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Gray鈥檚 launch event included a stakeholder event, speeches, music, and awards ceremony for students, staff and the community at Gray鈥檚 School of Art who gathered together to celebrate.

Dean for Gray鈥檚 School of Art, Dr Dan Allen, and 亚博体育官网 Vice Principal for Academic Development and Student Experience, Professor Lynn Kilbride, and former Dean of Gray鈥檚 School of Art, Libby Curtis, presented the Principal鈥檚 Design & Fine Art Awards which are funded by 亚博体育官网鈥檚 Art & Heritage Collection.

The awards celebrate outstanding talent selected from across Painting, Contemporary Art Practice, Communication Design, Fashion & Textiles, Three-Dimensional Designand Photography.

Winner of the Principal鈥檚 Award for Fine Art is Emelia 鈥楲otta鈥� Wald from Fine Art.

Winner of the Principal鈥檚 Award for Design is Lisa Stewart from Communication Design.

The winning pieces of work will be retained as part of 亚博体育官网鈥橲 Art and Heritage collection, which includes an extensive body of work demonstrating the creative output of the university and the North East of Scotland.

Students who received Highly Commended Awards (亚博体育官网 Art and Heritage Purchase Prize Awards), are: Connor McLennaghan - Contemporary Art Practice, Lesley Dyker鈥� Three Dimensional Design, Grace Angus 鈥� Fashion & Textiles, Kirsty Macdonald 鈥� Painting, Iain Cridland 鈥� Photography and Ioanna Papatzanaki 鈥� Contemporary Art Practice.

A number of external awards were also presented including the RSA New Contemporaries Award: Scottish Society Artist鈥檚 Award, Compass Gallery and Visual Arts Scotland Award.

Dean for Gray鈥檚 School of Art, Dan Allen, said: 鈥淕ray鈥檚 Degree Show is a real celebration and a pivotal moment our students鈥� career. I鈥檇 like to say a huge congratulations to everyone graduating this year, and to those who have won awards. This year鈥檚 degree show showcases the talent and craftmanship we have here at Gray鈥檚 and the standard of work is exceptional.

鈥淎berdeen is a great city, and at the heart of it, shooting above its weight, is Gray鈥檚 School of Art. Aberdeen and Gray鈥檚 need each other, we are inextricably linked, and together, we can re-energise the creative industries for the region. And increasingly become a city that is renowned for its creative and cultural dynamism, its forward thinking, and its unwavering ambition.  I鈥檇 encourage everyone to come along to Gray鈥檚 Degree Show which runs until Saturday, to see the exceptional talent on display.鈥�

Winner of the Principal鈥檚 Award for Design, Lisa Stewart, who grew up in Mastrick in Aberdeen and now lives in Insch. Lisa originally studied Law & Management at 亚博体育官网, before working as a paralegal. After several years, Lisa decided to follow her true passion of art and design at Gray鈥檚 School of Art.

Upon winning the award, Lisa said: 鈥淚 was a bit surprised and overwhelmed, but I鈥檓 over the moon! I have a big birthday in September and I鈥檓 going to be 40, so my project centres around a visual story of pop culture and graphic design over the past 40 years, particularly my experiences growing up in Aberdeen.

鈥淎s a mature student, I鈥檇 say to anyone thinking of going back to college or university, it鈥檚 never too late to study. If you can, do it! You鈥檒l not regret it. I鈥檝e loved being at Gray鈥檚. I love the community, it鈥檚 brilliant.鈥�

Winner of the Principal鈥檚 Award for Fine Art, Emelia 鈥楲otta鈥� Wald, from Cologne in Germany, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting to have won this award. I鈥檝e had the best time at Gray鈥檚. I wanted to study abroad and was attracted to Scotland and Gray鈥檚 School of Art because it offered such amazing facilities. My last year has been the most fun and I鈥檝e made lots of great friends, so it has definitely been the right choice. Now that I鈥檓 graduating, I want to do a master鈥檚 and try something new.鈥�

In addition to the Principal鈥檚 Awards for Fine Art and Design, four additional Four Pillar Awards were presented in recognition of students who reflect Gray鈥檚 core values which guide the curriculum and ethos of the art school.

• The Four Pillars Critical Creative Award winner is Bronwyn Mackenzie from Painting.
• The Four Pillars Socially & Environmentally Engaged Creative Award winner is Bethany Reid from Contemporary Art Practice.
• The Four Pillars Enterprising Award winner is Lisa Ross from Contemporary Art Practice.
• The Four Pillars Collaborative Creative winners are Elizabeth Homewood from Communication Design and Liam Green from Communication Design.

Members of the public can visit Gray鈥檚 Degree Show until Saturday 18 June. A series of events are running during the Degree Show including special guided tours for young people and the degree show is supporting a number of events as part of Aberdeen Performing Arts鈥� Light the Blue Festival.

Opening times for the show are Saturday 8 June 鈥� Saturday 15 June, 10am to 8pm weekdays, and 10am to 5pm weekends. 

For more information:

Images (credit Martin Parker, Gatehouse Design Agency) include main aerial image from Gray's Degree Show 2024 opening.

Gallery images include Principal鈥檚 Award winner for Fine Art Emelia 鈥楲otta鈥� Wald from Fine Art, Principal鈥檚 Award winner for Design Lisa Stewart. Group image (left to right) show winners of Gray's Four Pillar Awards including: Lotta Wild (also Daniel John Stephens awardee) and Liam Green & Elizabeth Homewood, Bronwyn Mackenzie, Lisa Ross and Bethany Reid.