Free Art, Free Food, Free Boo-

05/06/2014
Rife Contributor

Credit: UWE Fine Arts

Every year the arts courses at UWE present the work of their final year students in a massive exhibition that spans several campuses in south Bristol.

The opening night of this year’s show happens to be this Friday (June 6th), and I thought I’d draw upon my three years of degree show experience to give you a detailed and extensive plan of action for Friday night. The plan is as follows:

1. Wear clothes.

2. Go to Bower Ashton – whiz round all of the courses there, make enthusiastic comments about the quality of the work etc.

3. Spend the rest of the night at Spike Island and take advantage of the free refreshments.

I joke, I joke, but in all seriousness the first instruction isn’t compulsory.

The exhibitions at Bower Ashton are always big and include animation, fashion, drawing, filmmaking, illustration, photography and more. It’s a great atmosphere and often there’s so much to see that a return visit is required later in the week.

The Spike Island studios are home to the Fine Art and Art and Visual Culture courses, both of which merge to put on a huge show that usually has quite a well stocked bar – all of which is for free and available for those of you who are of a legal age. Now you see why I suggest spending more of the evening appreciating the art there than anywhere else? Regardless of whether you take advantage of the nibbles or not, the shows will no doubt will be fantastic as usual. Assume there will be performance, sculpture, weirdness and probably some nudity.

If you can’t make it to the opening night of the shows then have no fear; they’re on until the 12th June

Find out more about the degree shows here, and RSVP to the Facebook event for Fine Art at Spike Island.

Are you going? Do you even like art? Does that matter? Tweet us at @Rifemag