
Dr Martin Lang - Programme Leader
Martin teaches on both the MA and BA Fine Art courses at Lincoln. Prior to working at Lincoln he taught on the BA Fine Art and BA History & Philosophy of Art programmes at the University of Kent and on the Foundation Diploma at University for the Creative Arts. Martin trained as a painter before completing a PhD in History & Philosophy of Art, researching militant forms of art activism. He makes paintings about truth and post-truth, and publishes research on art and politics.
Academic Staff List Make an EnquiryWelcome to MA Fine Art
MA Fine Art is a studio-based course that is aimed at those who wish to develop the critical, research, practical, and professional aspects of their art practice at the highest level.
This interdisciplinary programme encourages creative risk-taking and intellectual inquiry. Alongside a strong emphasis on the richness and breadth of art from around the world, staff and students on the programme are encouraged to take an active role in Lincoln's contemporary art community.
Students will have access to studio space and benefit from strong links with national and international artists and curators, which in the past have included working with Lincolnshire Archives, The Blue Room, and others on collaborative projects. MA Fine Art has developed a close relationship with the Collection and Usher Gallery, General Practice (both based in Lincoln), and UK New Artists.
A range of artists and professionals are invited to deliver guest lectures and tutorials as part of ART TALKS. Recent speakers include Heath Bunting, Matthew Burrows MBE, Rachel Garfield, Etctera, Joy Sleeman, and JJ Chan.
Medium-specific specialist themes are available, recognising the increased material focus of advanced practice in fine art.
How You Study
MA Fine Art is based in a dedicated studio and the production of work through studio practice is central to the programme.
The structure of the course is designed to be supportive, but geared towards independent research and practice. Teaching occurs through tutorials, critiques, seminars, lectures, visiting artists and curators, study visits and, importantly, through sharing of research and ideas among the peer group.
While student work must fulfil the relevant module assessment criteria, there are no limitations to the themes or topics.
Full-time students will be taught on a Tuesday and Wednesday (full day), as well as occasionally on other days. We expect all of our full-time students to work independently in addition to taught hours, to make up the full five days.
Part-time students will be taught one full day per week. The taught day will be either Tuesday or Wednesday. Students receive their timetables (for the whole academic year) upon enrolment in the autumn. The timetable will indicate which day they need to be in for each semester. Part-time students are expected to commit to an average of 2.5 days per week (including the taught day). Part-time students do not attend in semester C of year one. In contrast, semester C of year two is an intense period working towards the final degree show.
It is expected that a full-time student will work independently for a minimum of 30 hours in addition to taught sessions, for part-time students it should be a minimum of 12 hours.
An Introduction to Your Modules
† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.
How you are assessed
Students are assessed in a variety of ways, including spoken presentations, written submissions, and the presentation of critically grounded artwork or curated exhibitions.
The University of Lincoln's policy on assessment feedback aims to ensure that academics will return in-course assessments to students promptly - usually within 15 working days of the submission date (unless stated differently above).
Fees and Funding
For eligible students, there are more ways than ever before to fund your postgraduate study, whether you want to do a taught or research course. For those wishing to undertake a Master's course, UK students can apply for a loan as a contribution towards the course and living costs. Loans are also available to those who wish to undertake doctoral study. The University offers a number of scholarships and funded studentships for those interested in postgraduate study. Learn how Master's and PhD loans, scholarships, and studentships can help you fund your studies on our Postgraduate Fees and Funding pages.
Programme-Specific Additional Costs
You will have to pay for your own art materials. As each student develops their own artwork, in their own choice of medium, material costs can range widely. In some cases, there is no cost at all for example, for digital work (projected or shown on monitors) and some performances.
Students have access to workshop facilities such as sculpture (including wood, metal, plaster, plastics, and resin work), ceramics and printmaking (including acrylic resist etching, digital print and screen-printing). Consumables for these workshops can be purchased through our online shop.
We typically run 2-3 compulsory UK trips per year (every two years for part-time students). We usually visit cities that are accessible for days trips from Lincoln, such as Nottingham, Sheffield and London. Usually, the only cost involved with study trips is for travel, but sometimes there might be an entrance fee (and you will have to budget for lunch).
Entry Requirements 2023-24
First or upper second-class honours degree in a relevant subject or equivalent professional experience.
Not sure if your undergraduate degree is relevant? In most cases, as long as you have a degree, an awareness of what contemporary art is, and a portfolio of recent artwork, the subject of your undergraduate degree is not a concern.
Equivalent industry experience typically includes:
Maintaining a studio over several years (ideally, working alongside other artists)
Exhibiting your artwork in galleries (including open calls such as the Creekside Open, the RA Summer Exhibition, or EASTinternational)
Setting up your own, artist-run exhibitions (possibly in alternative spaces, such as disused shops or warehouses)
Working as an artist in residence (e.g. in a museum, cathedral, community centre, archive or other).
Being shortlisted for national prizes and competitions (such as the Mark Tanner Sculpture Award, First Plinth Public Art Award, the Contemporary British Painting Prize, or the Threadneedle Prize - there are many more).
Contact Programme Leader Martin Lang, or attend an applicant day to discuss in person, if you are unsure about your suitability.
If you have studied outside of the UK, and are unsure whether your qualification meets the above requirements, please visit our country pages https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/studywithus/internationalstudents/entryrequirementsandyourcountry/ for information on equivalent qualifications.
Overseas students will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in each element. For information regarding other English language qualifications we accept, please visit the English Requirements page https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/studywithus/internationalstudents/englishlanguagerequirementsandsupport/englishlanguagerequirements/.
If you do not meet the above IELTS requirements, you may be able to take part in one of our Pre-session English and Academic Study Skills courses. https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/studywithus/internationalstudents/englishlanguagerequirementsandsupport/pre-sessionalenglishandacademicstudyskills/ . These specialist courses are designed to help students meet the English language requirements for their intended programme of study.
Exhibitions
MA Fine Art students have previously organised group exhibitions, including at The Collection Museum, The Usher Gallery, General Practice, The Blue Room, and Project Space Plus (all in Lincoln). They have also had the chance to work with UK New Artists, and Two Queens (Leicester) on exhibition opportunities.
The course provides the opportunity to visit exhibitions and local galleries in Lincoln and there have been visits in previous years to Sheffield, Nottingham, and London.
Features
A range of artists and professionals are invited to deliver guest lectures and tutorials as part of ART TALKS. Recent speakers include Heath Bunting, Matthew Burrows MBE, Rachel Garfield, Etcétera, Joy Sleeman, and JJ Chan.
Programme Leader Martin Lang is part of the University’s digitalisation steering group. He makes paintings at the intersection of the digital and the analogue, has presented his findings at conferences, and is featured in the book Painting, Photography, and the Digital: Crossing the Borders of the Mediums (2022). Martin has been publishing research on art activism since 2012. His forthcoming book Militant Aesthetics: Radical Art After 9/11, which will be published with Bloomsbury, is based on fieldwork research and interviews with a variety of art activist collectives over the last decade.
Senior lecturer Andrew Bracey is part of a research collective (Danica Maier, Andrew Bracey, Lucy Renton and Sarah Bennett) that has developed the notion of the “controlled rummage as artistic strategy”. Working with the Lace Archive (Nottingham Trent University), they developed a body of artwork that was exhibited at Backlit Gallery (Nottingham, 2018), Ruskin Gallery (Cambridge, 2019), Constance Howard Gallery (London 2019), and which led to the publication of a book and journal article. Following this, Andrew has worked with the Tennyson Archive (Lincoln) to develop the method further, leading to new outputs and exhibitions – this time at The Hub/National Centre for Craft and Design (Sleaford) and the Collection Museum (Lincoln), and another book with critical texts by art historians and experts on archives and other arts experts. Both iterations of this research project were awarded Arts Council Funding.
Facilities
Interviews and Open Days
Open Days
Open days provide the opportunity to visit the University, meet a member of staff, and see our facilities. This is a great chance to ask any questions that are not answered here on the website. If you are an international applicant, who cannot attend an applicant day in person, we will happily arrange an online video call instead – just get in touch.
Interview Advice
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview, where they will present a portfolio of their recent artwork to be assessed. International applicants are offered a video call interview and must submit a digital portfolio of twelve images, saved as a PDF, prior to interview.
The purpose of the interview is to discern whether this is the right course for you. You should prepare for interview by re-reading this course page, so that you are familiar with the course (especially if you have not previously attended an open day). We will assess your potential to benefit from the course, your ideas, and your understanding of contemporary art. We are therefore more interested to learn about the journey, curiosities, and drives behind your portfolio of work than assessing your technical abilities. The interview is very much a two-way process and you will have a chance to ask questions.
Portfolio Advice
Your portfolio should demonstrate:
- Your art practice in 12 images. These may include original artworks (if you are interviewing in person) or documentation of artworks (if they cannot be brought to interview). Examples of documentation of artworks include:
- Finished artworks
- Sketches and plans
- Film stills
- Multiple angles of a single artwork (e.g. installations)
- Your interests (e.g. artistic, conceptual, political, technological)
- Your ambition and a sense of your future direction at Master's level study
Career and Personal Development
Previous graduates have gone on to have successful careers as artists, exhibiting their work (X-Church, Gainsborough; 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe; Ferens Gallery, Hull), undertaking commissions (by UK Young Artists, and No Jobs in the Arts), and residencies (such as the Environmental & Sustainability Artist Residency at the Collection Museum and Usher Art Gallery, Lincoln). Some have been selection for prestigious exhibitions (such as New Contemporaries), have won art prizes (like the Artescape fellowship), and received Arts Council funding.
Other graduates of MA Fine Art have set up (and run) Turntable Gallery in Grimsby and Lumo Workshop – an artist-led community arts organisation. Others still have undertaken curatorial internships and doctoral research.
The University Careers and Employability Team offer qualified advisors who can work with you to provide tailored, individual support and careers advice during your time at the University. As a member of our alumni we also offer one-to-one support in the first year after completing your course, including access to events, vacancy information and website resources; with access to online vacancies and virtual and website resources for the following two years.
This service can include one-to-one coaching, CV advice, and interview preparation to help you maximise your future opportunities. The service works closely with local, national, and international employers, acting as a gateway to the business world.
Postgraduate Events
Find out more about how postgraduate study can help further your career, develop your knowledge, or even prepare you to start your own business at one of our postgraduate events.
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