Students celebrate degrees of success at end of year show

Students from the University of Wolverhampton’s Faculty of Arts are showcasing work they’ve created during their degree studies – and it’s sure to be a draw locally.

The Faculty of Arts Degree Show 2017, which has been sponsored by Banks’s Brewery, is open to the public from Saturday 10th June until Wednesday 21st June. The exhibition will be on display at the Wolverhampton School of Art, George Wallis Building, Molineux Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1DT.

This year, artwork from undergraduate students across 16 Bachelor of Arts Honours (BA) and Bachelor of Design Honours (BDes) courses will be on display, covering applied arts, digital media, fashion and textiles, fine art, graphic communication, illustration, interior design, photography and product design.

The School has exhibited over 8,000 students' work since opening its doors at the first degree show in 1969, and has featured some of the brightest new artists and designers in the country. 

Sam Hope, Head of the Wolverhampton School of Art, said:  “Our celebratory end of year show is a chance for students to experience first-hand what it’s like to create their own display in a gallery environment. Not only have they crafted and developed ideas, they also learn what kind of work goes into organising and creating a professional exhibition.

“Once again our students have shown outstanding levels of creativity during the course of their studies. They have created some fantastic pieces of work across a variety of disciplines which I’m sure will be enjoyed by everyone who takes the time to come along and view the work.”

Entry is free and open to everyone on weekdays from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm and on Saturdays from 11.00 am until 4.00 pm.  The exhibition will be closed on Sundays.

Samples of student work on display at the Degree Show.

A Student Perspective - Exploring the theme of repetition

Rebecca Collins, 45, from Newport, Shropshire, is exhibiting her work entitled ‘Repeat, Copy, Question’ at the Degree Show.

Studying for a part-time degree in Fine Art, Rebecca, who has three children and works as a freelance publishing project manager, said: “I used to consider myself to be exclusively a painter, but since continuing my studies at Wolverhampton I have been able to use a wider variety of media. My practice has evolved to become predominantly concept driven. I now work in video, photography, drawing, painting, social media and digital media.

“I've recently become fascinated with the idea of repetition in art and the deeply entrenched notion that the ‘copy’ – whether an idea or object – is inferior to the original. More specifically, I have been looking at repetition and how it dominates existence, not just in art, but in society, culture, politics and philosophy.

“Over the last 12 months I have been creating ‘replica’ posters and putting these up in the public domain. Each week has had a theme, such as artists who use repetition, political propaganda, and repetition or social media commentary on art or politics.”

For the Degree Show, Rebecca is exhibiting two plinths, both of which are covered in a ‘skin’ of drawings related to repetition. She has also created representational ‘copies’ of various objects and symbols and displayed them around the exhibition space.
 

She said: “I feel that I have switched from an artist who paints purely for the joy of painting to an artist who thinks and questions for the joy of thinking and questioning.”

Rebecca intends to continue her learning journey and plans to study for a Master’s Degree in Fine Art at the University of Wolverhampton.

Rebecca’s work is showcased in this year’s national a-n Degree Show Guide as one of ten ‘Class of 2017’ students.

Anyone wanting to find out more about courses offered at the Wolverhampton School of Art should visit the next Open Day on Saturday 17th June 2017.

ENDS

For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 32 2736 or 01902 518647.

Date Issued: 11th June 2017