<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-graphic-design"><strong>BA (Hons) Graphic Design</strong></a><strong> student </strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/olczykdesign/"><strong>Liam Olczyk</strong></a></p> <p dir="ltr">The Vice-Chancellor's Commendation Awards recognise outstanding creative and academic achievement, alongside a sustained contribution to the university community, where the student has produced high-quality work, made significant progress, and made a positive contribution to the programme through excellent studentship. Liam was put forward for this award because he has been an enthusiastic advocate for the university throughout his time studying, earning nominations for student ambassador of the year.</p> <p dir="ltr">Liam has an excellent understanding of himself as a designer, especially notions of design for good, his impact on the world and ethical/moral understanding of his audience's needs. A passion for marine life often drives and inspires his creativity, as does working on projects for local audiences, as shown through his collaborative real world projects; from his food poverty recipe book with Provide Devon to designing &amp; making placards for Trevi’s ‘Reclaim The Night’ in March. Having already gained full time employment as a Junior Graphic Designer, Liam has a successful career ahead.</p> <p><br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-craft-material-practices"><strong>BA (Hons) Craft &amp; Material Practices</strong></a><strong> student </strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/jewellery_with_a_point/"><strong>Sarah Drury</strong></a></p> <p dir="ltr">2024 marks the first year that Arts University Plymouth has offered an award to recognise excellence in artistic research, based on assessment of final-year undergraduate research posters. Sarah Drury's research into ‘Manufactured Illness’ stood out as an impactful representation of her artistic identity and research.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sarah’s research poster convincingly articulated her research concepts around the contamination of water systems by forever chemicals that are found in waterproofing and non-stick kitchenware. These concepts feed into Sarah’s conceptual jewellery practice.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fashion-media-marketing"><strong>BA (Hons) Fashion Media &amp; Marketing</strong></a><strong> student </strong><a href="https://www.neosphera.online/"><strong>Maddy Franklin</strong></a></p> <p dir="ltr">The Board of Governors Awards highlight and celebrate the outstanding achievement of students who have overcome obstacles to educational achievement, raised the profile of the university, and demonstrated a significant contribution to university life.</p> <p dir="ltr">Maddy Franklin is a biomaterial researcher, specialising in luxury footwear. Her work at Arts University Plymouth, ‘NEÖSPHERA’, investigates sustainable materials and methods, with a focus on footwear and associated branding and communication.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fine-art"><strong>BA (Hons) Fine Art</strong></a><strong> (Class of 2024)</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The Dean’s Award recognises achievement of consistently high calibre student work across a whole cohort. This year, Associate Professor Stephanie Owens, Arts University Plymouth’s Dean of Arts, Design and Media, selected the BA (Hons) Fine Art final-year students for this award.</p> <p dir="ltr">The award is given based on a whole cohort of students whose work shows a diversity of aesthetic outcomes and formal approaches, demonstrating that students are supported in developing their unique voice and style. The award also considers how the group of students have come together to create a display for final year student work that is visually strong, professional in layout and has an outstanding impact.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-illustration"><strong>BA (Hons) Illustration</strong></a><strong> student Zara Lily McDermott</strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://fieldsystem.co.uk/">Field System</a> is a shop, gallery and print workshop located in Ashburton, founded by former BA (Hons) Fashion Media &amp; Marketing course leader Milly Brown, and Mark Jessett. Judges from Field System found Zara's work to be the most surprising and exciting outcome in our Graduate Show, awarding her a two week exhibition in their gallery in Summer 2025.</p> <p dir="ltr">25-year-old award-winning illustrator Zara also recently won <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/illustration-students-win-best-in-show-at-d-ad-new-blood-festival-2024">Best in Show</a> at D&amp;AD New Blood for her ‘Seeds of Hope’ project, a woven jacquard throw and accompanying zine designed to represent female empowerment and community, with imagery based on responses to a questionnaire about themes of womanhood.</p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-craft-material-practices"><strong>BA (Hons) Craft &amp; Material Practices</strong></a><strong> student </strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/jewellery_with_a_point/"><strong>Sarah Drury</strong></a></p> <p dir="ltr">In addition to winning the Pro-Vice-Chancellor's Award for Artistic Research, Sarah also won the 45 Southside Gallery Prize.</p> <p dir="ltr">A long standing supporter of students and graduates from Arts University Plymouth, <a href="https://www.45southside.co.uk/">45 Southside Gallery</a> is a gallery located in the heart of Plymouth’s historic Barbican, specialising in contemporary ceramics, glass and metalwork by artists based in Devon or Cornwall. As part of the prize Sarah will have an opportunity to exhibit and sell her work in the gallery for three months.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-painting-drawing-printmaking"><strong>BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing &amp; Printmaking</strong></a><strong> graduate </strong><a href="https://www.chrisstoneartist.co.uk/"><strong>Chris Stone</strong></a></p> <p dir="ltr">The Brownston Gallery in Modbury is one of the leading contemporary fine art galleries in the South West, representing a number of established and emerging artists whose styles range from abstract to figurative, psychedelic to portraiture, maritime to landscape.</p> <p dir="ltr">Every year a representative of the <a href="http://www.brownstonart.com/">Brownston Gallery</a> visits Arts University Plymouth’s Graduate Shows, looking particularly at the work of BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing &amp; Printmaking students, in order to choose a winner for their Fresh Talent Award.</p> <p dir="ltr">Alison Mackenzie from the Brownston Gallery, who presented the certificate this year said: “Chris Stone’s work is so interesting, full of nostalgia and emotion. Although there are no people in his compositions, you can feel their presence in the man made structures he paints. Recent depictions of old buildings and places direct you to a forgotten era but show the reality of the present day with great skill and affection. We are delighted to award Chris our Arts University Plymouth Fresh Award 2024, and look forward to seeing how his work develops.”<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-craft-material-practices"><strong>BA (Hons) Craft &amp; Material Practices</strong></a><strong> student </strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/lisamceleny_art/"><strong>Lisa McEleny</strong></a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://makesouthwest.org.uk/">MAKE Southwest</a> (formerly Devon Guild of Craftsmen) is an acclaimed exhibition space for contemporary craft and design as well as a leading charity for craft education, located in Bovey Tracey.</p> <p dir="ltr">This year a representative from MAKE Southwest visited BA (Hons) Craft &amp; Material Practices students at Arts University Plymouth’s Graduate Shows to award a Graduate Prize to one student. Lisa McEleny is an artist working within the expanded field of craft. Winning the MAKE Southwest Graduate Prize, Lisa has been awarded an exhibition slot in the MAKE Southwest gallery. ‘Ephemeral Bodies’, Lisa McEleny’s semi-autobiographical series of work, examines the ageing female form as an object that changes and decays over time. Her series of work tells a narrative of transience and a midlife phase between life and death, between growth and decay, where acceptance, peace and beauty may be found alongside fragility and vulnerability. Ephemeral materials, including wheatgrass and chia, are grown, manipulated, interact and merge with other materials including latex, plaster, porcelain and copper, playing with ideas of permanence and impermanence.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fine-art"><strong>BA (Hons) Fine Art</strong></a><strong> student </strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/m_potterart/"><strong>Melanie Potter</strong></a></p> <p dir="ltr">The Graduate Employability Award recognises a graduating student who has demonstrated sustained engagement with their personal and professional development throughout their studies.</p> <p dir="ltr">During her five years of study at Arts University Plymouth, Melanie has developed her skills in life drawing to the extent that she now leads life drawing classes and regularly undertakes professional commissions related to her creative practice. <br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-textile-design"><strong>BA (Hons) Textile Design</strong></a><strong> student </strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sophierosedesigns_/"><strong>Sophie Checkley</strong></a></p> <p dir="ltr">The Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Award recognises a graduating student who is already operating in a professional capacity, e.g: working as a freelancer, selling their work or having work published or exhibited.</p> <p dir="ltr">This award seeks to provide a valuable helping hand to an aspiring creative entrepreneur. Sophie has been awarded a series of mentoring sessions with industry and enterprise specialists Micronomy. Mentoring support from Micronomy has already proven to be instrumental in a number of recent successes through Arts University Plymouth’s Workroom.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sophie is a multimedia Textiles Designer, specialising in digital printing. Her practice encompasses a diverse range of processes, including digital machine embroidery, hand embroidery, sublimation printing, collaging, screen printing, and knitting.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/pre-degree/ual-level-3-extended-diploma-in-art-design-famp"><strong>Level 3 Extended Diploma in Filmmaking &amp; Media Production</strong></a><strong> student </strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bogdana_bigdan/"><strong>Dana Bihdan</strong></a></p> <p dir="ltr">The Vice-Chancellor's Commendation Awards recognise outstanding creative and academic achievement, alongside a sustained contribution to the university community, where the student has produced high-quality work, made significant progress, and made a positive contribution to the programme through excellent studentship.</p> <p dir="ltr">19-year old filmmaker Dana Bihdan is from Ukraine. Her most recent project, <a href="https://youtu.be/8xL7lQf1sZ8?si=U5YJKpzJQh3OsKnH">‘Ocean Monologue’</a>, explores the topic of ocean pollution through the lens of violence against women.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/pre-degree/ual-level-3-extended-diploma-in-art-design-fashion-textiles"><strong>Level 3 Extended Diploma Fashion &amp; Textiles</strong></a><strong> student Anna Chorna</strong></p> <p>The Board of Governors Awards highlight and celebrate the outstanding achievement of students who have overcome obstacles to educational achievement, raised the profile of the university, and demonstrated a significant contribution to university life.</p>