Claire Terry

Having previously worked in aerospace and motorsport engineering, Claire was looking for a complete career change when she enrolled on our part-time Diploma in the History of Art (2019-2021). Since completing the course, she has now started a new career as a conservator in historic conservation.

'After a long career in engineering, first in aerospace then motorsport, I had a real longing for change and after much soul-searching and apprehension, I finally took the plunge and gave up work. I immediately signed up for several of the Department's short courses in art history. This introduction to adult learning was just what I needed and it gave me the confidence to enrol on the Diploma in the History of Art. I was very fortunate to have a course director whose positive outlook, true passion and deep knowledge of the subject was really amazing and infectious. I knew from then on that I had picked the right course. 

'My two chosen modules were Modern and Contemporary Art and Revolution to Modernity, which really stretched my academic knowledge. We were encouraged to look deeper than just seeing the art in isolation and consider a much broader contextual approach, whether that was social and political attitudes and constraints, fashion and trends, changes in techniques and materials and much more.  

'The course provided excellent field trips to London and Oxford, which were a combination of architectural walking tours (lots of walking so be warned!) and gallery visits. What I found most rewarding was our course tutors encouraged class debate to bounce ideas off each other; to unpick and analyse the work which often led me to change my view of the work or the artist that produced it! Which, after all, is what learning should be about, to challenge your ideas and misconceptions, hopefully for the better. 

'I found the research essays at the end of each module particularly challenging, especially as one of them was written during the pandemic when libraries and art institutions were closed and I had, in hindsight, foolishly chosen to write about an obscure artist from China living in Hawaii! The staff at the Rewley House Library were amazing, they came to the rescue helping me to locate sources including a rare gallery catalogue which they purchased for my reference. The research essays are definitely a stressful element due to the time constraint and a word count of just 8000 words. But in turn, they teach you to remain focused on your critical argument and to be disciplined with your time management. 

'Since completing the course I have started a new career as a conservator in historic conservation which brings together my engineering experience with my knowledge of art history. I am so lucky that I am now in a privileged position to intimately view and handle art often in remote places that may not be accessible to the general public. I am now studying for an MSc in Historic Conservation; this long-established and highly regarded course is jointly run by Oxford Brookes and the University of Oxford, so I happily return to Rewley House once again!'

Learn more:

• Diploma in the History of Art 
• All courses in the History of Art