[T]o have one reason to celebrate is normally enough to savour but Fine Art graduate Emily Hartness and her family have enjoyed marking three!
As well as graduating from the University of Cumbria and collecting the first Institute of the Arts award for creativity and innovation, the 22 year-old from Carlisle has also been named Young Cumbria Artist of the Year.
“To be named young artist was a major shock – I was looking forward to graduating and going out into the world but since hearing this I’ve never stopped smiling!” Emily said.
The £500 cash prize is already earmarked for purchasing art equipment as Emily decides her next steps along a career path that is already taking shape.
“The Young Cumbrian Artist of the Year continues to impress me each year with the quality and variety of work on show. I had already experienced the work of Emeli Hartness at the degree show this Summer and was hugely impressed by the integrity of the artist and her work”, said Adrian Lochhead, director of Eden Arts, the organisation who co-ordinate the Young Cumbrian Artist of the Year Exhibition as part of the C-Art programme of events. “We look forward to working with the Institute of Arts even more in the next few years as we expand and develop C-Art programme”.
Emily certainly made an impression during her time at the University of Cumbria, displaying work that was scrutinised closely by designer Vivienne Westwood who visited the university’s Ambleside campus earlier this year.
“She’s also the recipient of the first Institute of the Arts award for creativity and innovation because of the installation that was presented to Vivienne Westwood when she visited our Ambleside campus,” said Roddy Hunter, director of the Institute of the Arts. “Emily has taken advantage of every opportunity of working with our world leading professors in fine art. Our fine art programme offers such high quality and when you have that talent and take those risks to make a distinctive practice and take into the world you fully deserve to be a professional artist.”
An MA is on the cards for Emily now who’s taking time to consider the wide range of options open to her.
To find out more about C-Art: www.c-art.org.uk
