If you are anything like me you spend way too long in libraries, even online ones! The OCA Library had a facelift this month and I was delighted to see the inclusion of zines. I immediately sought out our librarian, Richard Cleverley to find out more.

Congratulations to OCA Stage 3 Painting Student Anna Pike who has a Site Specific Installation in Wells Cathedral for 2026 Wells Art Contemporary. (October 10 to November 7)

💚Mental Health Awareness Day is a valuable reminder that looking after our mental health is just as important as looking after our physical health. Mental health isn’t just one day - it’s every day. In good times and hard times, in moments of joy and in times of struggle - it always matters.

15 OCA students joined tutor Joanna Whittle to visit Contemporary British Painting Prize 2026 in Sheffield recently.

This month has been full of me thinking about my next steps in 2027, and having a holiday. The holiday was much needed; I spent a week along the coast and then went to see my extended family. Read the next instalment of Nina's blog here.

Are there examples of pop culture and art that others find too much that you can’t get enough of? Things that you’ve experienced once and will never go near again? How easy is it to produce difficult art in an educational setting? Is the default starting point to make something ‘beautiful’ that aims to please, is easy to love? Do notions of high and low culture have to come into any discussion of the difficult? We’ll be nattering about this sort of stuff in the edition #10 o

Read the next instalment of Nina's blog where she tells us what she's been up to whilst having a "restful break from studying".

We’re opening up a digital space for those who need a little "creative company" to get things done. Whether you’re sketching, editing, or finally tackling that project proposal or essay, productivity is always better in parallel. Join us for a regular curated body doubling session on Google Meet - a dedicated space for OCA students to beat procrastination and focus on the task at hand without the isolation of working solo.

The great thing about the OCA is the association you have with the tutors and the peer group you belong to on your course. Whether in a formal tutorial or a peer group discussion, talking together allows new ideas and perspectives to be identified regarding the particular work you are engaged in.

Can - and should - we separate a work of art from the person who created it? Is consuming a problematic living artist’s work a form of endorsement? Is it possible to separate your emotional connection to a piece of art from your knowledge of the person who created it?

Read the next instalment of Nina's blog to discover how she has come through a tough personal period and has September in her sights.

Presenting our student story from Maggie, an MA Fine Art student at the OCA. "I work as an artist from my studio in Yorkshire, UK. I am a painter/printmaker, interested in the cultural landscape of the Humber Region. My work is based on practice-led research."

The round table session in last month’s OCA Student Voice Festival that focused on artificial intelligence underlined just how prominent this rapidly-evolving tech has become, not least in an educational setting.

As a rural, white, woman of European settler ancestry, my online gallery connects to my studio and physical gallery on Mayne Island along the southwest coast of British Columbia in Canada. Using a nature-centric, reparative and autoethnographic practice-led research lens.

Presenting the student story from our MA Fine Art student- David Crawford. "My experience with the OCA has assisted me in becoming a more reflective and ambitious practitioner, who is now willing to take more creative risks."

My name is Christin Penz, and I’m studying the Creative Arts: Dimensions Unit 1.3, where I continue to explore language, participation, and installation as part of my artistic practice.

For those who have been following this thread, this is the third of our commentaries on the theme of collaboration.

This week has been, by far, the most exciting week of college. Everyday I have met with new people and been inspired by the work they do. The Student Voice Festival workshops were excellent. Read the next instalment of Nina's blog to discover her favourite moments from the SVF26.

A fabulous visit to London on a hot summer day with a small group of OCA students. We met up at the Royal Academy to view the summer exhibition of contemporary art from emerging and established artists.

The Student Voice Festival began this week and it has been brilliant. I even facilitated an event myself, which was fun (and a learning experience!). I had forgotten how difficult I find it to encourage discussion in a way that feels natural. We had a dozen people in the forum each day, and a handful of posts throughout the week. Read the next instalment of Nina's blog here.