<p dir="ltr">Contemporary artist and dedicated environmentalist Kurt Jackson is a familiar figure to students at the city’s arts university. His sculpture ‘The Plym Stone’, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/arts-university-plymouth-unveils-kurt-jackson-sculpture">which was unveiled in the grounds of the Arts University Plymouth last year</a>, is inspired by the geology of the immediate Plymouth area, featuring locally sourced limestone, granite and reclaimed glass. <br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Jackson’s focus on the complexity, diversity and fragility of the natural world has led to artist residencies on the Greenpeace ship Esperanza, the Eden Project and work with Glastonbury Festival for nearly 20 years. He is an ambassador for Survival International and frequently works with Surfers Against Sewage, Friends of the Earth and Cornwall Wildlife Trust.</p> <p dir="ltr">Arts University Plymouth awarded an Honorary Fellowship to Kurt Jackson in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the arts, culture and environmentalism, both within the South West and on a national and international stage.</p> <p dir="ltr">Designer and artist Zowie Broach is the Head of Programme for Fashion at the Royal College of Art (RCA). Zowie graduated from a Foundation Diploma in Art &amp; Design at Arts University Plymouth in 1985. She first attracted attention for co-founding the avant-garde fashion label BOUDICCA in 1997, who were the first independent British label to show during Couture Paris.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Arts University Plymouth awarded an Honorary Fellowship to Zowie Broach in recognition of her outstanding contribution to fashion and to fashion design education.</p> <p dir="ltr">Every year Arts University Plymouth awards <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/about-us/honorary-fellowships">Honorary Fellowships</a> to recognise exceptional achievement in the creative arts, as well as recognising individuals that have achieved significant social change through arts and culture.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Past recipients of Honorary Fellowships from the university include: Anne Barlow, Director of Tate St Ives; Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of Arts Council England; Richard Deacon CBE, the leading British sculptor and Turner Prize winner; British designers and renowned advocates and campaigners for creative education and the creative industries, Sir John Sorrell CBE and Lady Frances Sorrell OBE; Béla Tarr, renowned filmmaker; Pablo Helguera, New York-based artist; Mike Westbrook OBE, renowned musician; Clare Twomey, a leading British ceramics and performance artist; Suki Dhanda, photographer for The Guardian and Observer; Bernard Samuels, former Director of Plymouth Arts Centre; Creative Director of Pentland Brands, Katie Greenyer; independent cultural broker, Peter Jenkinson OBE; children’s artist David McKee; award-winning Creative Director Jo Arscott; Tim and Chris Britton of Forkbeard Fantasy; Dr Amila Ramović, a Curator, Art Producer and Professor at the Academy of Music and Academy of Film at the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina; Ward Councillor for Burrator on West Devon Borough Council and former Plymouth College of Art Vice Principal Tim Bolton; Co-Founder, Curator and Editor of Making Futures, Malcolm Ferris; painter Albert Irvin; Joanne Anning, CEO of Jeremiah’s Journey; Louise Tilbury, Plymouth School of Creative Arts Project Manager; Toby Gorniack, Founder of Street Factory; and French glass artist Antoine Leperlier.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Textile designer-maker Faye Bentley graduated from <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-textile-design">BA (Hons) Textile Design</a></strong> with First Class honours and now works as a Craftsperson at luxury leather goods brand Mulberry England and Studio Assistant at Anna Gravelle Textiles. Most recently Faye was selected to exhibit at Rising Stars 2023 at New Ashgate Gallery in Farnham. Last year one of Faye’s designs was <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/pca-xmas-tate">put into production by Tate as a Christmas card</a> sold at Tate galleries and shops across the UK, and her work was showcased by Creative Boom in their roundup of graduate shows.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Artist Ashanti Hare graduated from <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fine-art"><strong>BA (Hons) Fine Art</strong></a> </strong>and has a creative practice that explores the duality of life as both a human being and spiritual entity, combining digital manipulation, folk craftsmanship and writing. Most recently, Ashanti won an artist residency at Southcombe Barn for July 2023 in celebration of International Women’s Day 2023. Last December Ashanti was announced as the winner of the prestigious <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/fine-art-graduate-ashanti-hare-wins-platform-graduate-award-2022">Platform Graduate Award 2022</a>, selected from 37 artists, representing 19 universities, in the first year that the award had been extended to graduates from the South West. Ashanti is coming to the end of a six-month Graduate Residency at KARST, South West England's largest independent artist-led contemporary arts gallery and studio space.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Founder of Studio Luz and one-third of Nous Vous collective, <strong>artist William Luz completed an <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-drawing">MA Drawing</a></strong> in summer 2022. His work for DNCO was recently featured by Design Week and his murals and illustrations can be seen across Plymouth, including his <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/ma-drawing-student-whos-worked-for-facebook-and-nike-creates-colourful-new-mural-for-union-corner">iconic mural on Union Corner</a> and for Plymouth Sound National Marine Park. His past clients include The Barbican, Aesop, Wellcome Collection, The Hepworth Museum, Ace &amp; Tate, Nike, and Facebook.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Press and documentary photographer Daniel Dayment graduated <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-photography">BA (Hons) Photography</a></strong> with First Class honours and now works as Devon and Cornwall staff photographer for the UK’s largest live wire news agency South West News Service (SWNS) alongside his creative practice. Last year Daniel was selected for <a href="https://www.creativeboom.com/inspiration/introducing-daniel-dayment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Creative Boom’s Introducing 2022,</a> an annual feature championing the work of 12 creative graduates as they enter the creative industries. He has also worked on an assignment in Uganda for the charity Edith’s Hope. His work has been published widely by national newspapers and outlets including the BBC, The Times, Mirror and Metro.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fashion-design">BA (Hons) Fashion Design</a> graduates Oliwia Nowotnik, Beni Riley, Morgan Elder and Millie Jenkinson</strong> were selected to show off their collections at <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/fashion-design-graduates-take-to-the-catwalk-at-graduate-fashion-week-2022">Graduate Fashion Week 2022</a> in London. Beni Riley’s work was chosen for the Graduate Fashion Week Talent of Tomorrow photoshoot and he was selected by judges as one of the ‘Highly Commended’ designers. Beni was subsequently selected both by Drapers as part of their Pick of Graduate Fashion Week 2022 and by Pause Magazine as one of their top five Ones to Watch from Graduate Fashion Week 2022. At the beginning of this year Ben’s work was showcased by ASBO Magazine as one of their Best of 2022’s Ones to Watch. Oliwia Nowotnik’s work has been featured by the BBC and during her degree she acted as an ambassador for the IGNITE: Festival of Creativity. She acts as a Tailor for HUGO BOSS and is the founder of the Wia Wear label, sold on the high street in Plymouth’s Go To Marketplace (GTMP). During her studies Millie Jenkinson undertook an internship at swimwear brand Davy J, with support from the Drapers’ x UKFT Bursary programme.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-craft-material-practices">BA (Hons) Craft &amp; Material Practices</a> graduates Bonnie Mustoe-Whitehill, Gail Stubbs and Harry Chadwick</strong> all recently returned from exhibiting their work at <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/crafts-students-showcase-their-work-at-making-it-2023">MAKING IT 2023</a>, the South West’s leading showcase for emerging artists, makers and designers. <strong>Sculptural Artist Harry Chadwick</strong> was recently announced as the winner of the Rising Stars 2023 Award after being selected to exhibit at Rising Stars 2023 at New Ashgate Gallery in Farnham. Since graduating with First Class honours, Harry Chadwick has been selected as Runner Up in the Contemporary Glass Society’s New Graduate Review and he also received the <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/arts-university-plymouth-alumni-showcased-at-british-glass-biennale-2022">Glass Sellers Student Award at the 2022 British Glass Biennale</a>.<strong> Mixed Media Artist Bonnie Mustoe-Whitehill</strong>, who graduated with First Class honours, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/graduate-bonnie-mustoe-whitehill-scoops-runner-up-prize-at-new-designers">won the Runner-Up prize for New Designer of the Year at 2022’s New Designers</a>, the annual showcase of the UK's most innovative emerging design talent. <strong>Designer-maker Gail Stubbs</strong> works with ceramics and print to produce a body of work that responds to large scale industrial fishing, partially informed by her work as a seaside pub owner and understanding of fishing from sea to plate.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Filmmaker and theatre practitioner Izzy Wilkinson</strong> <strong>graduated from <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-film-screen-arts">BA (Hons) Film</a>. </strong>During her degree Izzy travelled to Iceland to study ‘Theatre and Performance Making’ at Iceland Academy of the Arts. Since graduating Izzy has worked freelance in various crew roles on projects, including for Cornwall’s Coppice Theatre and as a runner for Tea Shop Productions. She continues to develop her voice as a freelance filmmaker, alongside mentoring students in her role as Drama Assistant in the Technical Resources department at Truro School. Most recently Izzy was nominated in the Drama category for the Royal Television Society (RTS) Devon &amp; Cornwall Student Television Awards 2023.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Visual artist Stella Olivier</strong> <strong>graduated from <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fine-art">BA (Hons) Fine Art</a></strong>. During her time at Arts University Plymouth, Stella was shortlisted for a Venice Biennale Fellowship programme by the British Council, her work was exhibited during ‘Late At Tate Britain’ and she was selected for a Tate Exchange brief that turned into a social project aimed at revitalising Plymouth's Soup Corner. Stella’s graphic designs have twice been published by Tate museums and sold nationally through their stores and she also won a 12-month internship with Elegant Clutter.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Painter, Printmaker and Creative Mentor Sue Bown</strong> <strong>graduated from <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-painting-drawing-printmaking">BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing and Printmaking</a></strong> with a First Class degree. In 2022 <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/award-winning-graduates-at-arts-university-plymouths-summer-shows-2022">she won the arts university’s first Pro-Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence</a> and was shortlisted for the inaugural Platform Graduate Award in Plymouth.<br /></p>