Northumbria’s Master of Fine Art students display first glimpse of their work

Students from Northumbria University’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programme will launch an exhibition this Thursday at BALTIC39 in Newcastle.

The upcoming exhibition, entitled Semi, was initiated by the current cohort of MFA students and will showcase their work to the public over a three day period. As the title suggests, Semi is not necessarily the finished article, but a chance for the public to view the students work as it progresses.

MFA student Lily Mellor said: “Lending our artwork the fresh context of a public setting allows us to see how it is operating in the real world, which can often turn out to be quite different to how it was intended. Semi, like all exhibitions, is a chance for us to experiment, take risks and learn.”

BALTIC39 is the home of Northumbria’s postgraduate Fine Art students as well as thirty two artists’ studios and a rolling programme of exhibitions and events programmed by BALTIC.

Northumbria’s partnership with BALTIC, entitled BxNU and based at BALTIC39, provides a unique platform where teaching is informed and enhanced through working with a world-class centre for contemporary art. Students have the opportunity to develop their practice in a supportive, stimulating environment of leading researchers and internationally renowned artists. They work alongside the professional and established artists based at the studios, gaining daily access to the exhibitions and an artistic community that extends beyond the region.

Fiona Crisp MFA Course Leader said: “Following on from their mid-semester assessment, Semi is an opportunity for the students to open up their work to the public at large via a short, sharp three-day exhibition.  The fluid, creative and experimental nature of the show, framed by the professional context of BALTIC39, exemplifies the unique nature of the MFA programme at Northumbria.”

The exhibition will open to the public Friday 23rd and run until Sunday 25th January.

The students will present their formal exhibition in June, when their final work will be on display in the top floor galleries of BALTIC39.

The MFA is just one of the postgraduate programmes on offer at Northumbria. To find out more about this, and other postgraduate opportunities, visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/pg. The University will be hosting a postgraduate open day on 11 February.

For information about BALTIC39 visit www.baltic39.com.