Glasgow School of Art’s Graduate Degree Show 2014 – a showcase of all the intensive one year MA pathways at the school – opens this weekend and runs from 6-12 September. Now in its third year the Fine Art Practice (MLitt) pathway or ‘Masters of Letters’ hangs its own exhibition in the McLellan Galleries down the road from the Mackintosh building in Glasgow.
“We normally use the Mackintosh for the show,” explains John Calcutt, programme leader of MLitt, “For obvious reasons the fire has prevented us from using the space. It has been a bit last minute but we have secured the McLellan Galleries instead – its important for the students to have an environment to hang a show of their work properly.”
The McLellan Galleries were used to showcase the BA degree show at Glasgow School of Art earlier in 2014, and were also used to house a selection of GI 2014 exhibitions. With a huge amount of focus on the BA and MFA degree shows earlier in the summer, which some would argue is validated by audience figures attending the exhibitions, the Graduate Degree Show later in the year presents itself to a somewhat different audience.
“The Graduate Degree Show will have a lot of visitors comprising new students entering a number of different courses for the 2014/15 term. It’s a different type of audience than that of our degree shows earlier in the year.” continues Calcutt, “The Fine Art Practice (MLitt) course takes on students who are at a stage in their careers where they need a new direction. It is also an intensive period for practitioners to revivify their approach to making work.”
The MLitt course also throws attention to students’ ability to extend their practices beyond the course, as Calcutt explains, “Many students present exhibitions and events out with the course structure. This is something we expect and encourage as a means of developing an art practice.”
Many other MA courses bring together students who have experience in other careers prior to undertaking further study, the MLitt Fine Art Practice course is no exception. We contacted three Fine Art Practice students graduating this year – Jennifer Wicks, Dico Kruijsse and Liam Allan – see the images within this post for more information on their work.
You can find out more about this year’s graduates – including activities extending beyond the course – on their dedicated ‘Masters of Letters’ website – http://www.mastersofletters1314.com
For more information on the Graduate Degree Show, which includes work from architecture, design, fine art and digital disciplines, follow this link – http://www.gsa.ac.uk/life/gsa-events/events/g/graduate-degree-show-2014
