Degree Show 2014
Published On Thu 1 May 2014 by Grant Hill
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) will showcase work from some of the country’s best young creatives later this month when Degree Show season gets underway once again.
The DJCAD Degree Show is the first of the flagship exhibitions held by Scotland’s four main art and design colleges each year. The traditional Preview Evening for the students, their families and invited guests takes place on Friday, 16th May, with the city’s largest annual exhibition of art and design, featuring the work of some 245 final-year students, opening to the public the next day and remaining open until Sunday, 25th May.
DJCAD has a reputation as one of the leading art schools in the UK and many of its students go on to be world-renowned artists. This year’s cohort will be hoping to emulate the success of the likes of Turner Prize winner Susan Philipsz and nominees David Mach, Louise Wilson and Luke Fowler, who are all DJCAD alumni, as are photographer Albert Watson, fashion designer Hayley Scanlan, film director David Mackenzie, video games pioneer Aaron Garbut and the late painter Alberto Morrocco.
Students from all 11 undergraduate programmes will exhibit the fruits of their labours across the two buildings and fourteen floors that comprise DJCAD, with every spare space exhibiting art and design. The show attracts thousands of visitors each year and is seen as a springboard for some of Scotland’s most exciting emerging artists and designers.
The standard of DJCAD students has been borne out by the number selected for prestigious prizes and exhibitions, such as the New Designers, New Blood, FreeRange and New Contemporaries on the basis of their Degree Show work.
Jeanette Paul, Acting Dean of DJCAD, said, “Over the coming months, thousands of talented artists and designers from across Scotland will be exhibiting the fruits of their training over the past four years and our graduands consistently prove themselves to be among the best in the country.
“This is demonstrated by their strong performance at New Contemporaries last year. This illustrious exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy brings together the best work from all Degree Shows and the number of awards given to DJCAD graduates shows how skilled and creative the artists we produce are.
“Our designers take their Degree Show to London every year to present at prestigious exhibitions. DJCAD graduates have consistently won many of the top prizes at these venues and are making a real difference in industry and to the wellbeing of society.
“Degree Show is always a special time for the University community, and indeed the whole city, and I’m sure the thousands of visitors who flock to DJCAD will once again be impressed by what they see.”
The exhibition will be open to the public from Saturday, 17th May until Sunday, May 25th. Admission is free and the exhibition is open from 10am until 8pm (Monday – Friday) and 10am to 4pm (Saturday – Sunday).
The DJCAD Degree Show is one of the highlights of the city’s cultural calendar, attracting some 10,000 visitors each year and generating in excess of £1million for the local economy in the process.
It is part of the Ignite Dundee festival, which runs from 16-31 May and showcases the very best of Dundee’s creative talent.
More details can be found at www.dundee.ac.uk/degreeshow.
Ignite Dundee is a partnership between Abertay University; Dundee Contemporary Arts; Dundee – One City, Many Discoveries; Dundee Rep Theatre; Leisure & Culture Dundee; University of Dundee and V&A Dundee.