The 2022 Design Week graduate show guide

This year many graduate shows are returning as hybrid events, offering digital and in-person showcases – here is our guide to what’s on offer.

South East England

Anglia Ruskin University – digital showcase and physical exhibition

After two years of online-only events, ARU’s annual degree show is returning in person as The Secret Showcase from 9-19 June. The exhibition will showcase the work of final year students from the faculties of Art, Humanities, and Social Sciences in the Ruskin Gallery and across ARU’s Cambridge campus.

University of Brighton – digital showcase and physical exhibition

This year Brighton University will hold three in-person grad shows: the undergraduate exhibition from 2-12 June; the Architecture and Design end of year show from 17-19 June; and the MA show from 9-16 July. The 2022 exhibition website will also go live on 17 June.

Buckinghamshire New University – physical exhibition

BNU’s annual Art and Design summer show will be open to the public from 17-22 June. The work of the university’s final year students will be showcased at the High Wycombe campus.

University for the Creative Arts – physical exhibition

UCA Farnham Graduate Show Takeover will take place on the campus from 9 June – 7 July on the campus. It will feature work from students across the university’s disciplines, including illustration, gaming, product design, graphic design and architecture.

University of Portsmouth – physical exhibition

The university’s faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries will host its annual summer show in person, starting with a preview evening on 17 June followed by the main showcase from 20-24 June. The show will include physical, digital, and virtual exhibitions from a range of creative disciplines.

University of Suffolk – physical show

The university’s Arts Degree Show returns to its physical format from 22–30 June across two locations, the Arts Building and Suffolk Archives’ The Hold in Ipswich. Alongside Graphic Design and Graphic Illustration exhibitions, students from Architecture, Digital Film Production, Fine Art and Photography will be showing their work.


South West England

Arts University Bournemouth – digital showcase and physical exhibition

AUB will transform its campus into a huge gallery space from 24 June – 1 July this year for the graduate showcase event. Shows will be available to view online from 25 July.

Falmouth University – digital showcase

Following the in-person event which took place in May, the work of Falmouth’s graduating students is now available to view online. Subject areas include design and graphic design, illustration, and photography.

Winchester School of Art – digital showcase and physical exhibition

The school’s summer degree shows will be open to the public from 17-19 June on the university campus, followed by a London show at Hoxton arches on 6-7 July. All shows will be streamed on Twitch.

Arts University Plymouth – digital showcase and physical exhibition

Running from 27 May – 15 July, the grad shows will showcase physical installations and exhibitions across the community and business spaces in the city as part of Ignite Festival of Creativity.


West England and Wales

University of West England – digital showcase and physical exhibition

UWE Bristol’s Creative Industries degree show will include an alumni show, featuring work from 2020/21 graduates, who missed out on a physical show due to the pandemic. The work of over 500 students will be exhibited across the three city campus locations from 10-19 June.

Cardiff Metropolitan University – digital showcase and physical exhibition

Cardiff’s School of Art and Design will run their degree show from 8-14 June as a hybrid physical and online exhibition. Undergraduate students from courses such as animation, graphic communication, interior design and more will showcase their work.

University of South Wales – digital showcase

Following the pART of Ponty Art Trail event in May, work created by students from the Creative and Therapeutic Arts course is now available to view online. Students were encouraged to consider accessibility and inclusivity, so website content ranges from photographs, captioned videos, flip books, guided meditation and more.

Swansea College of Art – digital showcase and physical exhibition

Student work from Swansea College of Art will feature at the New Designers showcase in London from 29 June – 9 July. Their digital showcase website will launch in July.


Midlands

Birmingham City University – digital showcase and physical exhibition

BCU have created a virtual platform to showcase graduate student work from their various institutions, including the Institute of Creative Arts, the Institute of Jewellery, Fashion and Textiles, and the School of Architecture and Design. The latter is also hosting an in-person showcase on 15 June at the city centre campus.

Coventry University – digital showcase

Following the in-person shows in May, student profiles and examples of their work are now available on the degree show website under the student directory.

University of Lincoln – digital showcase and physical exhibition

From 18 June – 1 July students of the Lincoln School of Design will showcase their work at the Lincoln Festival of Creativity at the Brayford campus. The in-person event will also be supported by a digital showcase.

Norwich University for the Arts – digital showcase

NUA’s digital graduate showcase is set to launch its website in July after the three-day Grad Fest 2022 in-person exhibition took place in May. The immersive online experience will showcase student work from animation, graphic design, games, and more.

Nottingham Trent University – digital showcase and physical exhibition

NTU’s digital showcase is now live, featuring student work from the Nottingham School of Art and Design. Though the physical on-campus exhibitions are now over, some of the students’ work will be accessible to view in-person at the New Designers exhibition in London from 28 June – 9 July. The university’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment also has a degree show which can be found here

Staffordshire University – digital showcase and physical exhibition

Running from 6-11 June, Staffordshire University’s in-person exhibition events will include work from Art and Design, Media, and Performance students. Student work will also be showcased through a digital portal, GradEX, focussing on games, computing, digital technologies, and more.

University of Worcester – digital showcase

Following the physical exhibition in May, student work from the University of Worcester is now available to view online. Student projects cover subject areas like game art, graphic design, illustration, and creative media.


North West England

University of Central Lancashire – physical exhibition

UCLan’s degree show will kick off on the 17 June at the Preston campus. Running until the 24 June, the shows will include architecture exhibitions (Engineering Innovation Centre), film animations and art installations (Hanover Building), and 3D modelling and design-focussed portfolios (Victoria Building).

Lancaster University – physical exhibition

Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts is holding its in-person degree show, Re-boot, from 23-29 June at the campus’ Peter Scott Gallery, LICA Building, and Bowland Annexe Studios. Visitors can expect to see sculptures, new media work, and innovative design projects.

University of Cumbria – digital showcase and physical exhibition

UoC’s Institute of Arts is launching its in-person showcase, Reconnect, from 6-10 June, with an extra day on 11 June for family viewing. The week-long event will take place at the Brampton Road campus and those unable to attend in person can view the students’ work online.

Manchester Metropolitan University – physical exhibition

The university’s School of Art will be holding its degree show from 11-22 June. Exhibitions can be found in the Benzie, Grosvenor, Chatham and SODA buildings on the All Saints campus.


Yorkshire and North East England

University of Huddersfield – digital showcase and physical exhibition

The Arts and Humanities Graduate Showcase, Radar, will run from 16 June – 4 July on the university campus. The website, which will feature all of the student work, will launch on 20 June.

University of Sunderland – physical exhibition

The work of Art and Design students at Sunderland University will be showcased from 11 June through to 31 August this year at various locations across the city. The exhibition will cover subject areas like digital imaging, glass and ceramic design, animation and games art, and illustration and design.

University of Leeds – digital showcase and physical exhibition

After three years of online-only shows, the university’s School of Design degree show is returning in-person, as well as online, from 16-30 June. The event will take place at Clothworkers Central building and house the work of students of art and design, fashion design, fashion marketing, graphic and communication design, and textile design.


Northern Ireland and Scotland

Belfast School of Art – physical exhibition

Running from 6-18 June, the Belfast School of Art degree show is returning as an in-person event on the Ulster University campus. Campus numbers are limited so those intending to visit are encouraged to reserve tickets in advance.

Edinburgh College of Art – digital showcase and physical exhibition

Featuring student work from the schools of Art, Design, Music, Architecture and Landscape Architecture, the ECA grad show will run form 4-12 June. Alongside the in-person event, the university will also launch a website where all of the student work can be viewed.

Glasgow School of Art – digital showcase and physical exhibition

The GSA graduate showcase will run from 1-19 June across the Garnethill Campus and online. It will exhibit student work from the university’s schools of fine art, design, innovation, and simulation and visualisation.

Gray’s School of Art – physical exhibition

The Gray’s degree show is returning in-person this year and will take place on the Garthdee Road, Aberdeen campus. It will run from 11-18 June and showcase students’ projects from a range of disciplines, including communication design, 3D design, and fashion and textiles.

Glasgow Clyde College – digital showcase

BA Hons design and illustration students from Glasgow Clyde are showcasing work from throughout their university careers. There are separate showcases for BA Graphic Design and HND Graphic Design. The HND Illustration students have decided to showcase their Monsters project, which was a collaboration with Glenlee Primary School.


London

Brunel University London – physical exhibition 

In celebration of their BA students work, Brunel’s Arts and Humanities are holding an in-person showcase on 10 June. The event will take place at the Artaud Performance Centre.

Central Saint Martins – digital showcase and physical exhibition

CSM is back this year both online and in person so that their students’ work can be viewed from anywhere in the world. The physical shows will run from 16-22 June with the website launching on 14 June. 

Kingston University – physical exhibition

Running from 6-11 June, Kingston School of Art’s grad show will be both in person and online. It will cover all of their undergraduate degrees – including graphic design, illustration animation, and product and furniture design – and be showcased across the Knights Park Campus.

Goldsmiths University – physical exhibition 

Goldsmiths’ BA Design showcase will return on 23 June for industry private viewing, the evening  of 25 June for friends and family viewing, and 25-27 June for the general public. The event will take place at Copeland Park Gallery.

Ravensbourne University – physical exhibition

After two years of virtual shows, Ravensbourne is launching an in-person degree show on 2 July, which will run until 5 July on the campus.

Royal Academy of Arts – physical exhibition 

From 17 June – 3 July the RA Schools Show will exhibit the work of 15 students. Displays will include installations, moving images, and sculptures and take place at The Weston Studio. 

Royal College of Art – physical exhibition 

Utilising the new campus building in Battersea and the original Kensington campus, the RCA grad show will take place from 25 – 30 June. Visitors can expect projects from a range of disciplines, including intelligent mobility, textiles and design, and fashion and architecture. 


Collection Shows

ARTSTHREAD Global Design Graduate Show

ARTSTHREAD has teamed up with Gucci again this year to put on the Global Design Graduate Show. All students how graduated between October 2021 – August 2022 in an arts-related discipline have the chance to be involved, but the deadline to submit your work is the 31 August. A team of professionals will then narrow down the submissions, which will then be showcased later this year.

New Designers – physical exhibition 

Returning in-person this year, New Designers will showcase the work of young people in the industry from 29 June – 9 July. The first week will include textiles, fashion, ceramics and glass, and precious metalwork, while the second week will feature furniture, graphic design, illustration, product, industrial and spatial design projects.

New Creatives – physical exhibition

Curated by Oxo Tower Wharf, the New Creatives show will feature work from students at Royal College of Art, Brunel, University of Cambridge, and more. The showcase started in May and will run through to 24 July.


The banner image shows students from the Glasgow School of Art

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  • Vicki Salmi June 8, 2022 at 5:22 pm

    As well as Farnham campus for the University for the Creative Arts there is also Canterbury, Rochester and Epsom! I’m graduating Fine Art at Canterbury and our PV is on the 10th along with all the of disciplines.

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