Programme Director of Animation
Lesley Adams leads our BA (Hons) Animation and MA Animation courses at UCA Farnham.
Bio
Lesley has over thirty years teaching experience and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and served as an Academic Member of the Board of Governors at UCA from 2017-21.
Lesley has a first-class (Hons) Graphic Design degree and worked commercially within the industry as a designer and animator before graduating with her MA Animation degree from the Royal College of Art in 1991.
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Animation Career Review (an interview with Lesley)
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Twitter: @lesleyLadams and @UCAanimation
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Instagram: farnhamanimation
Research statement
Lesley is currently working as a story consultant and script advisor on the European Film Funded ‘Cosmonauts like Chewing Gum too’ directed by Veselina Dashinova & Aline Helmke (2021) and has worked as a story consultant on the BFI funded ‘Rumour Mill’ directed by Bexie Bush, 2020.
She has also directed several Arts Council funded films and events, including the award-winning Channel 4 and Arts Council England funded film ‘Postcards of Belief’.
She has curated animation screenings at Bradford International Animation Festival, National Film Theatre in London, Cardiff International Animation Festival, the Lightbox in Woking, and the Black Film Makers Festival in London
She was also co-curator for the Making Time: Works Inside Animation exhibition at the James Hockey Gallery in Farnham.
Research supervision
Individually mentored students, through the application process and portfolio development, for Post Graduate courses at the Royal College of Art and National Film and Television School. In this period of time out of the 59 students who have applied for Post Graduate courses, 56 students were successful in achieving places (29 to the RCA and 27 to the NFTS). (1996 -)
Professional Membership, Affiliation and Consultancy
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
- Member of HEA, NAHEMI and Animation Alliance UK.
- Edinburgh College of Art, BA Animation 2019 –
- Norwich University of Arts, BA Animation & Animation & Visual Effects 2019 –
- London College of Communication/ University of Arts, BA Animation Re-validation 2017-18.
- University for the Creative Arts, Farnham. Internal Panel Member, School of Film Media & Performing Arts Validation. 2017.
- University Centre Croydon/University of Sussex, London. External Panel Member, School of Art Validation, 2017.
- University of Bolton, BA (Hons) Animation & Illustration. 2016 – 2018.
- University of South Wales, Cardiff. BA Animation Direction, BA Animation (2D & Stop-frame) & BA Computer 2016 – 2018.
- University of South Wales, Cardiff. External Panel Member, Faculty of Creative Industries. 2016.
- National Film & Television School, Industry Advisor for MA Animation Direction. 2012 – 2015
- Staffordshire University, Stoke on Trent. External Examiner, BA Design: 2002.
- Staffordshire University, Stoke on Trent. External Panel Member, BA/MA Design: Animation Validation. 2001.
Lesley has received two Teaching Excellence Awards (2006 and 2011) and has been nominated for an Excellence in Leadership & Management Award (2008/09) and by the students for an ‘Awesome Tutor’ Award (2016) and ‘Best Staff Member’ (2017).