Cream of Manchester exhibits the next generation of Mancunian artists

Students work showcased at Manchester Art Gallery as part of Future Creatives collaboration

The Manchester College recently partnered with the Manchester Art Gallery to showcase Manchester’s emerging art scene.

The Cream of Manchester exhibition empowered and celebrated our young creatives as part of The Manchester College’s Future Creatives collaboration with the Manchester Art Gallery.

The Future Creatives partnership supports our students by providing a unique live brief, to explore Manchester and present a fresh perspective about their city.
 2024 marks the eighth iteration of the collaboration, and this year’s event was one of the biggest, being held over two venues and featuring almost 400 works from 350 talented Visual Arts students.

The joint exhibition kicked off with a launch event at the Manchester Art Gallery which included performances from our talented Music and Performing Arts students and a selection of our Visual Arts students’ work curated specifically to illuminate the connections that were the driving force of the brief.  

The event then continued at our City Campus Manchester where we welcomed hundreds of proud students who invited their family and friends to exhibit their artwork and celebrate their hard work.

The artworks displayed were created across various mediums from our Photography and Film, Fashion and Textiles, Ceramics, 3D Design, Painting, Creative Media, and Printmaking students. Performances from our Dance and Music students entertained our guests and showcased the exceptional levels of skill our students have attained.

In addition, six alumni from The Manchester College were given a live brief from the Manchester Art Gallery to take a fresh look at the Gallery’s vast collection and assess the collection's relevance in the 21st century. 

The project, named ‘Taking Stock’ explored new interpretations of artworks from the Rutherston Loan Collection by creating new art based on our alumni's personal responses and fresh perspectives.

The artists documented their process, from the research and experimenting phases to the final piece and shared their responses and insights with The Manchester College’s Visual Arts tutors and over 350 students through talks, tours and workshops. 

Maria Foran, Head of Department for Visuals Arts at The Manchester College said: “The conversation, working process, reflection, and collaboration our current students have engaged in with the Future Creatives project this year,  seals them within a unique moment for the city’s art collection.

We’re so proud to see their practical response giving a voice to the questions challenged by the brief.

“Our Cream of Manchester 2024 exhibition was an opportunity to warmly welcome our community of students, families, friends and partners to City Campus Manchester. It was an overwhelmingly joyful event that was a fitting celebration of the hard work, dedication and talent of our students and teaching teams. “

Find out more about our Visual Art courses and apply today.