<p>We caught up with Lucy Swift, who initially joined 1963 Gallery as a Gallery Assistant before researching artists and being invited to help curate the exhibition, as well as inviting guests and working on press and social media to promote the event.</p> <p><strong>How did you find out about the job and how did that opportunity progress into working on this event?</strong></p> <p>I found the job on Gumtree! The gallery runs an art fair called Cluster, with the aim of providing an exhibition space for new and emerging designers, in the fields of illustration, fashion and craft. I contacted 1963 Gallery directly to tell them about my experience as part of my time studying BA (Hons) 3D Design Crafts, and offered to assist them with their contemporary craft exhibition.</p>

<p><strong>Can you offer any advice to other students out there hoping to do something similar?</strong></p> <p>Vary where you look for creative jobs and look in places that you might not expect to be relevant. Arts Council England has a very helpful website for arts jobs. Even if you don’t yet meet all of the required skills for the roles you want to go into, that gives you something to aim for and raises awareness about the skills you need to develop further. Making contacts and connections with artists, galleries and other people working in the sector will also come in handy for the future.</p> <p><strong>What are your plans for the future?</strong></p> <p>I currently specialise in glass. It’s such a complex material to work with, I want to further my knowledge and understanding of the possibilities by working with as many like-minded artists as possible. I’d also like to gain more experience working with galleries and in more curatorial roles in the sector. Researching artists to invite to contribute to the exhibition has shown me how much I love this kind of research, so it’s definitely something I want to spend more time on. A broad outlook and understanding of your field of practice is really helpful, particularly towards the beginning of your professional career as an artist.</p>

<p>Photo of Lucy Swift by Sunil Sohanta De Moor</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-craft-material-practices" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Find out more about our BA (Hons) 3D Design Crafts</a></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1391992924264239/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Visit Cluster Crafts at the Truman Brewery</a></li></ul>