Stoke-on-Trent College of Art

The Stoke-on-Trent Regional College of Art was one of three colleges that were merged in 1971 to form North Staffordshire Polytechnic (later renamed as Staffordshire Polytechnic and now Staffordshire University). The College of Art had achieved Regional Art College status after the Second World War, but its roots lay in the nineteenth century as it was formed from three of the Potteries´ art schools. Although the six towns which make up Stoke-on-Trent were a relatively small conurbation, each had its own art school: those at Fenton, Hanley and Tunstall had closed by the time the Regional College of Art was created, leaving Burslem, Longton and Stoke.

Burslem School of Art was perhaps the best known art school in the Potteries. It was provided with a fine building in 1905. Burslem continued to be the home of the Department of Fine Art for some years after the formation of North Staffordshire Polytechnic. Staff at Burslem included Arthur Berry who taught at the Polytechnic until 1985 by which time Fine Art had moved to College Road.

The Departments of Ceramics and Fashion and Textiles were housed in the Sutherland Institute, Longton. In 1962 the Advanced Diploma in Art & Design (Ceramics) was offered by the Stoke-on-Trent Regional College of Art. Later, with the merger of the National Council for Diplomas in Art & Design and the Council for National Academic Awards, this was to become the first MA (Master of Arts) postgraduate course in North Staffordshire Polytechnic. After the formation of the North Staffordshire Polytechnic, Colin Melbourne, the sculptor and ceramic designer, who was Head of Ceramic Design at Longton became Head of Fine Arts in the new institution.

The Stoke College of Art was housed in the Herbert Minton Building in London Road from the mid-1850s. Amongst the artists who were educated in the Stoke School was Arnold Machin the sculptor, who designed the portrait of the Queen which has appeared on postage stamps since 1967 (the Machin series). In 1964 Graphic Design & Printing relocated to the Technical College site in Stoke (the present Staffordshire University College Road campus). Printing education was a feature of the Stoke School and many advances in ceramic transfer printing (particularly in offset lithography) were first developed there by the Deardens (father and son) before their wider adoption by the ceramics industry.

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