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Everydays a year on
In July 2025 we published a post about our Everydays project which had been running since February 2024. A lot has happened in the last year so we thought we would publish an update! The Everydays project has gone from strength to strength and in the last year we have had 20 people contribute to the project - some everyday and others when they can.
Catherine Smith and John Burns
2 days ago2 min read
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Thoughts of a foundation student
I cannot believe I am only in my second week of my foundation course. I feel like I have done so much writing already. Read the next instalment of Thoughts of a Foundation Student by Nina.
Nina Cruse-Vallard
6 days ago3 min read
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Thoughts of a foundation student
"I officially enrolled on my unit of study this week so I began my first activity a few days ago." Read the next instalment of Thoughts of a Foundation Student by Nina.
Nina Cruse-Vallard
Jun 202 min read
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Student Stories: Dorian Carter
Dorian Carter is completing the final unit for Stage One Creative Writing, but has managed to find the extra time to write, redraft, submit and be part of editing a collection of short stories, which will be published on the 20th of June. OCA tutor Nina Milton asks Dorian more about their journey to success in this post.
Nina Milton
Jun 195 min read
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Thoughts of a foundation student
The induction fortnight is flying by. I will be officially beginning my course next week so I have been spending the past couple of days trying to prepare myself for study. I have studied other subjects before, but not anything so expressive and personal to me. I have moments when I feel completely overwhelmed. I try to create and my mind is blank. All I am able to write about is how much I like writing, and how much I am enjoying college life. Getting a support structure in
Nina Cruse-Vallard
Jun 122 min read
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Behind the Scenes at Bookmarked
How wonderful it is to craft imaginary people in imaginary clothes, to entertain ears with meter and rhyme, and to stitch smiles and teardrops into script. What good are any of these, though, without a stage, without a group of people to listen, applaud, and, perhaps best of all, celebrate our way with words?
Enter Bookmarked Magazine. Trumpets, please! We want trumpets.
The Bookmarked Team
Jun 83 min read
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Student Stories: Charles Worvill and Sarah Johnston draw in parallel
In the first of this series of posts on collaborative drawing, we discussed our drawn response to music created by exchanging a physical drawing through the post in reaction to Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. This time, we wanted to create a single drawing online while working simultaneously, albeit from different locations.
Sarah Johnston and Charles Worvill
Jun 13 min read
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Student Stories: Holly Rivers Aguirre
"I would say that studying with OCA quite often acted as a point of stability, so while everything else in life was changing, it was good to have a linear path and clear goals on the Visual Communications course." Read about Visual communications graduate Holly's learning journey.

OCA Student Association
May 182 min read
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A Place is Not One Place
"Walking in the landscape and taking photos has always seemed a natural combination to me, but last year I kept leaving my camera at home because 'I've already photographed that' (though it didn't seem to matter that I'd 'already walked there'). Needing a boost, I decided to sign up for the 10-week OCA/RPS online course Investigating Place with Psychogeography." Read Sarah's course review.
Sarah Skinner
Apr 244 min read
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Drawing together: Charles Worvill and Sarah Johnston discuss collaborating and ‘The Rite’
We are two BA Drawing students who have spent the past year developing three collaborative projects together. In this first post, we’re excited to share our response to Igor Stravinsky’s groundbreaking 1913 ballet score, The Rite of Spring.
Sarah Johnston and Charles Worvill
Mar 93 min read
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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Calendar 2026
We want your help in putting together an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion calendar for 2026.

OCA Student Association
Nov 11, 20253 min read
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Student Stories: Roger Sidney
OCA Painting student Roger Sidney is aged 66 years working full time as a Project Engineer in Santiago, Chile. "Level 3 has given me the confidence and opportunity to work independently finding my way with intelligent support from my tutors and peers."

OCA Student Association
Oct 21, 20253 min read
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5. Study Tips in 5
Welcome to OCA's Study Tips in 5 series. In this instalment we bring you five tips to help for proofreading. Proofreading assignments can be challenging, but with the right strategies you can effectively find and correct errors.
Jackie Chapman
Sep 30, 20251 min read
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Student Work: Brindusa Burrows
OCA Creative Arts student Brindusa Burrows is exhibiting (H)Être - a body of worked conceived in dialogue with a 268-year old beech that was felled a year ago in her mountain village in alpine Switzerland.

OCA Student Association
Sep 27, 20252 min read
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Jazz, Painting and Fragments of a Dull Day: A Collaboration Across Disciplines
OCA Students Teresa and Paul have been collaborating and would love to hear what you think!
Teresa and Paul
Sep 25, 20251 min read
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Student Collaboration: E.A. Tofte & John Burns
Eleanora Alis and John are both students at the Open College of Arts. Despite never having met in person, they are now collaborating on their fourth project together.
E.A. Tofte & John Burns
Aug 5, 20258 min read
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Student Stories: Sophie Devereux
What OCA brought was an intellectual and imaginative framework to help me develop my thinking and push the boundaries of my (at the time) early emerging practice. As a full-time worker the flexibility and approach to study of OCA was an ideal way to structure this learning and to come into contact with like-minded students and great tutors.

OCA Student Association
Jul 29, 20253 min read
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Everydays
We have been collaborating on a project entitled Everydays since 28 Feb 2024, when we decided to take a photo every day (of anything at all!), and use it as a way of sustaining and growing our practice as well as flexing our artistic muscle daily.
Catherine Smith and John Burns
Jul 24, 20252 min read
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Student Stories: Peter Hungerford
"The paper, hopefully a BA, will be a reward but for me the most important aspect has been the journey, the people I have met on route and my learnings."

OCA Student Association
Jul 2, 20251 min read
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Wind Earthbound
As a BA Creative Arts student currently working in assemblage and installation, the connection between 1980s childhood freedom and my current posthumanist practice reveals some fascinating insights about how we develop our relationship with the material world!
Tricia Burton
Jun 24, 20253 min read
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