Art Students from University College Isle of Man (UCM) will be holding an exhibition of their final year project running from Saturday 9th May – Friday 15th May in the Villa Marina Arcade.
The exhibition will showcase work by final year art degree students and the work of the Final Major Project from UCM’s Further Education students.
The work of the degree students, which is collectively entitled Follican, will be displayed in the upper Villa Marina Arcade. The pieces on display reflect the artistic development of the students over the three years of study on the BA (Hons) Creative Visual Practice degree, and represent a significant stage in the students’ creative evolution, demonstrating the refinement of their skills.
Milly Nodwell, one of the students, commented: “Follican, which is the translation for Butterfly in Manx, symbolises the transformation and growth which is an apt reflection of the cohort’s progress as emerging artists. It also highlights our transition from education into professional practice. As 2026 is the Year of the Manx (Blein Ny Gaelgey) Language, we were keen to reflect this in the exhibition by adopting a Manx word as the theme for our exhibition.”
The work of the Further Education students will be displayed in a vacant unit of the Arcade, and will include a wide range of artistic mediums, from fashion and fine art to ceramics and music. This Further Education section of the exhibition has been supported via a grant from Isle of Man Arts Council for materials and cataloguing of the student’s work.
Liza Nicholson, Acting Head of the Creative and Leisure Industries Faculty, added: “Each year our student exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the creativity and talent of our learners. This year’s exhibition will showcase work across a wide range of media, including a community engagement art project, and we are incredibly proud of what the students have achieved. We are very grateful to VillaGaiety for supporting our students by providing such a fantastic exhibition space, and we hope lots of people from the community will come along to see their work.”
Exhibition opening times:
- Saturday 9th May: 10am – 4pm
- Sunday 10th May: 10am – 4pm
- Monday 11th May: 9.30am – 4pm
- Tuesday 12th May: 9.30am – 4pm
- Wednesday 13th May: 9.30am – 5.30pm
- Thursday 14th May: 9.30am – 5.30pm
- Friday 15th May: 9.30am – 4pm