Glasgow Kelvin College continues to forge ahead in the creative industries. The recent Art & Photography event at the prestigious Royal Glasgow Institute – Kelly Gallery was a huge success!
"This was my dream" enthused HND Photography student Daria Stachowiak as she reflected on being selected as a winner of the new "RGI Glasgow Kelvin Fine Art" award.
Glasgow Kelvin College collaborated with the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Art to produce a unique exhibition of Art and Photography where students exhibited their work alongside their lectures at a crammed weekend showcase in the RGI city centre gallery.
"The enemy of art" exhibition was titled in reference to an Orson Welles quote: “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations" and aimed to celebrate the resilience and creativity of students and lecturers during a challenging time for the sector.
Many students' college and university experience has been completely different to anything they could have imagined, in some cases not even being able to sit in a physical classroom with their lecturers and peers. Educators too have had to quickly adapt and find ways to inspire their students and keep themselves positive.
Lecturer, Simon Murphy commented:
"Like a flower breaking through concrete, art finds a way. Often, limitations and restrictions force the artist to look a little deeper and consider new ways of working. This has been the case with our students.
Much of the art displayed is self-reflective or inspired by references very close to home. This time has been tough for lecturers too, trying to keep motivated and inspiring, so the way that the exhibition was constructed with students' work being displayed beside lecturers was a message to say: 'we are all in this together'
Having the chance to partnership with the prestigious RGI, which has been in existence since 1861, has been a privilege and my hope is that it will give the students another opportunity to progress their artistic careers. The response to the exhibition so far has been phenomenal".
The exhibition saw the introduction of the “RGI Glasgow Kelvin” fine art prize aimed to recognise exceptional work produced by students.
The winning students were:
- HND Year 2 Photography: Andrew Robertson, Daria Stachowiak
- HND Year 1 Photography: Jade Haggarty
- HND Year 2 Art and Design: Justyna Dados
- HND Year 1 Art and Design: Erin Clifford
We wish these students every success in the future and look forward to seeing their careers develop.
