Applied Art

Applied art is the practice of making objects and artefacts with creative, aesthetic, and functional intent, working with materials including ceramics, metal, and mixed media to create work that sits at the intersection of craft, design, and fine art. It is a discipline that takes making seriously as a form of thinking, recognising that the physical process of working with materials generates insights and possibilities that cannot be reached through purely conceptual or digital means. Applied artists work across an unusually diverse range of outputs, from tableware and jewellery to sculptural objects, public installations, and industrial design.

At Wrexham University, this three-year, full-time programme includes a foundation year and introduces you in the first year to the breadth of materials and techniques within the applied arts, with the opportunity to work across all the material areas and to experiment with ceramics, metal, and mixed media before you find the direction your practice wants to take. The programme develops your technical skill in your chosen materials alongside the conceptual and critical thinking that gives applied art work depth and purpose. Studio practice is central, and you will develop your own creative voice through sustained making, experimentation, and reflection.

Graduates of applied art programmes go on to careers as studio ceramicists, jewellers, metalworkers, designer-makers, and applied artists in their chosen medium, working as self-employed makers, running workshops, exhibiting in galleries, and selling through craft markets and commissions. Others move into roles in art education, design, museum and gallery collections, conservation, and arts administration. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in applied art, craft, or design, taking their practice to a more advanced level or into research.