The a-n Degree Shows Guide 2019 is now published and includes details of degree shows across the UK.
With a cover image by University of Suffolk student Felicity Beaumont, the 40-page guide also features an in-depth interview with London-based artist Larry Achiampong plus comment and advice from graduating students, lecturers and visual art professionals.
This year’s guide is complemented by our degree shows website at a-n.co.uk/degree-shows, with listings for more than 70 exhibitions and an interactive map to help you find a show near you.
Speaking in an extensive interview, Achiampong – who completed a BA in Mixed Media Fine Art at the University of Westminster and a Masters in Sculpture at the Slade – explains how his time as a student “really helped to push but also shape the way that I think as an artist”.
As part of a four-page interview he highlights how issues around race and class influenced his experience of art school: “I was a young black man from Dagenham in east London, so I was in a minority not just in terms of the students, but also who was teaching me,” he explains.
In a wide-ranging interview discussing his art education and its impact both on his practice and teaching work at the Royal College of Art, Achiampong expresses concern about the rising cost of higher education in England. “I think the approach to education in general has to change,” he says.
Elsewhere in the guide, our Class of 2019 feature sees 10 graduating students share their thoughts on degree show time, with extended versions of available to read at a-n.co.uk/degree-shows.
As part of the feature, Felicity Beaumont says: “At the beginning of my degree, I struggled to convincingly define my practice. Now I feel I have developed a strong artistic identity by exploring what interests and inspires me, how I work, and why I am motivated to paint.”
Meanwhile, our What Makes A Great Degree Show feature offers some expert advice on how students should approach their final-year exhibition, and we also look at the kind of support available to recently graduated art students.
Look out for updates and coverage of degree shows as they open on both a-n News and at a-n.co.uk/degree-shows. We’ll also be featuring a selection of degree shows on the a-n Instagram.
a-n Degree Shows Guide 2019 is available on a-n.co.uk/degree-shows alongside more news, views and pictures from this year’s shows.
You can view on Issuu here or join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #andegrees19.
Images:
1. Cover of a-n Degree Shows Guide 2019 featuring Sunshine by Felicity Beaumont, University of Suffolk
2. Larry Achiampong. Photo: Roger Sinek
More on a-n.co.uk:
Turner Prize 2019 shortlist: from sound as architecture to boundary-pushing painting
A Q&A with… Sean Edwards, artist representing Wales at the 2019 Venice Biennale
