Manchester School of Art Degree Show 2026

We may know Manchester School of Art as the striking glass cube that is its current home in the The Lowry Building, but the School has been an integral part of the city’s culture since 1838.

Initially established as the Manchester School of Design, it was first housed in the basement of the Royal Manchester Institution on Mosley Street (the current site of Manchester Art Gallery), where it provided design training to the manufacturing industry. It is part of Manchester Metropolitan University and actually the second oldest design school in the country.

The institution’s long history is not the only reason it is so well embedded into the local cultural landscape – its forward-thinking approach started early on in the context of the times when the School opened its doors to female students in 1880. While male and female students were still segregated at that point, it did provide higher education to women. In fact, artist and activist Sylvia Pankhurst was one of its more prolific students, winning many prizes for the work she created while studying at the Manchester College of Art at the beginning of the 20th century.

Every summer, the School opens their doors to the public to celebrate the graduating students’ achievements in the annual Degree Show. The display is both a chance for the student’s friends and families to see their hard work realised in a professional exhibition format, as well as an opportunity to make connections that can help the students to continue their creative practice outside of academia. Degree shows are an integral part of the art school experience and the crowning moment that students work towards throughout their last year of study.

Erum Aamir – BA (Hons) Three Dimensional Design -2019-1024

The Degree Show showcases work from the next generation of creative, inspiring graduates across architecture, art, design, digital arts, fashion and performance courses at Manchester Met. Student work will be on display across the university’s entire creative campus, highlighting the achievements of their final-year projects.

This year’s Degree Show theme is ‘Bloom’, celebrating growth, collaboration and the cross-pollination of ideas across Manchester Met’s creative community. Visitors will be able to sample work that explores a variety of poignant themes from a myriad of disciplines, created using a wide range of technical skills.

This creative showcase is a great way to see the very best work of the next generation of North-West creatives while also getting a sense of the creative offer at Manchester Metropolitan University. Those interested in studying one of the creative courses at the university can also book onto the upcoming Undergraduate Open Day on Wednesday 18th June and visit the Degree Show on the same day.

The School is divided into four departments with courses ranging from fine art, art history, graphic design and fashion to architecture, digital arts and more. The building’s openness allows for free movement and dialogue between the different disciplines, which is a key aspect of art education that not all art schools can take as much pride in.

Ellie Williamson BA (Hons) Textiles In Practice 2020

David Grimshaw, Deputy Head of Design describes this openness in practice: “I’m always really inspired by the thinking that connects so much our students work. They are really conscious of not only of the opportunity to be personally creative, but are also very aware of wider social, environmental and economic issues, and their responsibilities within these.”

This year’s graduates can look to the School’s long list of incredibly successful past alumni as inspiration for what can lie ahead. Painter L.S. Lowry is perhaps the best-known figure who attended the school and whose name can now be found all over Manchester. Swinging Sixties fashion designer, and a friend of David Hockney, Ossie Clark also attended the school before embarking on an illustrious career in design. More recent graduates include celebrated photographer Martin Parr, whose work has featured in around 80 exhibitions worldwide and contemporary artist Audrey Albert who graduated in 2018 and was selected as a Creative Fellow for MIF21.

The Show will take place across The Lowry, Chatham, Grosvenor, Righton and SODA buildings on the Manchester Metropolitan University All Saints Campus.