In September 2017, 130 students and staff from the Art and Design Foundation Diploma course spent the day at the National Trust’s Killerton House learning about Killerton’s women’s suffrage story.

The students were inspired by the suffrage campaign’s use of slogans, banner, badges, colour and lettering. The Protest Project, which subsequently evolved, formed this collection of the student’s work, in response to what they saw that day and subsequently discovered. Students developed ideas and outcomes in Fashion and Textiles, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Lens Media and Applied Arts.

The work currently on show at Killerton House comes from the Fashion and Textiles area and is a strong visual representation relating to the overarching theme of Protest.

Carol Kennedy, Programme Manager said: “Our association with the National Trust at Killerton House is becoming an established, positive and very productive partnership. Working on the theme of Protest this year has enabled us to explore a broad range of topics in visual and written form and has encouraged wide debate amongst our students. The more specific focus on Suffrage offered us the opportunity to explore new and informed perspectives on the subject and the resulting art and design work was knowledgeable, inspiring and exciting, showing that this movement still has relevance. The work produced covered ceramics, printmaking, painting, drawing, sculpture and graphic design work, the pieces on show at Killerton House are some of the Fashion and Textile pieces made during the project. We have all really enjoyed working with the National Trust and thank Killerton House for the opportunity of working with them. We are already looking forward to our next collaboration in September 2018.”

We spoke to Shelley Tobin, Costume Curator, about the project. “The Protest Project is an exciting and thoughtful part of the exhibition Branded: fashion, femininity and the right to vote. This project is the result of a unique collaboration between Killerton’s team and Exeter College, with staff and students taking part in the project during the 2017 autumn term. Pre-degree Foundation Diploma in Art and Design students were invited to Killerton to see the collections and explore the park, house and garden, following a presentation to students at college by myself and Eileen Dillon, Learning Officer.

The stunning work on show at Killerton demonstrates the student's attention to detail. Their responses to the women’s suffrage theme are mature and thoughtful, bringing together historical text and imagery with contemporary issues”.

The show at Killerton is open daily and runs until 4th November 2018.

If you are interested in studying Art and Design with us then please take a look through our courses here.