Sandra Lawton was educated in Brighton, her home town, and was able to take advantage of programmes designed for talented local school children designed by the Art College. She went on to a successful career in film including her post as Film Festival Director for UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in Los Angeles.

After following the 150th anniversary of the Brighton College of Art in 2009, Sandra wrote remembering her early education:

“I attended the Brighton College of Art from about 1958 until about 1965 in a Saturday class for a handful of local gifted children. I was nine years old when I started and I believe that the teacher most involved with this class was a dedicated Mr. Horton* and I can picture him exactly in my mind now.

“The old Grand Parade building was inspiringly atmospheric with the projects, colorful students, interesting faculty and the smell of the paint and materials. Even through a child’s eye, I was home in my restless mind and they were my kind of people. I would climb to the top floor studio that had lots of skylights and be full of anticipation, excitement and of course the usual fear about my work. My time, at what was know then as the Brighton College of Art was the most positive and generous experience of my childhood and teenage years and possibly my life. It led me to ultimately find a successful career in film but I will soon retire and will be renting a small studio to paint and draw again.

“I have lived in Los Angeles for 35 years and work in the film industry and am currently the Academic Projects Manager and Film Festival Director for University of California, Los Angeles Department of Film, Television and Digital Media in Los Angeles.”

Sandra Lawton 2011

*believed to be Ronald Horton, passionate educator, who donated his archive to the university.