Box T
T O M A Archive
Insights
The interviews permitted me to follow each participant’s journeys with TOMA and understand how engagement with an alternative art school informed their approaches to practice. There was a significant shift to exploring materials they had not previously considered using and exploring social themes and the local environment.[1] In my observations, I have noted that my own students often prioritise broader social themes, rarely engaging in an examination and meticulous analysis of the local environment. However, at TOMA, I noted artists' tendency to focus on regional and social themes.
I observed a demographic shift within the TOMA education group. TOMA 1 was primarily comprised of local and older individuals seeking collaborative work with fellow artists due to feelings of isolation in their studios. Their primary goals were to acquire knowledge of contemporary artistic thinking and gain experience in exhibiting. In contrast, TOMA 3 and the current group include a slightly younger and more regional cohort seeking a pre-master experience to enhance their art practice before pursuing a traditional master’s programme. This shift significantly impacted the TOMA curriculum, as incoming artists brought a more experimental concept of art practice. The range of practices transitioned from predominantly visual to encompass other material forms, including sound and performance projects, which became more prevalent. Artists showed greater openness to experimentation with non-traditional materials and approached art as a means to work through ideas, exploring as opposed to realising ideas.
[1] As an illustration, Richard Baxter, an artist associated with TOMA 1, is widely recognised for his expertise in tableware ceramics, explicitly working with stoneware and porcelain. Operating from a studio in Leigh-on-Sea, Baxter executed a project within TOMA 1 involving plaster casts derived from pre-World War II graffiti etched into abandoned and overgrown stone seating above the town centre. In interviews, Baxter emphasised that undertaking such work would only have been contemplated within the unique context provided by TOMA.
