of your work, and a CV. There is no application fee. We are committed to making our opportunities accessible and easy to apply to, offering support for those facing barriers. Please contact us if you require any assistance.
Deadline for applications: Friday 17 July 2026
Notification of results: Tuesday 28 July 2026
Terms
If successful, you may be asked to supply an academic Reference of Support and if applicable, evidence of a valid visa. Overseas applicants are responsible for ensuring they have an independent visa in place to cover the academic year. We cannot enter into any dialogue with the UK Border Agency in respect of visa applications. The Residency position is termed as ‘work experience’.
Please also be aware that the successful applicant will need to provide insurance cover, and we will need to see a copy of the policy document. We recommend that you look into a-n: The Artists Information Company – they provide free public liability insurance with an annual membership.
AiRs are expected to make their own accommodation and/or travel arrangements at their own expense. The costs of materials are not included.
For further information regarding the AiR programme, please contact the relevant member of academic staff:
Glass: Ashley Howard, ahoward@uca.ac.uk
Ceramics: Ashley Howard, ahoward@uca.ac.uk
Jewellery: Grant McCaig, gmccaig@uca.ac.uk
Silversmithing: Grant McCaig, gmccaig@uca.ac.uk
For more information
To Apply
