A big move, to be sure; a big change; having said that, it hasn't seemed like such a huge wrench. I am, of course, very sad to be leaving colleagues with whom I have worked for as long as 27 years, some colleagues who have become friends, sad also to be handing over some projects I've nurtured even though I know that the people who are taking them over are more than capable of making a success of them. Wednesday night last week was my night-out with my colleagues and I handed my camera over to Anne Wood of the fashion department to record:
Moving to Birmingham is a bit of a dream-come-true for me; I've had the vague idea since I first visited the school (1993? 1994? Norman Cherry was still head of school in those days) that I would like to work in such an environment but never really pursued it, so when the post came up before the summer holidays, it was with some enthusiasm that I applied and today found myself walking through the doors.
From being met in the car-park by Jeremy Hobbins, Deputy Head of School and Head of Horology, to being welcomed by my new colleagues in Jewellery - Rachael, Kate, Sian, Sally - plus all the support staff, I've had a brilliant day, visiting the other campuses, seeing the MA show at the School of Art and having a rather good coffee and cake in York's.
The school is undergoing extensive refurbishment at the moment, so most of my work today was done wherever there was a seat. This does have the advantage of revealing some interesting facets of the history of the school and I absolutely couldn't resist these wonderful photographs uncovered at the back door (and I trust not heading skip-wards):
More from the heart of the West Midlands soon, once I've settled in a bit more.