School of Art lecturer retires after three decades (From Swindon Advertiser)

School of Art lecturer retires after three decades

2:00pm Thursday 10th January 2013 in News By Emma Dunn

A LECTURER who helped transform the School of Art at Swindon College has retired after more than 30 years of service.

Colleagues and former students of Graham Smith, who has been teaching at the college since September 1979, attended celebrations at the Glue Pot, in the Railway Village, yesterday.

The 60-year-old illustration lecturer, who lives in Calne, started at the college when it was based in Regent Circus, in the town centre.

“When I first went there it was a small art department within the college and we taught regional diplomas,” he said.

“Since then we have built up courses to degree level.

“I have loved working with the students and the staff. I have really enjoyed coming from the time when it was a small department and raising its profile up into an international centre. It has been fantastic fun.”

The School of Art moved from Regent Circus to Euclid Street in the 1990s, then back to Regent Circus for a couple of years before the college relocated to North Star in September 2006.

Graham, who has taught between 3,000 and 5,000 students during his time at the college, introduced illustration to the School of Art after he arrived in 1979.

He later added sequential illustration after working at an art school in Lyon, France, in the 1990s, and archaeological illustration after being inspired by some of his freelance work.

“I brought sequential illustration to Swindon and started up a degree course.

“We were the only ones in the country at the time. That has been successful and it is still going,” he said.

“The archaeological illustration course has now moved on to a Masters with Oxford Brookes university. That is unique internationally and we have students coming from across the world to study it.”

Graham’s achievements were celebrated last night.

Karen Barber, director of learning at Swindon College, said: “Graham brought a wealth of experience to the School of Art and we wish him all the best in his retirement.”