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DEFINING SUCCESS
“Keep the wilting flowers
away from the visitors”
What do tutors and art school directors think a degree show needs to do
for it to be considered successful We asked around for some thoughts.
What makes a successful degree show Linda
Drew, deputy director of Glasgow School of
Art, has been to quite a few and knows what
she likes: “I think there’s a kind of alchemy of
(un)predictable parts; above all, good art and
design work. I prefer a well-curated selection
with captions rather than lots of extraneous
material. I love to see excited students who
are able and willing to engage with you about
their work.”
Ginny Button, director of The Falmouth
School of Art, says: “A degree show should
enable students to put themselves on the
line, and provide a real experience of what
it means to engage with an audience. It is a
pivotal as well as celebratory moment, looking
backwards to reflect on what they’ve achieved
during their degree, as well as looking
forwards to continue with their practice.
It should never be a finale, but more of a
springboard to the next stage.”
For Sarah R Key, joint award leader, fine art, at
Staffordshire University, the degree show is
about bringing together the many strands of
a course – and not being afraid to take a few
risks. “It should reflect the breadth of practices
that emerge from a broad-based course and
the richness that comes from diversity within
the studio environment. It pulls together the
many threads of individual artistic enquiry
to create an exciting platform from which
tomorrow’s artists can emerge.”
Steve Hawley, Associate Dean Research at
Manchester School of Art, believes a degree
show should deliver the unexpected: “A
successful show shouldn’t be concerned with
polish necessarily, although professionalism
and attention to detail are important. The
main thing is to see work that takes risks
within an awareness of the past – and that
produces an involuntary thrill of surprise.”
Dean Hughes, director of undergraduate
studies at Edinburgh School of Art, says
degree shows “are for me synonymous
with a change in the weather. It’s a light
and optimistic time.” He continues: “At
their worst they bring out the drain pipedividing
megalomaniac. As a high point, they
sometimes bring forth a truly memorable
experience which is free from the dominant
mercantile culture industry.”
“Something for everyone and many things for
anyone” is what Paul Harris, head of Gray’s
School of Art, Aberdeen, expects from a
degree show. “[It should hold] challenges and
rewards, both sensual and intellectual, and
should do exactly what it’s meant to do –
launch the newest generation of society’s most
creative minds and talent into the world.”
Wayne Lloyd, fine arts course leader at UWE
Bristol, adds: “People look on degree shows as
if they take place at the beginning of an artist’s
careers. But significant things have already
happened to these new artists. Experiences
from an artist’s early life continue to be a
source of material for decades to come, but
being older doesn’t make you smarter. Their
art is good right now...”
Even good art, though, can be let down by
bad presentation. Glasgow School of Art’s
deputy director has a view on that: “Each
students’ showing space need not be curated
to resemble a ‘mini me’ show. Keep the wilting
flowers, personal stash of wine and other
artefacts away from the visitors; it really does
detract. The best degree shows feel great
on the night and continue to have a strong
student presence into the following week –
after all, this is practice for art practice.”
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UWE Bristol, Fine Art
degree show, 2013.
Photo: Steve Norton
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