Mayor Visits Northern School Of Art’s New Middlesbrough Campus

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has visited The Northern School of Art’s newly completed multimillion-pound campus in the heart of Middlesbrough.

The Mayor met the School’s principal, Dr Martin Raby, for a tour of the new facility and also dropped in on Level 3 Diploma Textile students in the ceramics studio using plants and flowers to create new fabric products and design for textiles, one of the many arts, design and film courses offered by the School.

The School’s college-level campus was previously located in Acklam, but it is now located in the centre of the town, in a new architect-designed, purpose-built three-storey building, following a £14.5million investment by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority.

The teaching space, for the North’s only specialist art and design college (formerly known as Cleveland College of Art and Design) provides specialist creative Diplomas and A-levels as well as Saturday Club (from age six upwards and which includes Arts Award). It complements the School’s university-level campus for degrees and postgraduate study in Hartlepool and its The Northern Film & TV Studios – the region’s only large-scale commercial TV studio, also based on the School’s Hartlepool campus.

The visit came just days after the BBC announced that it was set to invest up to £25milion in North East TV production, talent development and to support the creative sector, benefitting everyone from creatives themselves as well as supply chain businesses and everyone from electricians to make-up artists.

Mayor Houchen said: “It was fantastic to be able to see The Northern School of Art’s brilliant new campus for myself and meet the students who are benefitting from these first-class facilities that will help nurture their talents.

“We have a rich history in our art, design and creative sectors and this latest addition to what our region has to offer will inspire the next generation of young creatives from across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool and attract others, making sure they all have the skills they need to succeed.

“Alongside the School’s Hartlepool campus and its Northern Film and TV Studios, primed to take advantage of the recent news that the BBC is set to invest £25million in the area, this is yet another string to our bow. It all shows that there’s never been a better time to get involved in these sectors, which are playing an increasingly important role in our economy.”

Dr Martin Raby said: “We are extremely grateful for the support by Mayor Houchen, the Tees Valley Combined Authority and Middlesbrough Council for their funding and continued support for creative skills and education.

“Our new campus provides a landmark building for arts, design and creative education in the Tees Valley and the wider region, supporting our young people into a range of exciting specialist roles in the creative industries, one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK economy prior to the pandemic.  We are delighted with the new first-rate facilities, equipment and technical teaching spaces that will allow our students to work in professional environments, learning valued skills for their future employment.”

More information about The Northern School of Art’s new campus at www.northernart.ac.uk