Swindon & Wiltshire News
Creative college chosen for landmark partnership with RWA
A Bristol creative college has been handed a landmark role at one of the city’s most historic art institutions, after Boomsatsuma was chosen as the Royal West of England Academy’s future education provider at its Queen’s Road home.
The partnership will see the two organisations co-design a new vision for teaching and learning at the RWA, building on its long tradition of fine art instruction while opening up fresh routes into the creative industries for future generations.
Over the next two years, Boomsatsuma and the RWA will work together to shape what education looks like on site as part of wider plans to rethink how the historic building is used, including bringing the Life Room back into public use and creating what the academy calls “one front door” across exhibitions, heritage, artists, visitors and education.
Mark Curtis, CEO and founder of Boomsatsuma, said: “Our appointment brings together one of the country’s oldest and most respected art institutions with one of the region’s most progressive creative education providers.
“We are proud to have been selected and look forward to working closely with the RWA to co-create a new vision for art education at Queens Road.”
He added: “This is an important and exciting development for Boomsatsuma, and we are very much looking forward to becoming part of the RWA community.”
Founded in the 19th century, the RWA has been a fixture of Bristol’s cultural life for generations, running teaching programmes from its Clifton base for decades. SGS College, which has delivered education at the site for more than 30 years, was thanked by the academy for its contribution and the thousands of students, staff and alumni who have passed through its doors.
Starting as a creative project for young people in Weston-super-Mare in 2008, Boomsatsuma has grown into an independent provider delivering college and undergraduate courses across Bristol in art and design, film and television, photography, game design, digital media and other creative disciplines.
The college says it will use the transition period to 2028 to develop an education offer that “respects the RWA’s extraordinary history while looking firmly towards the future”, with a focus on connecting learning to Bristol’s creative community and giving more people the confidence to build careers in the sector.
