The Royal College of Art

Located in South Kensington, London, the Royal College of Art is the only wholly postgraduate university of art and design in the world.

Widely viewed as a crucible of the creative industries, it prepares students for careers in art, design and the creative sector.  Courses are taught by internationally renowned artists, practitioners and theorists, and students have a unique opportunity to study art in a design environment, and design in an art environment.

The College's Royal Charter, granted in 1967, specifies that the purpose of the institution is "to advance learning, knowledge and professional competence particularly in the field of fine arts...through teaching, research and collaboration with industry and commerce."  RCA alumni include Sir James Dyson, Thomas Heatherwick, David Hockney, Tracey Emin, Christopher Bailey, Julien McDonald, Alison Jackson, Idris Khan, David Adjaye, AOC, Suzie Templeton and Sir Ridley Scott.

Joanna Piotrowska

Joanna Piotrowska is the current beneficiary of the Genesis Scholarship for Photography at the Royal College of Art. A 2009 graduate from the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, Poland, she has been offered a place on the two-year M.A. programme. Her work focuses on cultural memory through evocative use of portraiture and landscape.

Joanna Piotrowska was selected from the shortlisted candidates in September 2011 by a panel of judges that comprised Greta Alfaro, artist and Genesis Scholarship recipient 2009 – 2011; image maker Chris Levine; Harriet Capaldi, Managing Director of the Genesis Foundation; Professor Olivier Richon, Acting Dean of Fine Art, Royal College of Art and 2002 Turner Prize shortlisted artist Catherine Yass.

Greta Alfaro

Greta Alfaro is the first beneficiary of the new Genesis Foundation Scholarship programme at the Royal College of Art.  A postgraduate photography student from Valencia, Spain, she has been offered a place on the two-year M.A. programme and will receive £10,000 per year from the Genesis Foundation.  Her work deals with the importance and significance of images in contemporary Western society.

Greta Alfaro was selected from the shortlisted candidates in September 2009 by a panel of judges chaired by Runa Islam - a 2008 Turner Prize nominee - who holds a degree in Photography and an MPhil from the Royal College of Art.  The image-maker Chris Levine represented the Genesis Foundation.