DCG art students share top honour in Bryan Harris Bursary

The students with the judges. (Left to right) - Vikki Fitt, Katy Pendleton, Ella-Rose Wadsworth, Jocelyn Taylor and Alan Ager. (Credit: DCG)

Two inspiring and thought-provoking pieces of artwork, one exploring surf counter-culture and the pull to travel and live life to the full, the other celebrating Japanese heritage and the natural world, have jointly earned Derby College Group (DCG) Art & Design students Ella-Rose Wadsworth and Katy Pendleton this year’s Bryan Harris Bursary from the Arts Society Derby.

The annual award, worth £500 and shared jointly this year, was judged by Arts Society Derby members Vikki Fitt, Jocelyn Taylor and Alan Ager. Five talented students from the Joseph Wright post-16 Academic and Arts College were shortlisted, with Ella-Rose and Katy’s work chosen as joint winners.

The Bryan Harris bursary is awarded to Derby College Group Art & Design students who demonstrate outstanding creativity, technical skill and personal expression in their final major project, with the bursary supporting their progression into higher education or a creative career.

Ella-Rose Wadsworth, studied the UAL Extended Diploma in Creative Practice: Art, Design & Communication at DCG. Her artwork, inspired by surf counter-culture, explores the idea of stepping away from the traditional nine-to-five to travel the world and live life to the fullest.

Ella-Rose said she plans to use her share of the bursary towards art and design materials, and hopes to progress to a fine art degree at Salford University.

Katy Pendleton studied the UAL Extended Diploma in Creative Practice: Art, Design & Communication at DCG. Her hand-finished range of Japanese-inspired surface designs and wallpapers uses pattern, colour and hand-painted gold detailing to capture the rhythm and beauty of the natural world.

Katy said she plans to use her share of the bursary towards art and design materials, and hopes to progress to Loughborough University to study Textiles.

Tracey Ramsdale, Teacher of Art and Design at DCG, praised Ella-Rose and Katy’s progress and creativity: “Ella-Rose and Katy are brilliant examples of the talent we see coming through our Art & Design courses year after year. Both have such a clear, confident sense of who they are as artists, and that comes through in every piece they make.

“Watching their ideas develop from a first spark into finished, exhibition-ready work has been a real privilege, and I could not be prouder of everything the whole group has achieved this year.

“I also want to say how proud we are of Kitty, Bella and Paige; their work was every bit as strong and they should be every bit as proud of what they have produced.”

The other shortlisted students, Kitty Rains, Bella Gration and Paige Annable, also produced outstanding and varied work, including Vikki Fitt, Young Arts representative at Arts Society Derby,

Marking her tenth year judging the award, she said: “Every year I think the standard cannot get any higher, and every year these students prove me wrong. What struck me this year was how unique each piece was; the range of skills and materials on show was genuinely inspiring.

“Having judged this award for ten years now, seeing this calibre of work gives me great hope for the future of the creative industries.”