Creativity, arts and culture are at the heart of theĀ University of SouthamptonĀ experience, whether in supporting your studies or offering a range of activities to enjoy in your down time, with world-renownedĀ music andĀ artsĀ venues found alongside numerousĀ creative communities.
Iāll be working as āArts, Culture and Student Insights Coordinatorā which is a fancy title I came up with to look cool on LinkedIn. In reality, it means Iāll be working closely with Louise Coysh and Jen Harris in the Universityās Arts and Culture team, alongside our venues John Hansard Gallery and Turner Sims, to look at how we can develop the student experience around the Universityās arts and culture offer. This involves supporting the student voice in the Heart of Campus project and city-wide cultural development. Iāll be particularly focused on making sure we have extensive student consultation and input!
Thea Hartman during her time as Editor of The Edge magazine
MA English Literary Studies student Thea Hartman talks about her passion for escapism, textual analysis, her experience of the Southampton art scene, and what plans she has for her time as an Arts Ambassador!
As
far as that goes, I am an expert fugitive. My Mum taught me how to read early
because I would always ask her to read me one more story and she couldnāt catch
her breath. And that hasnāt really changed (well, I did learn to read, but you
get the idea) ā āone more storyā became a BA English degree, and then an MA
English Literary Studies degree, with a focus on twentieth century literature.
Turning a text on all its facets, understanding it in its present and in our
own ā to me, thereās nothing quite like it, even if it does sometimes push my
limits so much that I canāt touch a book for monthsā¦ Luckily, there are other ways
to keep escaping.
And
because weāre in Southampton, we have loads of them right on our doorstep! I
started discovering the Southampton arts scene due to The Edge, the Universityās student entertainment magazine, which
sends writers to a wide range of theatre shows and concerts (even after over
three years of writing for it Iād probably have a hard time naming all the
music venues in Southamptonā¦), but it wasnāt until my summer internship with āa
spaceā arts that I had the chance to get to know the arts community in
Southampton and learn just how complex and welcoming it is!
Iām
not an artist, so Iām not a stranger to thoughts like āIām not artsy enough to
go there,ā or āI donāt belong thereā ā but I realised I couldnāt be more wrong.
And thatās what Iām most excited about doing as an Arts Ambassador ā helping to
spread the word not only about what the arts scene in Southampton has to offer
generally, but also about what it has to offer to those who think like I used
to. Iāll be found mostly on this blog and on social media, trying to put all
these feelings into words as I explore Southamptonās art scene with Molly and
Kate this semester ā I hope you join us on this journey!
Our brilliant new Arts Ambassadors Thea Hartman, Molly Ellis and Kate Briggs-Price have produced a slicker-than-your-average video introducing themselves to Southampton, Winchester and the world! Stay tuned for more from this trio over the coming weeks, starting with introductory blogs from each.
Katie Power and Abaigh McKee, PhD candidates in The Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations at the University of Southampton, discuss Rediscovering āThe King of Lampedusaā, a lecture-recital that took place at Nuffield Southampton Theatres City (NST City) in June.
