Published: 09.07.08

Next year sees the University of Brighton's School of Art celebrate its 150th anniversary and to commemorate this occasion, the university wants to hear from people connected with the school.

The Brighton School of Art has a long and engaging history, having begun life in a room next to the kitchen in the Royal Pavilion in 1859. Art and design education at Brighton has changed greatly over its 150 years, from the earliest days when practical art classes were sometimes moved to allow for the preparation of banquets being held at the Pavilion.

Since then the School of Art has undergone many changes. It has been relocated to buildings in Grand Parade, offered diploma classes and then degree programmes and was incorporated into Brighton Polytechnic, before finally becoming part of the University of Brighton.

It has been connected with a number of famous names in the worlds of art, architecture and design, including the illustrator Raymond Briggs, the fashion designer Julien MacDonald and Turner Prize winners Rachel Whiteread and Keith Tyson. It has an international reputation and, at the same time, is a vibrant part of Brighton life and culture.

To celebrate the 150th year of the Brighton School of Art in 2009, the University of Brighton will publish a book, Art & Design at Brighton 1859-2009: From Arts and Manufactures to the Creative and Cultural Industries. There will also be an exhibition and an international conference as part of the anniversary celebrations.

The book will look at the relationship of the school to art, architecture and design education in the UK and globally, and will also feature the local social and cultural life of the school and highlight some of its staff and students, past and present.

Do you have a connection with the Brighton School of Art that you think might be significant? Do you remember being taught by a famous tutor, or recall debates and controversies surrounding the School of Art? If you have memories, photographs or documents that might be relevant to the history of the school, please get in touch with either Jonathan Woodham (j.m.woodham@brighton.ac.uk) or Philippa Lyon (p.lyon@brighton.ac.uk) in the Centre for Research and Development, Faculty of Arts and Architecture, University of Brighton, Grand Parade.

Top image is supplied by the University of Brighton's Design Archive.