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From fashion to film, Arts University Plymouth unveils 2025 Graduate Shows
Monday, 19 May, 2025 — The South West’s leading arts university presents a season of public exhibitions from May to July, showcasing new talent across design, media, fine art, fashion and more
<p dir="ltr">From immersive installations and cutting-edge fashion to socially engaged photography and experimental animation, Arts University Plymouth’s <strong>Graduate Shows 2025</strong> will showcase new work from across the full spectrum of creative disciplines. Running from <strong>May to July</strong>, the exhibitions are open to the public and offer an exciting opportunity to explore the talent emerging from one of the UK’s leading specialist creative universities.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As the only South West university shortlisted in the 2025 Whatuni Student Choice Awards, Arts University Plymouth enters the summer in the national spotlight. With the UK’s creative industries employing over 2.4 million people, the Graduate Shows offer South West employers, families and visitors a front-row view of new talent, future skills and ambitious work by the region’s next generation of creative professionals.<br /></p>
Arts University Plymouth Fashion Graduate Show 2024 by Luke Frost
<p>The season begins with the<a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/events/foundation-diploma-graduate-shows-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Foundation Diploma Graduate Show</strong></a> at Palace Studios (<strong>21–22 May</strong>), followed by the <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/events/extended-diploma-graduate-show-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Extended Diploma Graduate Show</strong></a> at Palace Court (<strong>3–5 June</strong>, 11am to 3pm daily), and the Extended BA (Hons) Show at Tavistock Place (<strong>5–12 June</strong>, closed Sunday 8 June).</p>
Student fashion work by Molly Adlington
<p dir="ltr">The<a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/graduate-shows-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> <strong>Undergraduate Graduate Shows</strong></a> run from <strong>23 to 26 June</strong>, 10am to 7pm, across Tavistock Place and Studio 11. Highlights include the <strong>Friends & Family Private View</strong> (<strong>20 June, 5pm–8pm</strong>), a<a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/open-days" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> <strong>university-wide Open Day</strong></a> (<strong>21 June, 10am–2pm</strong>), the <strong>NXT GEN Industry Night</strong> (<strong>25 June, 5pm–7:30pm</strong>, invite only), and the <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/events/undergraduate-fashion-design-graduate-shows-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>BA (Hons) Fashion Design catwalk show at Market Hall</strong></a> (<strong>26 June, from 7pm<strong>–</strong>10pm</strong>).</p>
Student work and image by Isla Butterworth 2025
<p dir="ltr">Postgraduate creativity takes centre stage in July, with the<a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/events/ma-graduate-show-2026" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> <strong>MA Graduate Show</strong></a> running from <strong>21 to 31 July</strong> at MIRROR Gallery and Studio 11. A <strong>Private View</strong> will be held on <strong>24 July, 6pm to 8pm</strong>.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Please note, the university is closed on Sundays throughout the Graduate Shows period. For the most up to date opening times, please check the website: </em><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/graduate-shows-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>aup.ac.uk/graduate-shows-2025</em></a> </p>
Arts University Plymouth Fashion Graduate Show 2024 by Luke Frost
<p>Whether you're curious about art school or scouting for creative collaborators, these shows are an unmissable chance to see how emerging artists, designers and makers are responding to contemporary challenges, from sustainability and social impact to immersive storytelling and digital innovation.</p>
Arts University Plymouth’s Graduate Shows 2025 are a launchpad for the artists, designers and makers of the future. Every installation, film, garment or image is a declaration of creative identity, shaped by years of critical thinking, experimentation and collaboration. These students are graduating into one of the UK’s fastest-growing sectors, and what they’ve created here in Plymouth will shape tomorrow’s culture, economy and communities.
Professor Stephen Felmingham, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Arts University Plymouth
Arts University Plymouth Fashion Graduate Show 2024 by Luke Frost
<p dir="ltr">Graduating into a sector worth over £124.6bn to the UK economy, students across programmes like animation, photography, costume, craft, illustration and fashion design demonstrate advanced skills across both traditional and emerging disciplines, from glassblowing and costume to VR production and immersive environments.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Many of these creatives are already working professionally, as illustrators, brand strategists, costume designers, filmmakers, photographers, stylists, makers and curators, ready to contribute to one of the fastest-growing areas of the UK workforce.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The university’s wider creative ecosystem includes business incubation through Workroom Grow, employer engagement via Micronomy mentoring, and partnerships and opportunities for students and graduates offered through city cultural institutions such as The Box and Theatre Royal Plymouth.<br /></p>
Arts University Plymouth Fashion Graduate Show 2024 by Luke Frost
<p dir="ltr">Arts University Plymouth continues to earn national recognition for student satisfaction, teaching excellence and industry-standard facilities. In 2024, it was ranked #2 in the UK for Student Satisfaction (NSS 2024, THE analysis) and named <strong>University of the Year for South West England</strong> (Whatuni Student Choice Awards). It remains the <strong>only South West University shortlisted</strong> in any Whatuni category for 2025, recognised for both <strong>Facilities</strong> and <strong>Student Support</strong>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">With over 13,000 square metres of studios and workshops, and access to Fab Lab South West, hot glass furnaces, Adobe Creative Campus tools, and the MIRROR contemporary art gallery, students benefit from an environment that blends hands-on making with future-facing thinking.<br /></p>
