Lancaster Art student receives prestigious award

Third year Fine Art student Shona Harrison from the Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts, has won the prestigious North West Young Arts Bursary Award. The bursary is offered annually by The National Association of Design and Fine Art societies to an undergraduate student studying in the North West who wishes to continue their study at Masters level in the North West region. With an overall value of £6,000 the bursary is divided into £1,000 for completion of undergrad study, £2,500 toward the Masters and the remaining £2,500 for start up costs as a professional practitioner. Shona intends to continue to study at Lancaster and has been accepted for a place on the LICA Professional Practice MA.

Of the four young artists shortlisted two were from LICA. Christian Mills, who came a very close second to Shona, was awarded a runners up prize of £500. Alongside the student award there is an departmental award of £1,000 to purchase an item of teaching and learning equipment.

Shona was generous in sharing the credit for her success with her tutors in the Art section, LICA and the University.

She said:“It really was a great day! The Judges commented on how good our presentation skills were as well as our work itself, and I think we owe a lot of this ability to speak critically and elaborately about our own work to Lancaster, so thank you and the rest of the tutors (especially Rob Vale who has tutored both of us for the past two years) and everyone behind LICA.

Head of Fine Art Gerry Davies said: “While LICA and Art provide high quality teaching and learning, this success must be credited to the individual drive, ambition and creative skills of Shona and Christian, we enable and support, but it’s the students who turn that into success.”