Michael Fischer, MASS Correspondence Course Sculptor 2020-21

Image: Michael Fischer, MASS Correspondence Course Sculptor 2020-21

MASS CORRESPONDENCE COURSE 

RSVP: ZOOM Q&A 25th OCTOBER 1PM

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RSVP: ZOOM Q&A 25th OCTOBER 1PM 〰️

*APPLICATIONS FOR 2025/26 ARE NOW OPEN*

Application Deadline: Monday 30th June 2025 (midnight)


“Imagine you are in a very, very remote place and post takes a couple of months to arrive. Or you are above the arctic circle! You send images to an esteemed colleague and await their response. The response comes months later. You are unable to ask questions of what you just read because it's a letter, no Internet, no phones. What then happens is that you slow right down, you listen to and digest every last drop of sense in that letter. You sniff it, you sleep with it under your pillow and you constantly re-read it until you suck every last ounce of anything useful from it. You then make work and any accompanying comments that are posted off with your next work upload will be very deeply thought about. That's it, period! Babbling, garbling, impatient 'I must know now' hysteria has ruined people's ability to absorb and reflect. In doing this course you have enabled a slightly different process to take place. You learn from what you already know. The mentor is a guide. You do the work.  Read, reflect then make!”

Marcus Harvey, Director


OVERVIEW

Mass Correspondence Course is an innovative distance-learning programme of online mentoring facilitated through critical, supportive written reviews by a dedicated mentor.  The course is aimed at sculptors based anywhere in the world and at any stage in their career who want to develop or reinvigorate their work, whether recently graduated from art school or those without any formal arts education.   

Since 2012, Turps Correspondence Course has offered over 600 painters a fresh perspective on their work within the context of current painting discourse. We are now extending the same opportunity to sculptors. 

Fees for 2025/26 are £1,850.

Applications Deadline: Monday 30th June 2025 (midnight).


REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must have a personal email address, access to the Internet and reasonable facilities to document work digitally. Those accepted onto the course are expected to have basic IT skills to use the relevant online systems. Guidelines and instructions on how to use the systems will be provided at the beginning of the course. For more information, see our FAQ.

Participants will be expected to upload works, drawings, works in progress, sketchbook pages etc. for the duration of the course. It is important this is an ongoing process that best describes their output as this will allow the mentors to track developments and compile their observations at dedicated feedback points. 


TESTIMONIALS

“MASS Correspondence Course has been such a rewarding experience. My practice has developed greatly over this last year as a result of MASS. I no longer feel out on a limb geographically without having to relocate. I have found that having access to this calibre of critique and support over a year period has been priceless. The strength of this approach of correspondence and mentorship is that the written feedback has time to embed deeply into your practice, working perfectly alongside your studio time. It's also been a great sounding board for preparing new work for exhibitions and residencies that I've been undertaking.”

Donna Mitchell (MASS Correspondence Course 2021/22)

 

"I have gained so much insight into my practice from taking part in MASS cc. It's such a thrill to have a mentor who can interpret your practice and put into words what you instinctively feel when making the work.”

–Lucy Sheridan (MASS Correspondence Course 2020-22)


 
 

The core programme is led and delivered by:
Marcus Harvey | Director of Turps Education
Helen Hayward | Director of Turps Education
Scott McCracken | Course Leader
Sukey Sleeper | Course Co-ordinator

MASS CC mentors 2024/25:
Alice Wilson
Andrea V Wright
Annie Cattrell
Brian Griffiths
Tim Ralston
Nicky Hirst
David Kefford
Steven Claydon

MASS CC previous mentors:
Ana Genoves
Ian Dawson
Kerry Stewart
Laura White
Steven Claydon
Sophie Newell
Tim Ellis

 

 MASS CORRESPONDENCE COURSE FAQ


What is the course?
The course is designed and structured to be delivered online so that sculptors, based anywhere in the world and at any stage in their career, can participate and receive informed, critical feedback from a mentor who is practising sculptor selected by the MASS team. Participants submit images of works and a short statement at five timetable points across the year for their mentor to review and respond to. It is a very different type of feedback from the more conventional face-to-face tutorial conversations.

Why is the course structured into 5 intervals across the year?
The MASS Correspondence Course is modelled on the Turps Correspondence Course, which has been running since 2012 and the feedback that we have received from previous participants is that the structure of the 5 reviews throughout the year has worked very well for them, as it gives enough time between deadlines to digest the review and enough time to make either new work or significant changes to existing work.  By the end of the course, mentees will have five essays about their work that they can revisit at any time which we feel is very unique to our course.

How long is the course?
The course runs for 10 months from September to June but many participants choose to stay on for a subsequent year.

How long are the reviews by the mentors?
Reviews can vary in length as we concentrate on quality over quantity.  Each mentor has their own unique writing style and approach to composing reviews, so we allow that voice to come through in their writing. While there is no minimum or maximum word count, most reviews are between 1200-1500 words. 

Who are the mentors?
The mentors are all practising artists at different stages of their careers, with their own ideas about and interests in sculpture. 

Can I select my mentor?
Mentors are allocated once the deadline for applications has passed.  Due to the high number of participants, sculptors on the course cannot choose their own mentor.  Each mentor is allocated a specific and limited number of mentees.  The mentor allocation is decided by Turps Education Directors and the Course Leader and is based on multiple factors, such as the work and statement submitted in the application, what the sculptor is looking to get from the course and what stage they are at in their careers.

Will I only receive feedback from one mentor? 
No, you will be allocated a regular mentor who will work with you throughout the year.  They will write about your work for Reviews 1, 2, 3 and 5.  For Review 4, you will be allocated a guest mentor who will bring a different perspective to discussing your work.  This gives participants the opportunity to hear other opinions, and in some cases, mentors may disagree with or contradict each other.

Will I ever meet or speak to my mentor face to face?
The course is delivered online between artist and mentor, so there is no direct, face to face or instantaneous exchange.  Your mentor’s review will address any questions or issues you have raised in your letter, as well as offering a critical and measured evaluation of the work.  What we have found over the years is that mentor interaction with the artists in this way allows them to be much more objective in their response.  They look at the work, they read the text and they respond directly to that.  The dialogues that we aim to encourage between participant and mentor are not necessarily conversational in the sense that you message back and forth, but to encourage an extended discussion that spans the year.  This allows the artist to absorb what the mentor is saying and to respond, not only in the next letter, but also through the work that is being produced. The conversation supports the work being made in the studio, not the other way round.

How do I communicate with my mentor?
The process of communication is primarily through the review process and through the Course Leader/Turps Education.  Mentees upload their images and their letter to the appropriate folder on the account by the deadline specified.  Mentors will look through the material that has been uploaded and write their review.  This review is then uploaded to the mentee’s account by the delivery date. Mentees will need access to a laptop or a desktop when uploading images to the folder on the account.

What if I don’t understand something my mentor has written?
If you don’t understand a specific point or would like clarification on something your mentor has said you can email the Course Leader who will contact the mentor on your behalf.  There are several reasons for this process.  Firstly, it allows MASS team to centrally monitor the exchanges between participant and mentor.  All the reviews that are submitted by the mentors are proofread and checked by one of the MASS co-ordinating team before they are uploaded to a participant’s account.  We do this to make sure that a standard of quality that is expected of the mentors is being met and to ensure a level of consistency for the participants.  Secondly, the mentors are all practising artists with many other commitments, and so we also have to take the appropriate steps to ensure that they have sufficient time to write their reviews as well as having time between the review points. 

What if I disagree with what my mentor has said?
The structure of the MASS Correspondence Course means that you, as a practising sculptor, can choose to disagree with the advice of your mentor. When you upload your statement you can raise any points from the previous review that you have found challenging and tell your mentor the reasons for this.   The mentor’s role is to advise, support and evaluate the work you present based on their judgement and direct you in a way that they think best serves you and the development of your work.  There may be stylistic differences between a sculptor and their mentor but the course is designed to challenge participants, so you may be given responses that contradict your own presuppositions about what the work is doing and where it should go.  What we suggest is that if you have an immediate response for your mentor after reading your review, you write it down so when it’s time for the next upload you can use those initial thoughts as a way of composing your next statement.  The ethos of Turps and MASS, across the art school, magazine and gallery, is a dialogue from painter to painter and sculptor and sculptor.  There is no hierarchy within Turps and MASS, so we actively encourage lively debate and critical discussion around an artist’s work.  

What are the fees?
The fees for 2025/26 are £1,850. The programme is run by Turps Education, a not-for-profit organisation set up to provide mentoring and practice based development programmes and resources for artists. All art school fees are directed back into funding these aims.

How do I apply?
We have an online application form. Click here to apply.

Do I need to have a degree or relevant qualification?
No, MASS CC welcomes applications from artists of all levels and abilities. Some participants are successful working artists with BAs, MA/MFAs, PhDs, while others have no formal arts education and have been working in other careers. Please contact us if you are unsure if the course is right for you. As a current MASS participant, you will be eligible to apply to certain prizes and competitions such as the Bloomberg New Contemporaries.

Is the course accredited?
No, Turps Education is not an accredited institution.  We are an independent, not-for-profit organisation. The course fees go back into running the art school.

Can I apply for funding for this course?  Will I be eligible for student discount?
As we are a non-profit, artist-run organisation we are unable to offer funding, scholarships or subsidies to course fees. We are happy to support applicants with their applications for funding.  Usually this will be a letter of support or a letter confirming that you have been accepted on to the course.  If you are intending to apply for funding, we recommend you apply for the Correspondence Course as soon as possible to ensure there is time between your funding proposal being received and the course beginning on 1st September. As Turps Education is not an accredited institution, you will not be officially recognised as a student and therefore not eligible for any student discounts or benefits. 

English is not my first language, can I still apply?
Yes, but all correspondence and reviews are in English.

Are there any exhibition opportunities offered?
No. This course is designed for artists based anywhere in the world, so each year we have a high number of artists participating in different parts of the world.  Turps Education does not have the resources to organise an exhibition that could accommodate showing the work of all participants.  However, we encourage our mentees to arrange their own studio visits, gallery visits and to curate exhibitions through peer-led interaction.

MASS CORRESPONDENCE COURSE SCULPTORS

REFER TO OUR ARTIST PAGES HERE FOR A LIST OF PREVIOUS SCULPTORS

 

MASS CORRESPONDENCE COURSE APPLICATIONS

 

*APPLICATIONS FOR 2025/26 ARE NOW OPEN*


How to apply and fees

Application is made annually by completing an online application form. Applications and application fee must be received before the deadline. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis until the deadline, when the process will close until the following year. Assessments are made on application only, there is no interview process.  Applicants can expect to hear about the outcome of their application within 6 weeks of Turps receiving it. Successful applicants will then be enrolled on the programme, on receipt of their fees, by the end of September.

Application Fee is £10. Click here to pay.

Fees for 2025/26 are £1,850.

Application Deadline: Monday 30th June 2025 (midnight).