UWTSD Swansea College of Art was delighted to welcome Tracey McNulty, Head of Cultural Services at Swansea Council to the university to officially open The Canvas – a new public art initiative showcasing the creative talents of students.
The Canvas is a new 8 metre x 3 metre public art initiative situated on the front of the University’s Dynevor building. The imposing canvas will be changed each term, with a different Swansea College of Art student commissioned by the University to produce a new image that can both challenge and inspire audiences.
Dean of UWTSD’s Swansea College of Art, Professor Ian Walsh said:
“The Canvas is a new and inspiring initiative that aims to showcase the skill and imagination of our students. We’re very proud to display the work of our students in such a prominent location and believe that this will become an iconic Swansea landmark.”
The first image selected for The Canvas is by 3rdyear Illustration student Ryan Jones.
Ryan said:
“It’s truly amazing to see one of my Illustrations on such a large scale. My piece, Shear Medley, is a mixed media collage that explores themes of culture, appropriation and individuality. When I’m creating my work I have an imperishable passion for anything visual and creative, from digital art to photography and many other fields.”
Tracey McNulty said:
“The Canvas works on so many levels. It gives students experience of producing work for the public realm and it also helps make the College and what goes on behind the façade more visible. One of our aspirations for the city is that the wealth of creativity, innovation and culture here becomes more visible and accessible to the many. We cannot lay claim to being Wales’ Capital of Culture if all around us the arts, artists and their response to the city is invisible. We want to see many more examples of arts in our public and open spaces, residential areas, community buildings and city centre as part of all our future planning, including the city centre regeneration, and the Art College promises be a huge part of us achieving this.”
The University is also planning to extend the reach of The Canvas with a planning application for smaller banners that will be fixed to the exterior of the other two Swansea College of Art buildings; the Alex Design Exchange and the BBC Building. Alongside the redeveloped Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, The Canvas and the accompanying banners will help to visibly define Swansea’s Arts and Cultural Quarter.
