We have some amazing staff teaching at here at CCAD, so naturally we want to show them off! We grabbed a chat with artist and History of Art teacher Alyson Agar, all about success, achievements and art.

Can you tell me a bit about what you before you came to teach at CCAD?

After graduating with a First Class Honours degree, I began a Graduate Fellowship in Fine Art. This enabled me to undertake teaching responsibilities, whilst developing my practice. I freelanced a lot before teaching full-time, including working in Art Direction and Advertising. I went travelling before returning to Teesside to begin my teaching career.

What is your biggest achievement?

Last year I had my first solo-show at the House of Blah Blah, I loved every second of it! I have also recently undertaken residencies in north Iceland and Ukraine (as part of the 26:86 collective) with more international shows coming up in 2017.

What piece of advice would you give a student wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Work hard and do what you love! Take advantage of every opportunity to develop your skills and develop yourself on a personal level. Read, and see as much art and design work as possible to help inform your practice… and never give up on your dreams!

What is your mantra to keep you going?

Stay focused and stay positive, and have a good laugh along the way!

Who are your inspirations?

Artistically, I’m a huge fan of William Eggleston, Alison Scarpulla and Alec Soth. I love the work of Phyllida Barlow, Wolfgang Tillmans, Sofia Coppola and Gerhard Richter too. I’m really interested in colour and form, I can often be found photographing many a random object, purely for colour inspiration! I love travelling, especially ‘off the beaten track’, and this summer I was fortunate enough to travel around South East Asia, where I was able to gather a lot of inspiration for my work. Teaching at The Northern School of Art is extremely inspiring… I have now been teaching at The Northern School of Art for 12 years and it’s such a creative and exciting place to be, I find myself being constantly inspired by staff and students… I love it here! 

photography courtesy of https://www.alysonagar.com/