Manchester School of Art showcase graduate and staff work at Manchester Art Fair

Curators of the fair had specifically requested for the Manchester School of Art to take part after being impressed by the school’s 2025 Degree Show which showcased work from students across Art and Design.  

Ambitious work by recent graduates and masters’ students, produced for the Art School Commissions scheme, was on display throughout the fair and on the Manchester School of Art stand. The students, Iona Ford, Sagnick Bhowmick and Coco Day, were specially selected by the executive chairman of Manchester Art Fair, Tom Hetherington.  

This presence at Manchester Art Fair also marked the official launch Art School Commissions, a new agency empowering Manchester School of Art graduates to step confidently into the world as working artists. After years of supporting emerging talent inside the art school, Art School Commissions is now building the bridge beyond it; connecting Manchester School of Art graduates with architects, interior designers, businesses, and organisations across Manchester who are seeking original contemporary art. The initiative works with students to prepare them for industry, helping them understand the commissioning process, gain confidence, and secure opportunities to pitch, exhibit, and create meaningful work. 

Senior Lecturer and co-creator of Art School Commissions, Kate Egan, said: “Art School Commissions is something I’m proud to run together with Victoria Dahl. We’re committed to making this platform a launchpad for the next generation of creatives. We’d like to say a huge thanks to Manchester Art Fair for championing our vision and showcasing our students”.  

Manchester Art Fair also showcased works from members of staff at Manchester School of Art. As a result, two Fine Art lecturers Chara Lewis and Katie Tomlinson, had their work acquired for Manchester Art Gallery’s permanent collection, selected by Manchester Art Gallery curators and purchased using The Manchester Contemporary Art Fund.   

Chara Lewis, who’s work ‘Apparition no.6 2024, Light box with unique Duratran’ was a collaborative piece produced by art collective Brass-Art, commented: “The Apparition photographic and video series is developed from research into pre-cinematic spectacle, using coloured cellophane as a way of seeing the everyday anew. The work references the cellophane theatre set designs of Modernist, but distinctly proto-feminist, American theatre designer, painter and poet, Florine Stettheimer. The artists disguised themselves to create grotesque portrait silhouettes based on pre-cinematic shadow play.  

We were surprised and delighted to have this work added to the permanent collection at Manchester Art Gallery. As a collaborative trio we were told in the past that collectors were wary of investing in a collective that may not last, but here we are 25 years later. Perhaps we have proved our staying power”. 

Katie Tomlinson added: “The painting selected is titled The Best Things in Life Are Free, part of my wider narrative painting series, where each canvas acts as a portal into a staged or enacted scene. This work draws on the 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? and Alexander McQueen’s 2004 Spring/Summer collection Deliverance, which itself reinterpreted the film. 

It feels incredibly meaningful to have been acquired by the gallery. I’ve been visiting Manchester Art Gallery since I first moved to the city in 2015, long before I imagined my work might sit within its collection. A decade later, to have a painting acquired by the gallery in the city where I studied, lived throughout my twenties, and continue to work and call home is both surreal and deeply affirming. It’s a moment of recognition that feels genuinely significant”. 

Find out more about visiting Manchester Art Gallery. 

Find out more about Art School Commissions. 

Contact Art School Commissions: artschoolcommissions@mmu.ac.uk