Mon, 01/07/2024 - 13:14
Celebrating Creativity: Meet Our Arts Enterprise Challenge Winners
We're thrilled to announce the winners of Banks Mill’s first ever Arts Enterprise Challenge, a competition designed to nurture and support emerging creative talent from the University of Derby. Each winner receives £500 to bring their project to life and a coveted spot at Banks Mill's prestigious Open Studios event in November 2024. Let's meet our talented winners and explore their innovative projects:
Bethany Charlton: Rediscovering Derbyshire's Landscapes
Bethany, although previously has been creating work as a textile artist, plans to revisit her passion for painting to create a series of vibrant landscape paintings inspired by Derbyshire's breathtaking scenery. Her project will take her to iconic locations such as Curbar Edge, Dovedale, and Kinder Scout, where she'll produce initial sketches and colour studies. Drawing influence from artists like Hugo Grenville and Henri Matisse, Bethany aims to capture the joy and beauty of these natural wonders through her unique artistic style.
Lauren Phillips: Elevating the Mundane Through Printmaking
Lauren's project ingeniously transforms everyday objects into captivating patterns for fabric products using traditional printmaking techniques. Inspired by designers like Karin Meenen and Timorous Beasties, she plans to create linocut and screen print designs featuring "mundane" subjects such as ants and furniture. These patterns will be digitally scanned and screen-printed onto a range of products, including hoodies, tote bags, and even specialised items like gardening tool bags. Lauren's work encourages viewers to find beauty and intrigue in the overlooked aspects of daily life.
Noah McClelland: Capturing Nevada's Beauty in Black and White
Noah's project focuses on printing a series of black and white photographs taken during a month-long student trip in Nevada. Using 120 format film and darkroom techniques, he plans to create 10x10 inch prints on 12x16 inch paper. This collection will not only be displayed and sold at the Open Studios event but will also promote Noah's soon-to-launch online store. Additionally, Noah is exploring partnerships with local businesses in Leicester to expand his exhibition and sales opportunities where he also plans to help promote other University of Derby creative arts students.
We're excited to see these creative visions come to life and look forward to showcasing the completed projects at Banks Mill's Open Studios event from 22-24 November 2024. Stay tuned for updates on these promising artists and their inspiring projects!