UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 16 JUNE 2023
Katherine Ryan returned to Birmingham City University (BCU) on Tuesday 13 June, to celebrate the ‘courageous’ creativity of graduating students from arts and design disciplines as she urged them to follow their creative paths.
The comedian, presenter and actor toured final-year art and design shows, before speaking to guests at the launch of the University’s annual Inspired Festival.
She lauded the work that she had seen on her tour, including illustration, architecture, graphics, fashion and textiles – and told the students that they inspired her and could go on to inspire countless others.
She urged students to “keep being creative and be the brave artists you were born to be”.
A major annual milestone in the University’s calendar, Inspired Festival sees graduating students’ work exhibited across its city centre campus and throughout Birmingham city centre.
The event also saw the return of BCU’s acclaimed student catwalk, where leading figures from the fashion, business and creative industries come together to celebrate the talents of graduating jewellery, fashion and textiles students.
BCU’s renowned School of Jewellery played host to Katherine Ryan in 2021 and 2022, as it provided the backdrop to the BBC’s popular talent-seeking programme All That Glitters, which was fronted by the Canadian star.
Inspired Festival, which showcases the brightest emerging talent from across BCU, runs until 25 June.
It kicked off on Saturday 10 June with Inspired Family Day, which saw hundreds of families from across the West Midlands flock to the University’s city centre campus to take part in dozens of free family-friendly activities.