Arthur Silver Award - onwards and upwards!

As the deadline for entries for this year's Arthur Silver Award is fast approaching, it seems like a good time to catch up with two of our 'winners' from last year.


The annual Arthur Silver Award was set up specifically to encourage final year Middlesex University Art & Design students to engage with our collections. Each year the winner of the award benefits in terms of a cash prize of £1000 and from the exposure and publicity attached to the award.  We also award highly commended certificates to two other students.  We hope that this year's 'winners' will receive both a boost to their confidence and their respective careers as a result of the award. 


I am sure regular readers will be familiar with the work of Kerry Howley, the winner of last years award.  Kerry used a wallpaper pattern to inspire her series of necklaces made from human hair.  

Following her award, Kerry received a first class honours degree in BA. Jewellery & Accessories from Middlesex University. Her necklaces were featured  in the national & local press helping contribute to a massive interest in Kerry's work resulting in 1.75 million 'hits' on her website a month after its launch. Her jewellery was spotted by Sagmeister, a New York design company, who commissioned Kerry to design a poster for an exhibition at the Louvre in Paris in October. Kerry was also chosen by Craft magazine as one of their six favourite graduates of the year.  One of her pieces went to New York to be filmed for a programme on the Discovery channel. Her other pieces went on show at the National Centre for Craft & Design in Sleaford. 

In 2012 Kerry has two exhibitions coming up. One necklace is due to go to the Milan Furniture Fair (the traditional name of Milan Design Week) for a month beginning the 18th June, the specific exhibition is called 'Ultrabody' and will be held at Sforzesco Castle as part of the Design Week. A little later in the year three necklaces will be heading to Maastricht in the Netherlands for a fashion culture and art event called 'FASHIONCLASH'. They may be worn on the catwalk, though this hasn't been confirmed yet. And of course they are going to Museum of Arts & Design in New York in January 2013.

All of which has rather distracted Kerry from her work but she is determined to get back to designing and thinking about the next step for her artistic career. Kerry is still divided between human hair artworks on commission or conventional silver jewellery following the same inspirations as the hair necklaces. Whatever Kerry decides she intends to return to MoDA for more inspiration.

Marly Zohrehie (BA. Fashion & Textiles) was one of two students who received a highly commended certificate from the judges.  Marly was inspired by the hand drawn style of MoDA's floral and geometric patterns to create a range of finished garments.

Since graduating Marly has been busy gaining work experience and building up her curriculum vitae by working for design studios in London.   She did an internship with MirjamRouden Textile Design Studio and then another more recently with Tom Cody Design.  Marly has taken a break to go travelling and on her return she is hoping to go back to Tom Cody part time, as well as doing paid work to pay the rent, and hopefully to do some of her own art work.


Final year students thinking about entering for this year's award need to hand in their entries by the18th May 2012.


So who will win this year's award?.....Watch this space!