Illustration students draw on their artistic skills to showcase end-of-year artwork

A duo of exhibitions have been showcased across the past week to display the creative talent on offer from artistic students at the University of Northampton.

Second and first-year undergraduates on the University’s Illustration course recently unveiled two exhibitions, the first – ‘Metamorfosis – was showcased at Delapre Abbey from 17-21 April, with the second – ‘Books and Pieces’ – on display from 23-29 April at the University’s campus.

Both exhibitions were valuable opportunities for students to publicise their end-of-year creative works, as well as develop their skills and confidence with exhibiting their work throughout their three years of study.

One of the students involved in the exhibition included Annie Nguyen, who explained: “It has been great exhibiting our work for staff, students and members of the community to see.

“I showcased two pieces of work, one of which was a re-designed book cover for ‘The Paper Menagerie.’ I created a surrealist book cover with rich symbolism – with a white chrysanthemum at its centrepiece to reflect the emotions of grief and mourning, as well as a loss of identity. I’m really pleased with how it turned out!”

The University’s Senior Lecturer in Illustration, Zoe Taylor said: “It’s fantastic to see our students exhibiting their work on campus and at local heritage site, Delapre Abbey – they should be very proud of what they have created.

“Exhibitions form a huge part of our degree offering here at UON, and we actively encourage our students to proudly share their artwork (as, we hope, they will continue to do throughout their future careers). The exhibitions were strongly student-led, as they took responsibility for staging the exhibition, printing their artwork merchandise and running the pop-up shops.

“Not only will experiences such as this this equip our students with vital skills, it gives our staff, students and community an opportunity to see first-hand their creative work – and the opportunity to celebrate them!

Find out more about studying Illustration at the University of Northampton.