2020: The Year of Artsfest Online

This year marks the sixth year of Artsfest hosted by the university. Traditionally we join with cultural venues across the region to programme a variety of events including live performances, workshops, theatre shows, music, poetry, art exhibitions, and lots more to get involved with. 

Each year we invite an eclectic range of new and established artists both locally and further afield, to use Artsfest as a platform to enhance their careers. This is something that we are proud to support and will endeavour to do in the future, using Artsfest as a vehicle to continue to bring you the very best this region has to offer.

Despite all the challenges this year we still wanted to bring art to you, so in response to the current climate we've presented Artsfest 2020 as a series of online artist talks. Our autumn/winter programme is under way so please keep checking here for updates or alternatively follow us on Instagram www.instagram.com/wlvartsfest 

You can catch up with with any talks you may have missed or simply watch them again! Just visit the 'Previous Events' section of this page or go to the University of Wolverhampton YouTube channel where you will find lots of other creative and inspiring videos to watch too >> UoW YouTube Channel 

Claire Buckerfield
Artsfest Coordinator

Arts Drop Project - School of Art Prize 

ASPIRE to HE and Wolverhampton School of Art have provided 250 art packs to support Y10 and Y12 students with their art studies during lockdown. The budding artists from local schools have two art briefs to work on, and the two students with the most impressive piece of work will be awarded the School of Art prize of £50 worth of professional art materials from our onsite materials shop >> School of Art Shop.

Extraordinary Everyday! 3D Project

The first project brief set by Paul McAllister course leader in ceramics and glass asks students to scrutinise an object and draw it carefully recording all of its distinguishing characteristics. Students will then make a ‘version’ of the object in another material in response to their research. The twist is that students will be making it to a different scale!

This Is Me! Recording Our Identities 2D Project

The second project brief set by Amy Evans, lecturer in illustration asks students to think about their identity where they live/ who they live with/ what they like to do/read/listen to/ their friends/ what they eat and wear. Identity is not simple - it is made up of multiple factors! Students will then make a 2D piece of work in response to their research.

BA (Hons) Applied Art student Nikki Palmer and MA Fine Art graduate Tod Jones have offered their hints and tips on how they approached the briefs in the videos below. Check them out!

Here are some of the amazing designs sent in by the students....

Read more about Aspire to HE in partnership with the University of Wolverhampton here >>Aspire to HE

WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

2D project winner: Hannah K 

‘What a hard job, and also an honour it has been to judge this project! All submissions have been fantastic in their own way and I am absolutely delighted to see young people engaging with the arts and exploring and expressing their own identity. Hannah’s work follows the brief, and then she has gone on to really gives it her own twist. Her final artwork demonstrates a really creative way of compiling all of the elements and components outlined in the brief, and she presented them in a really aesthetically pleasing way with good attention to design. You can see that she has been inspired by artists and practitioners who incorporate the theme of identity in their own work. You feel, after really looking at this artwork, that you get to know Hannah through this image. She has taken risks and experimented with a mixed media approach which really suits the eclectic nature of expressing an identity that is made up of many moving parts. She has also addressed a global issue that is important to her which is something that we encourage students to do on our courses here in the school of art. Congratulations Hannah, and a huge well done to every single person that got involved in the arts drop project, whether they submitted work, or if they chose to use the arts pack to develop their own practice in their own way. It has never been more important to stay creative!' Amy Evans lecturer, Illustration.

3D project winner: Jessica Morris

'I fell for this object because of its characterful qualities and the careful studies in pencil. Translating these observations of a very mechanical object made in metal into the malleable clay has transformed what is perhaps a familiar object to many of us into something of great warmth. Well done Jessica!' Paul mcallister course leader, Ceramics and Glass.