The independent art school is one of Margate’s largest creative communities

The Margate School is under threat of imminent suspension after several recent funding bids failed to materialise.

The School is appealing to the community to share their experiences and to connect with any individuals or organisations who can help,

The independent art school is one of Margate’s largest creative communities with nine staff, 25 students, 17 tutors, 12 fellows, 42 studio holders, and a number of volunteers who are in danger of being displaced by the end of January.

Suspension of the school next month would result in the loss of not only many jobs and livelihoods, but a valuable hub for innovation and creativity in Margate. It would also see the iconic Woolworths Building, which is such a feature of the High Street, empty once again.

The Margate School is currently speaking with funders, partners, and the Council to find an urgent solution. It is seeking a minimum of £50,000 in additional funding to stabilise, continue current teaching provision, and make future plans.

Since December 2018, The Margate School, established by founder Uwe Derksen, has played a prominent role in the redevelopment of Margate High Street and the town, attracting the interest of new students, staff, artists, fellows, small businesses, and visitors to Margate High Street and Thanet.

From the initial crew of three people, the School has grown rapidly into a community of more than 100 creative practitioners, attracting 16,000 visitors to exhibitions, talks, and events annually.

The School has also supported numerous art professionals through residencies, created a community and sculpture garden, raised £4,000 for Ukraine, trained staff to support community members with mental health challenges, and much more.

The Margate School has become an inclusive, creative learning space for both students and the wider community. It’s played a key role in Margate’s growing creative movement and in the story of the regeneration of the town.

HISTORY

In late 2018, with the announcement of the School’s success in its Coastal Community Fund (CCF) application, The Margate School had its first breakthrough. The concept was simple and straightforward: to develop a creative and innovative not-for-profit provision, with technical facilities and support that would help to build up a self-sufficient, collaborative, and supportive learning community in and for Margate. Created for people from all backgrounds, with both a desire to engage in learning and an interest in a more sustainable, socially just future, using our creativity and imagination in making a difference.

Uwe Derksen, previously of the University for the Creative Arts, British Design Innovation, and South East Design Forum, thus established the school as “a revolutionary and alternative, independent not-for-profit postgraduate, liberal-arts school for the 21st century”. As “a modern art school by the people, for the people”. With a subversive ‘no established hierarchy and common ownership’ ethos in place and with the organisational capability of creating great change within the community and further afield.

The School’s investment into the building created 42 new studio spaces, alongside a FabLab (Fabrication Laboratory) and MakerSpace with state-of-the-art facilities, two darkrooms, a sound auditorium, and a screening and gallery space. Offering affordable postgraduate arts courses for 16 alumni students, creating 9 internal staff jobs, 6 tutors from top universities such as UCA, Central St Martins, and Goldsmiths, 7 fellowships, and an inclusive hub for the community at large. In only a short space of time, the School has gained a solid reputation within the community; for its supportive and caring environment where creativity is developed and personal well-being is nurtured.

The values-led School has worked tirelessly towards creating a socially and ecologically aware creative culture, offering many of its member's additional advocacy and resources to build the stepping stones to a better future. Through the TMS Bursary Fund, in 2021/22 The Margate School has been able to support twenty students, enabling them to develop and grow their practice, ready for the next stages of their lives.

An opportunity to study at The Margate School has offered its members more than just joining a student body, but has created a safe space for creative participation from people of all ages, across all social and economic backgrounds. The community itself of practicing artists, makers, and craftspeople has embraced participation, sharing, collaboration, cross-fertilisation, and co-creation.

Situated in one of the most deprived wards in the UK, in a town that has been consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous towns in Kent, the School's presence and advocacy have helped to make the neighbourhood a safer place.

The Margate School’s Courses

European MA Fine Art: Art, Society, Nature

Visual Communication: Design, Society, Nature

Sound Arts: Sound, Society, Nature

Events and exhibitions

Margate Festival of Design, September 2022
The Artech Festival, March 2022 Margate Film Festival, October 2021
Margate High Street Community Garden, June 2022
The Festive Market, 2021 - 2022
Women in Design, Power of Women, March 2022 Margate Tech Club, Launched July 2021
Arts for All
Annual Rotary Club Schools Event