Two exciting graduate exhibitions open to the public in June

Two exciting exhibitions showcasing the creativity and innovation of GMIT students from the Galway School of Design & Creative Arts will open to the public in the Galway city Wellpark campus and the Letterfrack campus during June.

Final year honours degree students in Art & Design will showcase their work in ceramics, sculpture, textiles, print and paint in the Centre for Creative Arts & Media (CCAM), Wellpark, Galway, from Saturday 2 June at 2pm; the work of final year honours degree Film & Documentary students will be also be screening on the campus as part of the exhibition, which runs to 10 June. Degree students in Furniture Design and Manufacture, Furniture and Wood Technology and Teacher Education will showcase their highly creative furniture artefacts and research projects in the Letterfrack campus gallery from Wednesday 20 June until Friday 31 August (open weekdays 10am – 1pm and 2 – 5pm).

The exhibition in CCAM showcases the work of 58 Art & Design students from across Ireland and from South Korea, France and Poland. The exhibition also includes paintings by third year degree students who completed their studies over six years on a part-time basis. The screening of short films and documentaries is a new addition this year to this year’s annual Graduate Show, which is one of the highlights of Galway’s summer arts calendar. In addition to transforming from college campus into an exhibition space over three floors, the campus is also a rapidly expanding Creative Enterprise Hub, home to a creative community that includes the Galway Game and Animation Hub, RTE West of Ireland Studios, Creative Europe (Media), Galway Film Centre, the WRAP Fund, and UNESCO Creative Cities (City of Film).  Students and their families and friends from all over Ireland attend along with invited guests from the arts, film and media industries.

The exhibition in Letterfrack, titled ‘Aura’, celebrates and showcases the integration of creativity, design, innovation, research and applied technologies through student projects undertaken in the academic year.  Along with deep rooted Irish and international engagement in the fields of furniture, design, wood manufacturing technologies and education this exhibition represents GMIT Letterfrack’s goal of positioning the west of Ireland as a leader in creative enterprise.

Dr Paddy Tobin, Head of the Galway School of Design & Creative Arts, GMIT, says: “The exhibitions at both our campuses are well-known exciting events and this year is no exception with a diverse range of high-quality creative work on display from our students.”

Celine Curtin, Head of Dept of Film & Documentary, GMIT Centre for Creative Arts & Media (CCAM), says: ”The end of year exhibition is a lovely celebration of the students’ achievements and reinforces the wonderful contribution that these creative artists make to society.  I am in awe of their amazing talents”.

Dermot O’Donovan, Head of Centre, GMIT Letterfrack Campus, says: “This exhibition highlights the creativity in learning, skills and research by our students and demonstrates how technology, design and education can be interwoven to ensure that students have the best possible preparation for their future careers.”

“The fact that all students undertake work placement as part of their courses ensures that student projects always have one eye on enterprise and commerciality. There continues to be a significant demand for our graduates with 100% employment for those entering the furniture industry in roles such as design, project management and advanced manufacturing technology.”

GMIT offers a range of design courses in its creative arts campus (Galway city) such as:
Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Art (GA 273) (L7)
Bachelor of Arts in Design (GA274) (L7)
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Film and Documentary (GA281) (L8)
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Contemporary Arts (GA 283) (L8)
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Design (GA284) (L8)
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Fine Art – Add on Honours Degree (Direct Entry)
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Design in Textiles – Add On Honours Degree (Direct Entry)
Post-Graduate Diploma in Creative Practice (L9)
Master of Arts in Creative Practice (L9)

Letterfrack runs courses such as:
B.Sc. in Furniture Design and Manufacturing (Levels 7 & 8)
B.Sc. in Furniture Wood Technology (Levels 7 & 8)
B.Sc. in Education (Design, Graphics and Construction) (Level 8)