Tianna McIntosh
- Course: BA Fine Art
Hear from Tianna as she discusses her final year degree show, and her time at Leeds.
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What made you want to apply to your course and to Leeds?
I feel like Leeds is a really great place to be a young creative. Studying art is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a child, so applying for BA Fine Art was honestly a no-brainer. I decided to apply to Leeds specifically, as it’s a city with a really rich creative history, and I have friends who have graduated from the same course and spoke very highly of it.
Every other week, students are putting on exhibitions at different venues, which is really great. I think it’s really lovely to be in a city full of like-minded people, and I feel like it’s an accessible spot for artists because you can exhibit work, and get your work out there without having to spend a lot of money.
What aspects of the course do you enjoy the most?
I think the learning facilities are really vast, and are probably my favourite thing about the course. I like the 24-hour studio access as I’m a super early riser so I love the flexibility of being able to work in the studios on early mornings, especially on weekends.
Having access to technical workshops that cover darkroom photography, intaglio printing, casting and more means that there are loads of opportunities to experiment with materials and processes that you might have been unfamiliar with.
Can you talk about your practice now, and how the course has helped you to develop?
One-on-one tutorials with staff have helped my practice develop the most, being able to have prolonged discussions with staff that are familiar with your work and can offer you relevant reference artists means that tutorials are a very personalised experience.
Earlier this year, I received an email from one of my tutors saying that I’d been nominated for the Freelands Painting Prize in 2023 which was really fantastic.
What other activities are available for students to take part in outside of their studies, and which ones have you tried out yourself?
There’s a society for just about everything which is really cool. I regularly attend Film Society screenings and I’m Vice President of the Union Music Library, a library on the third floor of the union that houses loads of CDs, records, and tapes.
How do you think the skills and knowledge you’ve developed at Leeds will help with your career plans?
I think the experience I’ve gained with putting on my own exhibitions, and modules such as the professional practice ones will be really helpful in terms of applying to open calls and residencies, as they’ve provided experience in crafting professional and articulate artists statements and CVs.