University to open major art and design public exhibition

A showcase of emerging art and design talent – which has a prestigious history of featuring award-winning works by graduating students – is set to open as an expansive public exhibition at Nottingham Trent University (NTU).

The Graduate Festival 24 from the Nottingham School of Art & Design, and Student Showcase in the School of Architecture, Design and Built Environment – both completely free to the public – will take place at NTU’s City Campus and external venues across Nottingham and London during summer 2024.

BArch Architecture student Daria Tsurkan and her project ‘Sanctuary of time’

Subjects on show span fashion, knitwear and textile design; fashion management, marketing and communication; fine art, photography, filmmaking and animation; graphic design and illustration; design for stage and screen; product and furniture design; architecture, interior architecture and architectural technology.

An interpretation of the character ‘Darkness’ from 1985 Hollywood film Legend by BA Costume Design student Issi Roberts

Student work will also feature at national competitions, including fashion and knitwear design at Graduate Fashion Week, officially the world’s largest graduate fashion event.

BA Fashion Knitwear Design by Sonia Warintira Suqanvanichkul

A range of courses will exhibit at London’s prestigious New Designers shows, including product and furniture design, textiles, graphic design, illustration and animation, and at the D&AD New Blood festival for graphic design.

NTU has collaborated with several leading creative Nottingham spaces, including the Nottingham Contemporary, Broadway, Nottingham Playhouse, Backlit and Surface galleries, to showcase new creative talent across the city.

Online exhibitions will also take place, with works by students in the Nottingham School of Art & Design on www.wearecreativesntu.art from 13 May, while students in the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment will be on featured on websites via ntu.ac.uk/c/adbe-student-showcase.

The shows start on the evening of Monday 13 May with an external theatre and costume design preview event at Nottingham Playhouse; the exhibition opens to the public on 14 May.

In July, a showcase of masters student works from the Nottingham School of Art & Design will take place at the NTU City campus and external venues in Nottingham, with exhibitions from courses including MA animation, photography, filmmaking, and fashion, marketing management and communications. MA fashion, knitwear and textiles courses will debut their work in a new London exhibition being held at London’s Swiss Church Gallery in Covent Garden.

Michael Marsden, Executive Dean of the Nottingham School of Art & Design, said: “Design and creativity serve as the architects of the world around us, and our Graduate Festival offers the opportunity for the public to get a glimpse of how the creative world may look tomorrow.

“Our events and exhibitions represent the culmination of our final year students’ endeavours, offering an insight into their incredibly creative and forward-thinking minds.

“It provides a unique opportunity for members of the public to engage with our students in direct conversation, learn about their creations and gain an insight into their visions of the future.”

The Student Showcase in the School of Architecture, Design and Built Environment will begin at NTU on Saturday 25 May.

Dr Andrew Knight, Executive Dean of the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, said: “Our yearly Student Showcase provides a unique platform for us to exhibit to the public the remarkable accomplishments of our undergraduate students.

“Attendees not only marvel at the diverse display of creative designs but gain an insight into the meticulous research that underpins every prototype and architectural drawing.

“This comprehensive display offers a glimpse into the boundless depths of the students’ creativity, and we are always very proud to exhibit their incredible achievements.”

Different course areas will exhibit at different times for the in-person shows. Please visit www.ntu.ac.uk/gradfest and ntu.ac.uk/c/adbe-student-showcase for full public view details and to book your place for ticketed events.

Press enquiries please contact Chris Birkle, PR Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 2310, or via email

About Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2021 for cultural heritage science research. It is the second time that NTU has been bestowed the honour of receiving a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research, the first being in 2015 for leading-edge research on the safety and security of global citizens. The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. 86% of NTU’s research impact was assessed to be either world-leading or internationally excellent. NTU was awarded The Times and The Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2023 and ranked University of the Year in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023. It was awarded Outstanding Support for Students 2020 (Times Higher Education Awards), University of the Year 2019 (Guardian University Awards, UK Social Mobility Awards), Modern University of the Year 2018 (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide) and University of the Year 2017 (Times Higher Education Awards). NTU is the 5^th largest UK institution by student numbers, with approximately 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries. Since 2000, NTU has invested £570 million in tools, technology, buildings and facilities. NTU is in the UK’s top 10 for number of applications and ranked first for accepted offers (2021 UCAS UG acceptance data). It is also among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and was the first UK university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge. NTU is ranked 2nd most sustainable university in the world in the 2022 UI Green Metric University World Rankings (out of more than 900 participating universities).