The Prince's School of Traditional Arts   The Prince's School of Traditional Arts 19-22 Charlotte Road

The Prince's School of Traditional Arts was founded in 2004 by HRH The Prince of Wales as one of his core charities. It developed from the Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts Programme (VITA) that was established at The Royal College of Art in 1984 by Professor Keith Critchlow who pioneered a post-graduate programme based on the practice of, and research into, the traditional arts. The Prince's School offers practising artists the opportunity to undertake research at the highest level with post-graduate degrees (MA, MPhil, PhD) validated by the University of Wales.The fundamental principle of The School is that tradition is continual renewal. Experiencing the traditional arts as living skills students participate in their vibrancy and regeneration.The School's programmes aim to encourage an awareness amongst students that form, pattern and colour as manifested in the various branches of the traditional arts, are not simply pleasing to the senses, or demonstrations of good design, but are created to embody beauty — the beauty of the permanent that shines through into the world of the transient. The distinction made today between ‘Fine Art' and ‘Craft' is entirely modern. In a traditional society painting, pottery, carpentry, agriculture and music were all expressions of art or making and the artist's practical activity was integrated, not only into the wider community but also into a more profound order. The School's courses combine the teaching of the practical skills of the traditional arts and crafts with an understanding of the philosophy inherent within them. People come from all over the world to study at The School making a diverse and unique mix of students.The postgraduate courses are the foundation for the development of the Short Course Programme and the work conducted by the Outreach team, both in the United Kingdom and abroad. These programmes enable people to learn practical skills, encourage an appreciation of the universal values that are essential to the practice and understanding of the traditional arts and crafts, and support the recognition of the traditional arts as a valid means of contemporary expression.