Barnsley College Graphic Design student takes his art to the capital

Spencer takes his art to the capital

Barnsley College Graphic Design student Spencer Hughes has been selected to exhibit his artwork at the Origins Creative Arts Festival at the Truman Brewery in London this July.

The Origins Creative Arts Festival is organised by the UAL Awarding Body and provides art lovers, critics and industry professionals from the creative sector the chance to meet original 14-18 creative talent from across the UK. The festival promises a unique first look at the as-yet-unseen future stars of the creative scene from UK schools and FE institutions taking pre-degree creative arts subjects such as Creative Media, Music and Performing Arts to Art, Graphic Design and Fashion.

18-year-old Spencer’s graphic work, titled Anonymous Secrets Mental Health Awareness, explores anonymous posts on the internet that can lead to mental health issues and caught the attention of the UAL Awarding Body’s curators from over 360 submissions they received for the festival.

Ross Anderson, Director of the UAL Awarding Body, said: “Origins Creative Arts Festival offers students the significant opportunity to exhibit their work. It gives them a moment in time where they can experience what it is like to be an arts professional.”

Spencer added: “At a time where mental health is taking precedence, I felt it imperative that I not only created something experimental and modern, but also informative. It was important to me that I made use of my final major project to convey a practical message, speaking out about mental health in my design language. I have the Barnsley College tutors, Paul Harris and Jade Jenkinson, to thank for their support and encouragement along my journey into new beginnings. We can all benefit from sharing knowledge and experience in the emotive subject of mental health awareness.”

The Origin Creative Arts Festival is open to the public at the Truman Brewery, Brick Lane from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 July. The festival is expected to attract thousands of visitors over the three days, with the programme including an awards event to select the top work across each subject area, guest speakers, and performance tie-ins with Barbican Box.

Notes to editors:

<![if !supportLists]>·         <![endif]>Photograph: Spencer Hughes with his graphic work at the Barnsley College Art, Design and Fashion End of Year Show.

• Barnsley College is rated outstanding by Ofsted. It has approximately 9,300 students studying on various programmes including Vocational courses, A Levels, Apprenticeships, Part-time, and Higher Education courses. See www.barnsley.ac.uk, www.barnsleysixthformcollege.co.uk or www.barnsley.ac.uk/highereducation for more information.

• UAL Awarding Body believes in transformative education. We design and award creative qualifications that empower and inspire educators to help students reach their potential. UAL Awarding Body is regulated by Ofqual, CCEA and Qualifications Wales. We currently offer qualifications in art and design, fashion, creative media, music and performing and production arts. We are also the UK’s leading provider of the Diploma in Art & Design – Foundation Studies. Our qualifications have high retention and achievement rates because they are flexible, responsive and relevant to industry needs, and facilitate student progression. www.arts.ac.uk/awarding

• For more information please contact Tanya Searing on 01226 216 693 or email [email protected]

Tanya Searing
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Barnsley College, PO Box 266, Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2YW
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