Over the last decade, the University of Salford Art Collection has been working in partnership with Castlefield Gallery to deliver a unique and ambitious programme to support outstanding graduates from the Salford School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology.
Many of the Salford Scholars have graduated from Fine Art and Photography programmes, though we have also supported graduates from a wide range of courses including Creative Music Technology, Graphics and Fashion Image-Making and Styling. Alumni from the Salford Scholars have gone on to a range of creative careers and are now interwoven into the rich arts ecology of Greater Manchester.
The Graduate Scholarship Programme was established in 2013 as a way to support exceptional graduates from our School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology in their crucial first year after graduating. Over 50 bespoke scholarships have been awarded, granting recent graduates the time and resources to experiment and take risks with their creative practice within a supportive framework. Each scholarship is tailored and unique, and includes a programme of mentorship, coaching, and professional development, and for some, 12 months of studio space with one of our studio partners at Islington Mill, Paradise Works, or Hot Bed Press. Each Scholar agrees to gift an artwork to the University Art Collection as a legacy of the programme.
Below are our celebratory events for the 10th year of the Graduate Scholarship Programme.
Catalyst – Celebrating 10 Years of the Graduate Scholarship Programme exhibition
9th September 2024 – 10th January 2025
New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery
2024 marks the 10th year of the Graduate Scholarship Programme, and we will be launching a new exhibition in the New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery with a variety of artists that have been a part of the scheme – over 50 artists in the past decade!
This exhibition will feature 16 of our previous Graduate Scholars, these include: Suraj Adekola, Katie Aird, Lubna Ali, Mollie Balshaw, Joe Beedles, Heather Bell, Alena Ruth Donely, Aidan Doyle, Elliott Flanagan, Joe Fowler, Jesse Glazzard, Jack Jameson, Lizzie King, Adam Rawlinson, Joshua Turner, and Meg Woods.
As a legacy of the programme, scholars are expected to gift work into the University’s Art Collection. The work on display has been selected to showcase the breadth of creative practice from across BA and MA courses at the School as well as participants from different cohorts. Covering a range of topics, their works exemplify the exciting and urgent emerging practices happening in the North West right now. From personal identity, LGBTQ+ visibility, wellbeing and politics; thoughts on place, landscape and nature; to passionate enquiries into form, shape, colour and the nature of image-making, the artworks reflect some of the many issues of the past decade.
40 Years of the Future: Where should we be now? – Featuring Graduate Scholar Jeffrey Knopf
July – October 2024
Castlefield Gallery
Presented in partnership with the University of Salford Art Collection, 40 Years of the Future: Where Should We Be Now? brings together the work of a sculptor, photographer and artist-filmmaker – Graduate Scholar Jeffrey Knopf alongside Theo Simpson, and Hope Strickland. These artists are deeply committed to their disciplines, but also keen to work with them in expanded and non-traditional ways.
Both Knopf and Simpson were commissioned to make new work for the collection. Their practices share themes of personal and political histories; considering how we tell stories, create narratives, and consider complex legacies through material and visual culture.
Jeffrey Knopf was accepted onto the Graduate Scholarship Scheme in 2021, developing his practice with a studio placement at Paradise Works – upon completion of the scheme, Knopf has maintained a studio at Paradise Works; containing 3D prints, experiments, and different materials to further develop his practice.
Previously on Programme:
Salford Scholars at The Manchester Contemporary – November 2023
Curated by Rowan Pritchard, Salford Scholars (10 year celebration) brought together the work of 5 recent graduate scholars; Katie Aird, Mollie Balshaw, Jeffrey Knopf, Katie McGuire, and Adam Rawlinson. These artists working across mediums including sculpture, photography, and painting.
