Another year is gone.....

This was a strange year which has seen quite a few changes for my colleagues and myself. The first part of my year seemed to be  punctuated by such phrases as QCF, EV, IV, and my personal favourite - 'developmental funding' (the academic equivalent of WMDs - especially if you can find one). I found this year to be of the most satisfying in the terms of my part-time teaching and the level of growth and development from the students was constantly rewarding.

The students, in particular, on the C&G courses worked extremely hard and theirs efforts' were rewarded by national recognition of their standard work. I am truly thankful to their enthusiasm and diligence and wish them well with their future careers.

I was disheartened by the severe cuts which were enforced on photographic education in Birmingham this year. This has resulted in virtually no part-time or full-time photography courses for adult learners in the region. Over the last few years, I have delighted by the interest and growth in adult learning in this sector and the courses on offer were always highly over-subscribed. Most learners realised early on in their courses that a viable career in photography was not a realistic option but this did not stem or dim their enthusiasm for the subject but rather allowed them to 'play' with the new technologies unhindered by the 'baggage' many of us older practitioners have.

These cuts across all the creative subjects, I believe to be ill-conceived and lack true vision to the long term economic viability of the area. Birmingham and the surrounding area has a long and rich history in the creative industries (in particular photography) and I fear that without the support at an early stage, many potential successful practitioners will be lost to the industry.

The one thing that did 'jar' with the end of my current academic  career was lack of recognition given to both students and staff for their successes by senior management. I can only remember one member of management actually asking to see students work or enthuse over their successes and development.
I found this very disheartening both for the students and tutors alike. I feel that this growing dis-connect between the realistic realities of the work environment and the general treatment of students needs to be rapidly addressed.

This year has also allowed me to develop and work on a range of new personal projects including 'Smethwick' which was completed in October and 2 other projects which I am now bringing to fruition. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Elaine, Nick, Lucy and Ilona for their constant enthusiasm and support towards these projects and their range of feedback and editing skills. It is very much appreciated.

Many thanks to all those helped and supported me this year in my many en devours and would I would like to wish you all a 'Happy and Prosperous New Year'.

Yours,

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

P.s.
If anyone does have a definitive definition for 'developmental funding', I would be delighted to receive it (given up waiting for Mukesh to respond).