Mary-Ruth Walsh

"I choose to come to Goldsmiths to get a better perspective of my art practice from outside my country and to see how my work would fit into an international context. Also to immerse myself in the London art world, absorb the works I thought important to me and to make connections with my new colleagues and other art professionals. From the well-honed one-to-one tutorials and group critiques my art practice made a quantum leap while on the course. The tutorials were in depth and professional. I think the programme was greatly enhanced by the non-segregation policy of the College as the Fine Art programme included painting, sculpture, installation, film, photography and performance in the one programme. The technicians who ran professional workshops enhanced the practical part of the course. As Goldsmiths is part of the University of London it was easy to attend lectures from other departments, or even in other colleges on cultural issues that I was interested in, these cultural exchanges further helped the development of my art practice. My work has continued to grow since I left Goldsmiths; I attribute it to the strong theoretical foundation and close analyses of my work while on the programme. From this solid platform my work continues to developed and is now finding a specific niche as an art practice in an international context. Although Goldsmiths was one of the most demanding experiences, it has also been one of the very best things I did."