End of an era as Degree Show has final fling at Avenue Campus

The University of Northampton is marking the end of an era when its Degree Show takes place at Avenue Campus for the final time.

The Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology’s annual end-of-year showcase of students’ work will be held at the much-loved campus in St George’s Avenue for the very last time next week, as the University will be relocating to its brand new Waterside Campus in September.

To mark the occasion, Graphics and Illustration Senior Lecturer, James Smith, and Subject Leader for Design and Photography, Alex Taylor, selected a series of historic photographs from Avenue Campus for the Degree Show’s posters, invitations and mini guide – below.

Alex said: “We felt that the branding this year should reflect the long heritage that Avenue Campus and its buildings have had in housing creative courses and end of year shows.

“Creativity at Avenue has been a part of Northampton’s landscape since the 1930s, and end of year shows have happened at least since the 1960s judging from some of the show posters in our poster collection.

“This year will be the final year that the art and design programmes exhibit together at Avenue and we felt that it should be recognised.

“The images used in our campaign are taken from our University archive and were selected for their parallels with what we teach today. Additionally, the building is celebrated through the years as it has grown and changed.”

There has been teaching at the Avenue site since 1924, when Northampton Technical College was established. In 1937 the town’s School of Art opened there.

In 1975, an amalgamation of colleges created Nene College of Higher Education, which then became the University of Northampton in 2005.

The Degree Show opens to the public on Saturday 9 June and runs until Friday 15 June, when visitors are welcome to explore the campus exhibitions.

Faculty Dean, John Sinclair, said: “The show represents the culmination of our students’ studies and is a marvellous showcase for the talents of our degree-level and HND students.

“Visitors to the show will encounter a wide range of displays and artefacts: many beautiful, some challenging, all thought-provoking.

“I hope that they will be as impressed as I have been in the past with the breadth of inspiration and the dedication of our wonderful students.”

The Degree Show opens to the public on Saturday 9 June and runs until Friday 15 June. During that time, the campus is open to visitors between 10am and 4pm. Avenue Campus is located in St George’s Avenue, NN2 6JD.

You can view photos from the University archives on Flickr.