A celebration of emerging creative talent — with a rich tradition of showcasing award-winning student work — is set to open at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) for its annual art and design showcase.
Graduate Festival 25 by the Nottingham School of Art & Design, and the Student Showcase from the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, will both open at NTU’s City Campus and a range of external venues in Nottingham.
The exhibitions – which are free to the public – span a wide spectrum of creative disciplines, including fashion, knitwear and textile design; fashion marketing and communication; fine art, photography, film and animation; graphic design and illustration; stage and screen design; product and furniture design; as well as architecture, interior architecture and architectural technology.
NTU students will also present their work at leading national events in London, including Graduate Fashion Week – the world’s largest showcase of new fashion talent – and New Designers, where disciplines such as product design, textiles, illustration, and animation will be represented. Graphic design students will also feature at D&AD New Blood, celebrating the brightest new talent in visual communication.
The university continues to partner with Nottingham’s vibrant creative community, with exhibitions and installations hosted in collaboration with local venues such as Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham Playhouse, Backlit, Surface Gallery and the Carousel, expanding the festival’s citywide presence.
The Graduate Festival 25 begins today (12 May) with Filmmaking and Design for Film and Television student work going on show at the new Design & Digital Arts (D&DA) building. This is then followed by a range of other exhibitions, with full details available via ntu.ac.uk/gradfest.
The Student Showcase begins on 30 May with a public exhibition of product design, furniture design and architecture in the Newton building. Full details are available via ntu.ac.uk/c/adbe-student-showcase.
Michael Marsden, Executive Dean of the Nottingham School of Art & Design, said: “Creativity and design shape our surrounding physical and cultural environments, and the Graduate Festival 25 is an opportunity for the public to get a glimpse of the future.
“These shows represent not only the end of our students’ academic journeys, but the start of their bold and exciting creative careers. We invite the public to engage with our students’ work, hear their stories, and experience what the future of design will look like.”
Dr Andrew Knight, Executive Dean of the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, said: “The annual showcase is always a proud moment for NTU, as it highlights the ingenuity and commitment of our students who apply creative thinking to real-world design challenges.
“These exhibitions offer the chance to see not only fantastically executed designs and prototypes, but also the deep research and problem-solving that goes into every concept. We look forward to welcoming members of the public to see them.”
Exhibitions vary by course area and dates. For full details – and to book for ticketed events – visit: www.ntu.ac.uk/gradfest and ntu.ac.uk/c/adbe-student-showcase