Mary Coins Self Portrait
1 June 2010
Mary Nugent and her work, above, and below, the exhibit at Britannia Mill.
A penny for your thoughts? Then try 5,500 pennies for your self portrait!
That's just what artistic Mary Nugent has done - she has used 5,500 1p coins to create her own portrait - and it is all in the name of art. The Daily Mail has already picked up on this story.
Mary, 47, from Streatham in London, is just one of the students on the University of Derby's BA (Hons) Creative Expressive Therapies course which is holding its end of year art exhibition for third year students this week.
Students studying within the University's Faculty of Education, Health and Sciences in the BA (Hons) Creative Expressive Therapies and the MA Art Therapy will exhibit their Degree Show work at the University's Britannia Mill site in Mackworth Road.
There will be a private view to launch the work on Wednesday, June 2, from 6-9pm, and the show will be open to the public for the next week. On the launch night, guests will be greeted by dancers and musicians, whose displays all form part of students' performances for their degree course in dance, drama and music pathways.
Mary said: "I was interested in exploring the benefits of education versus the cost of education which is why I chose to use penny coins as a symbol of money, to form a key component and material of my final project.
"I do think that from a personal perspective that my degree has been good value - I have developed a lot and got a lot out of the course and am now considering studying Art Therapy at Master's level."
In order to obtain the contrast of colour in the coins to produce the portrait, Mary separated the shiny coins from those which looked darker in colour, and also put some pennies outside on a plastic sheet for several months for the weather to turn them black in colour.
Students who are taking part in the showcase at Britannia Mill include:
- BA (Hons) Creative Expressive Therapies: (Music Pathway) Elizabeth Ball and Samuel Wade
- (Dance Pathway): Inkyung Choung and Katherine Wilkins
- (Drama Pathway): Student names to be confirmed
- (Art Pathway): Aisha Louise Edie; Daniella Gore; Marie-Ann Hegarty; Victoria Manning; Reema Mistry; Mary Nugent; Keziah Smith; Jessica Stammers, Jemima Thimbleby and Holly Thompson.
Visit their website: www.derby.ac.uk/CET-degree-show to find out more about their individual profiles and projects.
And the students in the MA Art Therapy exhibition are: Rebecca Baker; Ericka Cain, Ingrid Gill, Bethan Knowles; Catherine Lawrence; Anne-Marie March; Elizabeth Joy Pattick; Andrea Southey; Sheena Taggart and Zara Tatem-Wyatt.
It is the first time that MA Art Therapy students at Derby are exhibiting at the degree shows and for more details about their work, visit their website at: www.derbyarttherapy.com/
Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication. The overall aim is to enable a client to effect change and growth on a personal level through the use of art materials in a safe and facilitating environment.
Art therapy is a diverse profession and it is important to ensure that those who practice it are maintaining the standards upheld by The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). Art Therapists, along with Drama and Music Therapists need to train at Masters level and register with the Health Professions Council.
The University of Derby's annual Degree Shows will be held from June 3 to 12.
Final year students from subject areas including fashion, fine art, computer games modelling and animation, film and video, crafts, music technology, product design, textiles, art therapy, architectural design; and sound, light and event technology will be exhibiting at the University's Markeaton Street site, in Derby, and elsewhere.
For more information about the University's Degree Shows 2010 and a full programme see website www.derby.ac.uk/degreeshow.
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For more information about this news release, contact Deputy Head of Corporate Relations Simon Redfern on 01332 591942 or 07748 920038.
