Queenie
Appiagyei

What made you choose to study your course at NTU?

“When I visited NTU for the first time the university was so diverse, lively, and welcoming. Being from London I’m used to an energetic vibe and I definitely felt that when I came to NTU. I didn’t feel out of place compared to some of the universities I visited."

"The course is made for you to be curious and experiment with your practice, when I looked around in the studios, all the students work was mesmerising and was the same calibre of work I saw at Russell group universities. One of the main reasons why I chose NTU was the amount of studio space you get to work with. Art universities made for creatives didn’t have close to the amount of studio space you get here at NTU. There are different types of workshops you can attend, and tutors are always ready to help.”

What is your favourite thing about the course?

“My favourite thing about the course is the amount of freedom you have to make anything you want. I am mainly a painter, but I’ve been able to experiment with sculpture, video and sound through workshops and develop my practice.”

"Additionally, the staff are really supportive and are always available to help. There are clear learning resources too which makes doing work a lot easier if you’re stuck."

How have you found the facilities?

“If you want to work with sound, video, animation, welding, woodwork, the list goes on, you are able to do so, its really easy and straight forward to book out equipment, which you can book out for a few days. You can book out equipment that would cost you thousands of pounds for free giving you so much space to experiment or improve your practice."

Have you worked on any live briefs or competitions?

"There is a part in the module called Public where we create an exhibition for the public to view, it’s a really good opportunity for us to learn about making contemporary art events in the real world and a chance to work with new people."

Has your course included any guest speakers or industry trips? What have you enjoyed about this?

"We have live lectures nearly once every week, the course finds a variety of speakers to talk about their work, show us what’s it’s like in the industry and teach us loads of useful tips to help us on our journey. The thing I enjoy the most is even if the speaker doesn’t do the same practice as you, there are still things you can learn from their work. There are also trips to galleries in Nottingham and outside Nottingham including trips abroad, the last one was in New York."

What do you enjoy most about living and studying in Nottingham?

“Nottingham is an energetic, welcoming and interesting city.”

"There is a real cultural scene in Nottingham including loads of galleries and events you can visit like Nottingham Contemporary, Primary, One Thoresby Street, New Art Exchange, Backlit and that’s just a few of them. We also have Bonington Gallery which is in the same building as the studios for Fine Art so cultural events surrounding Art & Design are right at your doorstep."

"If you are looking for places to go, I would recommend going to Forbidden Planet or Page 45 if you’re into comic’s or anime, there are loads of cool restaurants and cafes if you want to eat or chill. There are so many shops and stores in the city centre."

If you could give advice to new students, what would it be?

"Don't feel too nervous because everyone is in the same boat you are in. Try to be as social as possible even if it is a bit awkward at first because it will all work out and you are going to have a lot of fun."

What's next for you after NTU?

"I'm not sure what's next for me, but I know I'm always going to be creating something. Maybe my work will be in galleries or maybe it will be album art, but I'm sure we will work it out. I hope to become a successful artist and I know that NTU has provided me with the tools and resources I need to achieve that."