DE LA SALLE COLLEGE student Emmett Frazer is celebrating after he won the Ulster University GCSE Art Competition.
 
Ulster University's Schools' Outreach offer an extensive portfolio of aspiration and attainment raising activities designed for delivery in schools across the North.

This year they introduced their fourth Annual GCSE Art Competition on the theme of ‘Nations United’. 
 
As all school pupils have experienced, we are living through a very unique time in both human and our planet’s history. For this competition, the university encouraged pupils to watch the film NATIONS UNITED created by the United Nations on its 75th anniversary and to mark five years since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
In the midst of this global pandemic, that is radically transforming our world, NATIONS UNITED tells the story of the world as it is, as it was, and as it could be. It focuses on the solutions and action we need to tackle poverty, inequality, injustice and climate change.
 
Discussing his inspiration, Emmett said: “I was inspired by the video that the university sent to promote the competition. Digital art is definitely a career path that I want to go down in the future.”
 
Head of Art at La Salle, Caitriona McCambridge added: “This is such an achievement for Emmett, especially as he wants to be an illustrator. He wants to go to Art College and this will be such a good step forward for him.”
 
As a school, La Salle have a proud history of embracing all aspects of the student and a commitment to embracing the interests of their students outside of the traditional STEM subjects.

“Emmett got an iPad at Christmas and before then he hadn’t done any digital drawing. The piece of work that he submitted to the competition was created using skills that he had developed recently. That then developed into his current GCSE portfolio,” Caitriona continued.
 
“The iPad allows you to remove your layers and there is no need to rub out mistakes. We can also take the layers away and see the steps he has taken to create the piece.
 
“Since seeing the impact that this has had on Emmett’s work we have ordered two drawing tablets which have arrived and are ready to be used by our year 11 students and Moving Image students. If it wasn’t for Emmett, that wouldn’t have happened.”
 
The competition was open to Year 11 and 12 pupils who study Art & Design or Contemporary Craft; to create a graphic design, poster or artwork that stirred emotions and expressed the context of the UN film.


 

Lorraine Lavery-Bowen, Schools Partnership Manager at Ulster University commented: “Our fourth annual GCSE Art Competition focused on theme of ‘Nations United’ and the solutions and actions we need to tackle poverty, inequality, injustice and climate change.
 
“We encouraged pupils to watch the film NATIONS UNITED created by the United Nations for its 75th anniversary and to mark five years since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
“Year 11 and 12 pupils were then challenged to create a graphic design, poster or artwork that stirred emotions and expressed the context of the film. 
 
"Judges from Ulster University's Belfast School of Art were so impressed by all the entries and the clear artistic talent within our local schools. All the entries demonstrated really innovative and thoughtful responses to the brief.” 
 
Emmett’s artwork will now be exhibited in the main foyer of the Ulster University Belfast Campus as part of their Annual Degree Show.