Over the past 20 years, students have been welcomed to Highgreen for group visits, individual placements and week-long residencies, providing valuable experience of working alongside professional artists in a rural setting. These opportunities have given students a unique insight into life after graduation, helping them to develop confidence, independence and an understanding of how to sustain a creative practice beyond university.

For a number of years this partnership thrived through the University’s LifeWorkArt programme, led by David Butler, which focused on preparing Fine Art graduates for professional life. During this time, a core group of students returned to Highgreen annually over four consecutive years, building strong connections with resident artists and the local community. Each project was developed collaboratively, shaped by the interests and working methods of the artist in residence.

In November 2023, VARC welcomed eight Fine Art students from Newcastle University for a special Dark Skies mini-residency, organised in partnership with Unison Colour and the Northumberland National Park Authority. The project celebrated the tenth anniversary of Northumberland’s designation as an International Dark Sky Park.

During the residency, students visited the home of Unison Colour, learning first-hand about the process of hand-rolling soft pastels and the craft behind this Northumberland-based company. Each participant was presented with a special box of Dark Sky pastels, created for the project, which they used during their week-long residency at Highgreen to produce drawings and mixed-media artworks inspired by the night sky, landscape and sense of place.

The resulting works were later exhibited at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre, celebrating the students’ achievements.