Illustration students feature in an exhibition to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021
The physical and virtual exhibition at The Carousel is also aiming to raise money for the Young Women’s Trust
First year BA (Hons) Illustration students Harley Sindall, Kirsty Lloyd and Lizzy Porter have had their illustrations selected for a physical and virtual exhibition at The Carousel in Nottingham to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021.
The team from The Carousel pitched the opportunity to students as an optional project they could take part in alongside their studies. A number of students submitted their work and three were selected to be part of the exhibition.
As the exhibition marks International Women’s Day, each illustrator has chosen an inspirational woman to feature in their artwork. These were then printed in 4 colour Risograph. The exhibition is aiming to raise £1000 for Young Women’s Trust, a charity that offers support to young women aged 18 to 30, who are living on low or no pay and want to build a better future.
The student’s artwork is exhibited alongside 17 other professional illustrators, with their work collated into an anthology. They will receive an edition of prints, a copy of the anthology and 20% of sales made from the exhibition. This is an incredible achievement for the students, who are just six months into their university journey.
Harley Sindall chose to feature her mother in her artwork: “I chose to illustrate my mum, the first and most inspirational female figure in my life. From a very young age, her diligence has shown me that working in my dream field is entirely possible and can be achieved with immense hard work and passion for my practice. I strive every day to work even half as hard as my mum does, as I know this is what will get me where I want to be.”
Lizzy Porter also chose her mother as her inspiring woman, saying: “The womxn in my image is my beautiful and wonderfully bonkers mum. My mom has always been an inspiration to me, but even more so within my practice. She reassures me when I am overwhelmed by doubt in my abilities, snaps me out when I am overthinking and is often the one who pushes me out of my comfort zone to try new things.”
Kirsty Lloyd chose Enid Blyton as her inspirational woman: “One of the very first authors I came across was Enid Blyton. My mom handed down her collection from her childhood to me. Little did she know these books would be one of my greatest inspirations.
The books themselves were given to my mom by my Nan. In a way, creating an image of Enid allowed me to combine all the women who have ever inspired me into one; my mom, my Nan, and Blyton herself. The level of imagination and imagery that books can induce is something I love deeply. To read and draw what lies within my head is something I aspire to do in life.”
The School of Art & Design at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is incredibly proud of these students, and looks forward to seeing how they progress with us during their course. The exhibition organisers, Zena Kay and Grace Barnes, said: "The work of the students is so incredible, they should be so proud!"
This exhibition will be available to view until May 3rd. View the exhibition and purchase the student’s prints here.