‘Lots of opportunities in creative industries’ says new Bournemouth Arts Institute chief (From Bournemouth Echo)

‘Lots of opportunities in creative industries’ says new Bournemouth Arts Institute chief

11:00am Sunday 4th January 2009 in

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THE new deputy head of the Arts Institute finds inspiration in landscapes – but don’t expect to recognise Dorset in his paintings.

One of his favourite spots for his abstract works are the Purbeck cliffs.

“I am interested in painting the sense of being in a landscape, or my experience of it,” said Prof Jim Hunter, 57, who lives in Swanage.

“That is more interesting to me than ‘look, here’s Durdle Door’.”

He has just been appointed the deputy principal of the Arts Institute at Bournemouth where he has taught since 1988.

His own paintings feature regularly in local and national exhibitions.

Some of his favourite artists include William Turner, Emile Nolde, and Henri Matisse.

His favourite painting is Edouard Manet’s 1863 work Olympia, which caused uproar at the time for its depiction a naked woman gazing at the viewer.

He said: “It’s very arresting and provocative. Manet, in my eyes, was one of the first modern painters.”

His new job is to make sure the institute meets students’ and employers’ needs.

The institute very proud of its links to industry, and Prof Hunter said student recruitment is strong, with seven applications per place.

He does not think the recession will hit student recruitment to the arts sector harder than other subjects.

“The creative industry is one of the biggest drivers in the economy. There are many more opportunities in what is described as the creative industries than in traditional career opportunities,” he said.

“More than 90 per cent of our graduates go into related employment.”

He wants the institute to become an even stronger “community of practice” – a place where staff and students are active artists or designers.

And he is encouraged graduates are staying in Dorset, but thinks the area could do with a venue for the visual arts to boost its profile.

He cited the success of the Baltic Centre in Gateshead, and Tate St Ives, adding: “They bring business, commerce, and a different sense of engagement with culture to a town.”

The institute has special “incubation units” for graduates to start their own businesses.

Prof Hunter, whose wife is a teacher at Swanage First School, doesn’t think you can convince or persuade people to like modern art.

But if people can learn the context of the art, they can begin to “access the work”.

He is a believer in the view that art, of any sort, can improve our lives.

“Great art is always about the human condition. And the insights and understanding provided to us by art must be of benefit.”