West Dean College Master of Fine Art (MFA) student, Margaret Jones, is currently working with artist Jake Abrams to produce a piece of work to be shown at MAKE/CREATE at St Pancras Church, an exhibition in the Crypt Gallery (6 - 10 May) as part of London Craft Week, recently launched by HRH the Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. West Dean is one of the only colleges offering full time postgraduate study in Tapestry and Textile Art in the UK. Margaret is in her second year of the MFA programme.

Margaret, who received a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) scholarship to support her MFA at the College says, "This collaboration has been an excellent opportunity to broaden my horizons and take my work into exciting new areas. The collaboration has engendered a healthy debate on the forms and content of Jake's designs and their practicalities within the perceived confines of tapestry weaving".

MAKE/CREATE features 13 contemporary artists, selected by the Griffin Gallery, West London, and 13 QEST scholars. They will create one extraordinary collaborative exhibition in which artists and craftspeople are in dialogue with each other. The spirit of the exhibition lies in the desire to demonstrate the contemporary nature of craft, and the craft involved in contemporary art - changing perceptions of both.

Jake Abrams was keen to work with a textile artist as he had long been thinking of making 'softer' materials part of his work, diverging from the manufactured artefacts and harder components (such as wood) that he habitually uses. On looking at each other's work, the final form was arrived at quickly and unanimously, surprising from two artists who have very different backgrounds and portfolios.

West Dean College has an international reputation for teaching in Creative Arts and Conservation and 89% of students state reputation as the reason they chose to study at the College.

In recognition of the increasing difficulties in funding for postgraduate education the College offers a wide range of bursaries and scholarships for talented students who would not otherwise be able to study at West Dean College, including a Visual Arts Scholarship in Tapestry and Textile Art which covers cover the full tuition fees for one year. The Scholarship is available in either the graduate, postgraduate diploma or Master Fine Arts programme.

Full information and funding options are in the digital prospectus at www.westdean.org.uk/college

The official programme of the London Craft Week can be viewed at www.londoncraftweek.com

MAKE/CREATE

Part of London Craft Week 6-10 May 2015

The Crypt Gallery, St Pancras
11am-5pm
Private view: 6 May, 6-8.30pm

www.cryptgallery.org.uk

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Notes to editors

• West Dean College is part of The Edward James Foundation, an educational charitable trust established in 1964, also comprising West Dean Gardens, West Dean Estate and the West Dean Tapestry Studio. Charity No. 1126084.
• A one-day symposium on the practice of contemporary tapestry weaving will be held at West Dean College on Friday July 31st. Speakers include Yvonna Demczynska (Director of Flow Gallery, London); Lesley Miller MBE (Professor of Textile Culture and Director of the International Textile Research Centre at the UCA); Anne Jackson (Artist and juror of the Heallreaf tapestry exhibition) and Shelley Goldsmith (Artist).
• An open-call exhibition of hand-woven tapestry, curated by Margaret Jones, will take place in the Edward James Studios at West Dean College from 1 - 8 August 2015. www.heallreaf.com
• All photography is free to use for editorial purposes.
• Any journalist interested in attending a short course or event for news or review purposes, high res images or information on filming should contact the Media Relations Team.
• West Dean College is situated on the A286, six miles north of Chichester and within easy access of Portsmouth, Guildford, Brighton and London.