The ideal art-school studio-workshop.

The studio-workshop is central to Art & Design education. This is a space where new ideas are nurtured through experimentation and dialogue. This is a shared space, but students are allocated, claim, and occupy their own personal space to develop and show their work. The studio-workshop acts as a venue for group activities and tutorials, inductions and performances. It is re-configured to suit a variety of occasions. It is a safe space to learn from mistakes, and to share successes. It is inhabited by helpers and mentors. Some are paid wages, some pay fees. Staff and students practice their art in these spaces. Students and staff help each other to learn. It is a social space with an appropriate tone for learning. At the end of a programme of study, the studio-workshop becomes a public exhibition, celebrating the achievements of its finalists.

The virtual studio-workshop.
The virtual studio-workshop sim that we have created for the pilot is guided by the above ideals. It is divided into 20 small personal plots, one for each participating apprentice. It has 2 larger areas for masters Cubist and Kisa to practice their art and design. It has 2 medium sized areas for collaborative endeavours, workshop activities and special events. It has a central, neutral social area for informal chat and information exchange.