NTU DEGREE SHOWS
Spotlight on the creatives of the future as university prepares for its annual art and design degree shows
The next generation of creative talent is preparing for this year’s art and design degree show festival at Nottingham Trent University. Visitors from across the UK are expected to descend on Nottingham as hundreds of final year students exhibit their work in purpose-built creative spaces and stunning flagship buildings across the university’s City site from June 2-12. Follow NVA for updates and listings of when and where the shows will be taking place.
Original, innovative and inspiring work produced by undergraduates from more than 20 courses across the School of Art and Design and School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment will feature in the shows, which are open to the public. The highlight of the Schools’ calendars, the shows give visitors a glimpse of the next big names in the creative industries, and help to illustrate why the university has earned its worldwide reputation for creativity, innovation and design excellence.
Visitors will be able to see an impressive array of work which spans the media and creative practices including sculpture, painting, illustration, graphics, photography, print, moving image, theatre and digital design. Work in directional fashion, knitwear and textiles, decorative arts, architectural design projects, futuristic products and cutting-edge furniture and interior solutions will also be shown.
Once again, the university’s Newton and Arkwright buildings will feature as key venues for the shows at the heart of the City site. Work will also be displayed at Bonington, a purpose-built centre for creativity, and Waverley, a beautifully-restored listed building with true design heritage, and home to the very first Nottingham School of Art and Design in 1843.
Some of the students’ work will be more widely exhibited across the city of Nottingham, and also nationally, at a range of prominent and prestigious London events including Graduate Fashion Week, New Designers, D&AD, New Blood, and Free Range, Europe’s largest showcase of graduate art and design work.
As in previous years, the ever-popular catwalk shows will begin prior to the main degree show schedule, when students from the fashion design and fashion knitwear design and knitted textiles courses present their collections in the university’s Newton building on May 19 and 20. Some of these students will be selected to showcase their work alongside the UK’s very best fashion talent as part of Graduate Fashion Week, which takes place at Earls Court 2 in London from June 5-8.
The students’ annual photography showcase – XV Photography Festival – will also take place just before the regular show calendar, from May 23 to June 3, and will see students present their exciting work at venues across Nottingham.
The Dean of Nottingham Trent University’s School of Art and Design, Professor Judith Mottram, said: “As well as being the high spot of the student calendar, we see these events as a moment to celebrate the creative spirit of Nottingham. We have a long history as a creative and enterprising city and want to celebrate this with our professional colleagues and our neighbouring communities - we hope this year to see record numbers from local schools and businesses coming to see what we have been getting up to.”
The Dean of the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, Peter Westland, said: “I just love the design shows at Nottingham Trent University, the collegiate and communal buzz in preparing and getting ready to show the great talent in design and creativity that is the pinnacle in the year for most of our final year students. Friends, families, supporters and people with a genuine interest in design, potential students, alumni and employers, have a great time in celebrating the talent and innovation which is on show for all to see and appreciate, indeed to see the future of design is in good hands.”
As part of the degree show calendar there will be a private view for industry and professional contacts on June 9 from 5-8pm.
