The University of Salford and the Salford School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology are once again indebted to the Haworth Trust for providing the funding to host The Haworth Life Drawing Series and exhibition in this academic year. The Life Class is organised and administered by the BA (Hons) Fine Art programme. It is now in its ninth year. Founded by Jeremy Haworth in 1990, the Haworth Trust gives financial support to deserving young people with exceptional talent who are determined to make a career in the arts, especially in painting and music.
The Haworth Trust enables the school to host a Life Class for 20 weeks per academic year on Wednesday afternoons and a further 10 specialists ‘Masterclasses’ which take place on alternate weeks on Wednesday mornings.
The Fine Art team have observed a resurgence of interest in traditional techniques of painting and drawing in the last five years. Artists and students alike are reverting to their own bodies as a way of exploring their place in the world. This year approximately 110 students from 10 programmes throughout the school took part in the life drawing sessions.
The Haworth Trust Life Drawing Prize offers students a great incentive to participate in the sessions and a wonderful opportunity to study work, first-hand, in a major European museum/gallery.
The winners and other selected works chosen by the Fine Art team and Greg Fenwick are currently on show in an exhibition at the New Adelphi building.
The exhibition in April was a celebration of the year’s work and awarding of prizes. Historically, the exhibition has been in the old Old Fire Station, but this year, it moved to the New Adelphi building and it was overwhelmingly popular and perpetuated a significant increase in attendance. Feedback from students and academics throughout the building has been resoundingly positive.
‘The classes have made a significant difference to the observation skills of the foundation students that attended. Confidence in mark making gestural and dynamic lines has been much improved. Irrespective of degree the disciple the fundamental fluency of hand eye coordination has revealed itself as key.’ Matthew Morriss, Programme Leader Foundation
Prize Winners 2024
1st Prize Mia Cinus
Mia Cinus 2024
Oil pastel on paper
2nd Prize Maria Scott
Untitled 2024
Acrylic on found cardboard
Maria Scott
3rd Prize Okechukwu Ikeme
Untitled 2024
Acrylic on canvas board
Okechukwu Ikeme
Highly Commended
Rebecca Riley
Harry Mfum
Robert McLeod
Elizabeth Hearfield
Kristen Lai
Ruby 2024
Acrylic on canvas
Kristen Lai
‘We are delighted with the level of engagement and the quality of the work produced by our students, and we are looking forward to their ongoing development in the coming years.’
Dr Angela Tait, Academic Fellow, BA (Hons) Fine Art