University of Staffordshire: What is GradEx and the Degree Show about?

Hi guys, Tee here!

Hoping everyone is doing well :h:

I'm here to explain a little about our GradEx and Degree Show exhibitions and what opportunities they offer the students here (I also got to take part this year :tongue:

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What is the GradEx/Degree Show?

The GradEx/Degree Show is an end-of-year exhibition for (graduating) creative students across the arts and games courses to showcase their final projects to friends, family, and even employers!
It is a week-long event that typically runs during the first week of June each year, with an opening ceremony and awards to celebrate everyone's hard work and success. Drinks and snacks are also provided throughout the night :wink:

Why is it a great opportunity for students?

As mentioned before, throughout the exhibiting week, many people come and visit! From friends and family to schools, employers, and hiring agents.
It's a chance to have your work up for the world to see! Some students are offered jobs and internship opportunities on the spot, which is incredible to see :biggrin:

Some courses also had pop-up shops open to buy prints, stickers, and keychains from the students!

What was it like to take part, and what did Tee showcase?

A little bit about my experience now :K:

So I will admit, I found it very stressful when it came to getting all of my things made (I had more than just prints in my display), as a lot of what I chose to do also came with the task of learning the different techniques to create these pieces.

However, the whole experience was very fun and kinda crazy - going from a studio full of desks and art, to completely bare, white walls, to having all of OUR work on display instead. It looked amazing, but it was a group effort, and everyone helped massively :h:

For my showcase, one of my final self-initiated projects was dedicated to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in Battersea, London.
I had created some panels sharing character profiles of some of the dogs in their care (all of them have now been rehomed which is very heartwarming to know :run:

) alongside a large piece of fabric and a wallpaper strip with a pattern I'd made including all the dog illustrations :tongue:

you can see in my post here!!

Here's a sneak peek of the degree show setup!

What did Tee gain from taking part in the Degree Show?

I definitely gained a lot of confidence and love for my work. Having worked hard on it for months and getting it all made, it was amazing to have it all up on display! I felt really proud of myself AND of my friends for getting this far :bumps:

We all did an incredible job!

I will be developing a portfolio to send across to agencies following this in the hopes of getting some feedback or even land a spot for myself :tongue:

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I hope that this post has been informative and helpful in some way! If anyone has any more questions, feel free to comment below or drop me a message, and I'll get back to you :h: