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Graphic Design student collaborates with the Anti Gallery on workshop exploring womanhood

Final year student Amaia Kurschinski organised the workshop which featured a guest talk from Anti Gallery founder Saziso Phiri

A postcard made during the Empower workshop
A postcard design made during the workshop

A student in her final year of the BA (Hons) Graphic Design course recently held a workshop exploring the theme of womanhood. Amaia Kurschinksi organised the workshop in response to a brief set on the course, entitled Creative Conscience, which encourages students to use their skills as designers for good causes, and to engage with the local community.

The Empower workshop
Saziso speaking to the workshop participants

Taking the idea of womanhood as a starting point, Amaia conducted a series of interviews with young women across Nottingham. This developed into the delivery of a workshop entitled Empower, which was free and open to all members of the public.

The aim of the workshop was to creatively explore the idea of womanhood through the making of postcards; a creative tool which can be used as a vehicle for communication and empowerment, and to celebrate women. Questions were provided to prompt conversations, which focused on the experience of being a woman and its implications in today's society. Attendees consequently explored ideas around role models, empowerment and the breaking down of stereotypes.

Artworks being made during the Empower workshop
Participants experimenting with techniques

The workshop featured a guest talk from Saziso Phiri, founder of The Anti Gallery, a pop-up art gallery which produces exhibitions and live art experiences focusing on art and activism. She gave an inspiring talk which led into the practical making element of the workshop. Attendees chose from four different work stations, where they were able to experiment with different media and materials to make their postcards. These included collage, fabrics, painting, sketching and mono-printing.

Amaia told us: “The participants were encouraged to write a little message on the back of their postcards; at the end of the session I collected all postcards in, and will be sending them back through the post to the attendees. Hopefully they won't receive their own, and it will be a lovely surprise to brighten their day and make them feel empowered.”

Published on 15 March 2018
  • Category: NTU Arts; School of Art & Design