Angus Bamford

As a contemporary dancer, I was disillusioned with the ways in which artists were treated as they became professionals. Due to this disillusionment, I was thrilled to find the BA Arts Management course at Goldsmiths. I wanted to learn how to maybe create my own dance company or support the transformation of arts policy and industry norms so that artists could be treated fairly in their professional endeavours.

In my first two years of the course, I learned a variety of skills from events management, audience development and fundraising to art history, visual culture and economics. This array of learning opportunities and directions enabled me to craft my educational journey and become inspired to seek new endeavours. From amazing lectures and seminars in my first and second years, I become enthused to shift my practice in the third year from arts management as ‘the management of the arts’ to be rather about ‘the arts for management’. I was supported in this journey by the lecturers and staff, who were able to support me in finding placements at the National Trust and Goodsted (who I now work with).

The course helped me have a deeper understanding of what the arts are and where they can be applied. The diversity of the course allowed me to transition my practice from being not just an artistic practitioner but to a sociologist, urbanist and designer. The course was the foundation of my multi-disciplinary perspective of arts management and creative leadership, helping me progress onto a master's programme and find meaningful work in the arts and creative industries.

Having graduated, I now work within the tech startup ecosystem with Goodsted, a SaaS (software as a service) social enterprise, that supports changemakers and empowers others to take action progressing the  human and environmental causes that matter to them. 

While working I progressed onto a Masters degree in Service Design at the Royal College of Art. Service design is about being human-centred, using design methods and systems thinking to create actions that tackle challenges – whether it be for people, the planet, or profit. I bring my knowledge and experiences from the arts management course into a lot of what I do, and it has truly been a key component of my current and future professional practice.