ABOUT US
Pause or Pay UK is a UK-wide cross-university action group led by students that emerged in April 2020 as a response to the disruption of studio-based learning by the pandemic. We're from 30+ higher education institutions and always looking to welcome new faces and places! We’re working closely alongside other student and staff action groups as well. To date, we have campaigned to MPs, initiated complaints procedures at various institutions, supported tuition fee strikes and planned direct action.
Shifting Sands: England will focus on the experiences of 2020 graduates from Yorkshire and the Humber Region. It will run from October 2021 – May 2023, and will involve interviews with Art graduates from Teesside University, Sheffield Hallam University, The University of Huddersfield, Leeds Arts University and Bradford College.
The landscape of the English Art scene has been changed beyond recognition by COVID-19, and the challenges now facing graduates will be very different in a post-COVID world. With this in mind we aim to identify the obstacles that have prevented 2020 graduates in Yorkshire and the Humber from gaining entry to, and establishing a career in, the sector and the specific challenges they face in the wake of COVID-19.
Our findings will be used to develop an action plan with recommendations of how institutions can work with students to design and deliver professional practice courses that reflect graduate needs and provide the next generation of creative practitioners with the tools they need to thrive and improve their chances of securing future employment in the sector.
If you are a 2020 Art graduate from Teesside University, Sheffield Hallam University, The University of Huddersfield, Leeds Arts University or Bradford College or if you were due to graduate in 2020 from one of these institutions but prematurely ended your studies then click here to take part:
(https://forms.gle/cPNjoNRttb4m9j33A)
We encourage participation in the study from those who are underrepresented in the art world and who face barriers to entry. These could, for example, be associated with race, disability, age, gender identity, sexuality, socio-economic or geographic barriers.
The deadline to apply for participation in the first phase of interviews is 28th January.
If you’d like more information about the research project, please feel to contact In Session (insession@esamail.org.uk) or East Street Arts (gabi.davies@esamail.org.uk / 0113 248 0040 ).
MANIFESTO
Art and Design Schools in the UK need to listen to their student bodies and offer current students flexibility that is accessible for all. Provisions must be made for studio-based learners in order to work towards a mutually beneficial agreement, whereby students receive quality education without jeopardizing the financial stability of HEIs (Higher Education Institutions). In unity, the government needs to play a role in financially aiding the higher education sector to reach an ideal solution for the future of education in the UK.
It is necessary that HEIs:
-
Fight for the Two-Year Post-Study Work Visa Extensions to be brought forward for graduates.
-
Support and safeguard international students with regards to visas, financial aid in lieu of work hour restrictions, and No Recourse to Public Funds.
-
Guarantee a physical degree show for graduates - This includes provisions for 2-3 months of full access to workshops and studios or financial support to access external facilities.
And allow students to either:
PAUSE
-
Deferral Regulations to not disregard requests made based on impacts of the pandemic - It is a physical impossibility and dangerous to suggest a continuation of artistic activities outside the studio and the safety of a workshop.
Or
PAY
-
Refund previous fees and discount upcoming fees to reflect the loss of teaching, studios, access to facilities, and industry networking opportunities - Which has been ongoing since the start of the pandemic restrictions. This refund should not affect contractual terms, pay rate, or workload of staff.
Pause or Pay UK was established in April, 2020. We are a cross-university, student-led, campaign arising from inadequate provisions for studio-based learners in the UK. Together our solidarity can transcend this crisis and change the future of arts education.
Get in touch pauseorpayuk@gmail.com
Join us on Instagram @pauseorpayuk
Follow us on Twitter @pauseorpayuk
Visit our website pauseorpayuk.org
Pause or Pay UK
Contact
Get in touch if you have questions regarding the campaign, starting collective action at your university, or if you have an injustice that you'd like to bring up to us. The email inbox is monitored by our team and all information received will be kept in strict confidence.
Subscribe to our email updates:
