1. education
2. alumni and reunions

me ta f o r a
The first theme-based project of the academic year
starts with the end of the Catalan summer. As we savour
the beautiful harvest weather, students gather in the
studios with accumulated creative energy, ready to trow
themselves into a new year of play and experimentation.
With “the word Freedom” we kick-start the season with
big arm-movements....
The word Freedom
Expression, Gesture and scale
metafora · papin 29, 08028 barcelona · spain · www.metafora.org · admin@metafora.org
Program overview
The Word Freedom,... Expression, Gesture and scale
02.09.2015-16.10.2015 / 7 weeks
I’m constantly investigating nature nature, meaning everything.
Ellsworth Kelly
Classes and Tutorials
Program overview the period
Application and Portfolio
Term dates and fees
Payment Conditions
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Metàfora’s Contemporary Art activities consist of a full time studio-arts program, the International Workshop. Artists and art-students with different backgrounds and experiences come from a variety of countries,
giving the place its distinctive international atmosphere.
A stay on the International Workshop can range from 5 weeks to 2 years, depending on the goals and
ambitions of the individual applicant. While some people are attracted to the program in order to try new
techniques and ways of working, others come to mature their artistic discourse, spending all their time in
the studio on personal investigation. All students are given an individual studio space and have access to
studios until midnight seven days a week. Tutoring and classes are in English, although most tutors speak
Spanish.
Short term stays on the International Workshop
Not everybody has the possibility ‘to tear out an entire year of the calendar and fly off to Spain’. We understand that. Therefore, we offer the possibility of shorter stays on the International Workshop. This option is
a more affordable, yet intense and a concentrated way of savouring the course. Overseas students on short
stays do not need to apply for a student visa, and can use a 3 month tourist visa.
Students, who embark on a short term stay integrate entirely with the student-group on the International
Workshop and can participate in all scheduled classes and activities. At the beginning of the short term stay
the student will be assigned a personal tutor, who will monitor the work of the student once a week throughout the stay.
The Word Freedom,... Expression, Gesture and scale
Program overview
02.09.2015-16.10.2015 / 7 weeks
Classes and tutorials
Some students come to the International Workshop to explore materials and learn new tools and techniques. The course offers different combinations of classes and technical guidance. The more experienced
students come to immerse themselves into the flow of the creative process, interested in spending most of
their time on studio-work and exhibition activity.
This is also perfectly possible, and if desired, these students can omit classes in tools and techniques
(Area-electives) and attend only the talks, seminars and debates (Basic Tuition) which are absolutely basic
on the course.
A typical week on the International Workshop
This structure is interrupted in weeks where a Theme-based Project is introduced or presented to rest of
the students, or at the end of each term, when the studios are converted into exhibition-space.
The definitive program is presented to the student prior to course-start.
Monday
09’30-11’30
11’30-13’00
13’00-13’30
13’30-14’00
Tutorials
or
Studio
Assignment
Break
Wednesday
Thursday
Studios open
until midnight
Friday
Life drawing
Tools and Techniques:
Break
Object & Space
Pictorial processes
Photography and Digital Images
Link-Seminars /
Group-tutorials
Studios open
until midnight
Studios open
until midnight
Weekend
Studios open
until midnight
Assembly
Artist talk
Studio-visit
14’00-15’30
Recent Art History
After hours
Tuesday
The Word Freedom,... Expression, Gesture and scale
Program overview
02.09.2015-16.10.2015 / 7 weeks
Class descriptions: Basic Tuition
This part of the program is for all students.
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Individual and group- tutorials with a professional artist or curator.
Theme-based projects and work-presentations.
Visiting artists, who come to Metàfora to talk to the students about their work.
Visits to galleries, small and big Art-institutions in Barcelona.
Studio-visits around the city.
Seminars and talks about marketing and artist self-promotion.
Exhibitions in small galleries around Barcelona.
Theme- introduction:
Brain-storm and input day
Class hours: 3,5
Every Theme-based Project starts with an input-day, where students think and reflect
over the proposed theme. Tutors “bombard” the students with inspirational sources
and creative games to get the woork-process started.
End-of-theme work presentations
Class hours: 10-15
At the end of each Theme-based Project students present their work to the rest of the
group. We talk about intentions and concept, techniques and choice of materials. The
idea is to make students think and talk, formulate their ideas and mature artistically.
Individual tutorials
Class hours: 30 minutes (every other week)
Every other Monday students meet with their personal tutor for a 30-45 minute conversation.
The individual tutorials are for disucssing ideas and concepts, for tips and ideas around materials and execution of the projects.
The Word Freedom,... Expression, Gesture and scale
Program overview
02.09.2015-16.10.2015 / 7 weeks
Group tutorials
Class hours: 2 (every other week)
Every other week students meet with their tutor and the group of tutees for an intimate workreview and a check up on how things are going.
Link Seminars
Class hours: 2 (every other week)
The link seminars are an occasion for students to discover affinities and influences in
their own work from the work and ideas of recent critical theory and other artists.
Extra tutorials
Sometimes it is helpful to hear a different opinion, a different point of view.
A week before every work-presentation, all tutors are avaialble for in-depth talks about
student’s art-work.
Evaluation interviews
Tutors assess the students formally 5-6 times during the academic year, coinciding
with end-of-theme work-presentations and end-of-term exhibitions.
Tutor’s work and Ideas / Recent Art History / Visiting Artist
Class hours: 1,5 (weekly)
In-house-tutors and visiting artisits show their work and influences.
These classes are interspersed with classes of recent art history from different periods of the
20th-21st centuries.
Assemblies
Class hours: 30 minutes (weekly)
This is the only time of the week, where the whole group coincides.
The assembly starts with a student-intervention, wher students talk about artists they kow,
exhibitions they have been to.
The Word Freedom,... Expression, Gesture and scale
Program overview
02.09.2015-16.10.2015 / 7 weeks
Classes in Tools and Techinques (Area-electives)
Introductory classes and tasters to how to get started with different techniques and materials.
This part of the program is optional to the more experienced students. Students choose the desired classes
prior to the start of each Theme-based project.
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The Area of Pictorial Processes is largely two-dimensional and comprises a range of techniques within painting and other kinds of image-making.
Life Drawing Continuing weekly sessions throughout the entire academic year.
Object & Space: A span of sculptural techniques and ways of working through a comprehensive introduction to some of the most basic techniques.
Photography and Digital Media: This area contains both basic artistic applications of digital
photography and video, but also classes in specific tools, mainly in Adobe Creative Suite
(PhotoShop, InDesign) as well as practical tools and other resources on the internet.
Specific classes planned for the present period:
Theme- introduction: The Word Freedom ... Expression, Gesture and scale
Class hours: 3,5
How to keep playing in the creative process, without losing consciousness of the
message, the content and the artistic intention? This theme lets us explore the idea
of freedom and expression in the first part of the 20th century, following up this same
idea in American art in the first part of the Cold War period.
Painting Outdoors
Class hours: 7
Urban landscape: In this class students go to carefully selected areas in barcelona to observe
and portray the urban landscapes.
Students work with dry and wet techniques on paper, focusing on perspective, composition and
visual language.
Paper and wood
Class hours: 7
The title of this workshop hides several experiments of translations between two
dimensions and sculptural thinking. It is a must for any students with aspirations
towards sculpture or installation.
Life drawing
Class hours: 2 (weekly)
This block of classes is “the basics” for understanding model drawing: Construction of
the body, anatomy, composition, body expression.
The Word Freedom,... Expression, Gesture and scale
Program overview
02.09.2015-16.10.2015 / 7 weeks
Studio assignment: A 0,125m3 cube
Class hours: 3,5
Studio assignments are one-morning classes designed to unblock and inspire students on beginner’s level, or students who simply enjoy playing and trying out new
techniques and materials. This class is about volume.
Studio assignment: Gesture painting
Class hours: 3,5
This studio assignment is dedicated to playing with composition, scale and gesture is one of the
most important things for any aspiring painter to try.
Art institutions, studio visits and visiting artists
Class hours: 10,5
This class is designed for students who are interested in getting to know about the dynamics
of the contemporary art-scene. Olivier Collet is a curator and co-owner of the artist residency
“Home Session”. He will take us around some of Barcelona’s most inspiring institutions and
hidden culture corners.
Introduction to CS, Photoshop and InDesign
Class hours: 5
The Creative Suite by Adobe is a toolbox which all artists today must have a fair amount of
knowledge of. Here is a super-short introduction to two of it’s main programs: Photoshop and
InDesign.
Screen printing
Class hours: 5
Screen printing is a technique which involves a photographic process. Through processing the screen it is possible to print images of high resolution on many surfaces in
mono-chrome or colour combinations.
Studio assignment: Body Moulds
Class hours: 3.5
Playing with plaster and making moulds of hands, feet etc helps us understand the
potential of this technique.
Formulating your ideas, growing with your work
Class hours: 10.5
Developing an artistic discourse is one of the main objectives behind the International Workshop. This class, designed by the Artist Marc Vives, is an intensive module dedicated to newthinking, reflecting and formulating ideas.
Program overview
The Word Freedom,... Expression, Gesture and scale
02.09.2015-16.10.2015 / 7 weeks
Application and Portfolio
Students apply to the International Workshop making use of the application form available on
Metàfora’s web-page. Metàfora will not review work submitted spontaneously without the support
of an application-form. Application-material is submitted digitally to Metàfora via e-mail, and portfolios are preferred as web-sites or blogs.
Portfolios should be representative of the most recent work, and may cover different disciplines
and work-areas. When reviewing applications, the Admissions Panel values good presentation.
Advanced level: Postgraduate Diploma in Studio Arts
(this route is not available for short term stays)
Intermediate level: Certificate in Studio Arts
• Transcripts and other academic records
• Copies of curriculum Vitae, Passport
• Recommendation letter from tutor or employer
• Digital portfolio of 10-15 artworks (.jpeg, .ppt, .pdf or http address).
• Written statement of 250 words (1 page)
Starters level: Foundation Studies in Studio Arts
• Transcripts and other academic records
• Copies of curriculum Vitae, Passport
• If possible: Digital portfolio of 10-15 artworks (.jpeg, .ppt, .pdf or http address).
• Written statement of 250 words (1 page)
Fees
The fees of the International Workshop are paid at different moments and can be divided into several concepts: Reservation fee, Basic Tuition, Area-electives and Studio Space.
The Dissertation Period on route A will be added to the total fees, if the student is admitted to this
part of the training.
Reservation fee
This fee is due upon admission to the International Workshop. This reservation-fee is paid in addition to tuition and is not refundable.
The Word Freedom,... Expression, Gesture and scale
Program overview
02.09.2015-16.10.2015 / 7 weeks
Basic Tuition, Area-electives and Studio Space
The remaining fees are due 2 weeks before the beginning of the course:
Basic Tuition / Area-electives (classes in techniques and materials) / personal studio-space.
Others
The cost of the course does not include materials, although there are samples available in the
classes where new techniques are introduced. The fees do not cover the cost of accommodation and living in Barcelona. Scholarships are available in the form of reduced tuition. For information on Metàfora’s Award scheme, please contact Metàfora.
Short Stays, 7 weeks
Booking fee
Basic tuition
Area-electives
Studio space
Total fees
Full Option
No area electives
No studio space Only Basic Tuition
630,00
630,00
630,00
630,00
560,00
560,00
560,00
560,00
224,00
224,00
224,00
224,00
1.638,00
1.414,00
1.141,00
1.190,00
Payment Facilities and Conditions
Pre-registration / reservation fee
It is essential that the student reserves a place on the course by paying the pre-registration indicated in the information of each course. The final section of this document specifies the details of payment terms.
Metàfora does not guarantee a place without a reservation, and the pre-registration fee is not returned in any case.
A letter of admission is required in order for the student to reserve a place on the course. Upon admission, the participant will receive an invoice which specifies the amount payable and payment deadline. If this deadline is not met (and
if Metàfora is not notified about the delay in writing), the student may lose the place and / or pass on to a waiting list.
If the student wishes to defer his/her registration (see details below) the pre-registration fee remains valid for a maximum of 12 months, counting from the beginning of the course which the student originally enrolled.
Program overview
The Word Freedom,... Expression, Gesture and scale
02.09.2015-16.10.2015 / 7 weeks
Tuition fees
Students must pay the remaining total enrolment-fee 15 days prior to the start of the course. For bank transfers, it is
essential to send a payment receipt to Metàfora. If the student fails to pay within the due date, he/she can risk losing
the place on the course and / or pass on to a waiting list. Once started on the course, there is no possibility of refund
of the tuition fees (or part of them) if the student wishes to cancel his/her stay at Metàfora.
Payment of tuition in monthly instalments
It is possible to pay the tuition in monthly instalments counting an increase of 10% of the total fees (please contact
Metàfora). If the student has signed up for an entire term or for two semesters, he/she is liable for the entire amount,
even if he/she should choose to leave the course before planned course-end.
Postponing the start of the course
If the student is unable to attend the course to which he/she has enrolled, the amount paid as pre-registration remains
valid for a maximum of 12 months. During this period the student can sign up for new editions of the same course
subject to availability.
To cancel attendance and defer course start, the student must notify Metàfora in writing at least 6 weeks before the
start of the course for which he/she originally signed up (12 weeks in the case of courses with entry requirements and
process selection).
Changing course
If the student wishes to change the course for which he/she has enrolled, the amount paid as pre-registration remains
valid for a maximum of 12 months. During this period the student may choose to attend other courses subject to space
availability. In the event that the price of the course chosen does not coincide, the student must pay the difference.
To express his/her wish to change course, the student must notify Metàfora in writing at least 12 weeks before the
start of the course for which originally signed up. Metàfora will not return the pre-registration fee (or part of it) in any
case.
If the chosen course has a lower value than the pre-paid tuition the remaining amount is kept by Metàfora for another
activity for a maximum of 12 additional months.
metafora · papin 29, 08028 barcelona · spain · www.metafora.org · admin@metafora.org