This year masters student Alice Calvert organised her first solo show, originally prompted by her participation in The Northern Art Gala, her journey into organising her first solo show had it’s challenges and rewards. We spoke to her to find out more about her first steps into sharing her work in a public space to offer insight for those looking to do the same.

Alice originally studied on our BA in Costume Interpretation with Design she that after “graduating in June 2024, I wanted to keep the momentum going by pursuing an MA straight after. My passion for costume is very much rooted in my love of history and I wanted to continue to celebrate that through the work produced in my MA.”

Speaking of her work she said that she “decided to revolve my first project around Queen Elizabeth I as her iconography intrigues me, her image is one that has stood the test of time, despite controversy, illegitimacy and lack of modern technology. Despite being one of the most influential people in the world, she was still questioned for being a woman so I wanted to explore Elizabethan feminism and how this manifested itself through dress.”

Her outcomes included “a costume ensemble consisting of a dress, waistcoat, bum roll and neck ruff  inspired by contemporary aesthetics, I liked the idea of being able to re-design the typical clothing of a high-class Elizabethan woman such as Elizabeth I herself, the silhouette is recognizable as Elizabethan in the neck ruff, bum roll, and big sleeves but there is a lot less rigidity in my design to give her back some autonomy and manoeuvrability.”

Speaking of the design details she explains, “the idea of a waistcoat came about in replace of a corset, giving some semblance of structure and support whilst providing warmth and comfort, which I embellished with machine embroidery of miniature portraits of Elizabeth I,  these were symbolic of the idea of women supporting women by literally wearing their iconography. My body of work was supported by two further portraits of Elizabeth I which I built up in layers using freehand machine embroidery, effectively ‘painting’ with the sewing machine.”

Alice explained that “this work was supposed to be presented in an exhibition as part of The Northern Art Gala, I wanted to take the opportunity to improve my confidence by exhibiting solo. A solo exhibition would also allow me to find a location suited to the specific themes of my work.”

When looking for a venue she said that she wanted to find a setting that reflected the historical influence on her work, “I was inspired by the thought of finding an establishment that was in existence during the Tudor period, providing an authentic context. I knew choices would be limited so I kept my options open by searching across the country, looking at converted shops, buildings, theatres, galleries and restaurants in places as far apart as Cumbria, London and York. I made a list of venues in order of priority, based on distance and practicality and worked my way down, emailing places such as Tullie House in Carlisle, Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire, the more local Hardwick Hall and even Shakespeare’s Globe in London.”

Reflecting on the challenges of organising the exhibition she commented, “I had the difficulty of exhibiting in winter, when many stately homes and smaller galleries close, so my options were even more limited. When I started receiving replies back, I thought I might need to go back to the drawing board as it seemed no one was able to accommodate a small-scale exhibition and their calendars were already filled with events. After openly chatting about my hunt for a venue, I found a mutual contact working within the National Trust in the northern region, who was a huge help in narrowing down options, choosing a venue and getting the exhibition booked in.”

“With the challenges I had already faced, my expectations were very low and I began to think a short exhibition might be my only option, displaying my work for a couple of days to fit around busy schedules. But I am very grateful that Washington Old Hall were able to accommodate me for two weeks – this felt important in providing me with public exposure as a creative, increasing the visibility and accessibility of me and my work.”

Alice promoted her exhibition online, “I used social media as a platform for self promotion, reaching fellow creatives as well as friends and family. Although I was still sceptical about people showing up, I was surprised by the amount of support I received and the people who went out of their way to visit my exhibition. I received some feedback from Washington Old Hall halfway through and was told all comments had been positive and visitors had taken the time to stop and read about my work. This was a much needed confidence boost and gave me a firm sense of accomplishment.”

Her takeaway from this first experience was, “however daunting it may seem, I do think it is important to share the work you create, to offer your own perspective and encourage open-mindedness.”

Her advice to fellow creatives looking to branch out with a solo show she said, “the first thing to consider is the core values of your work and how you want that to be presented, this gives you a starting point for researching locations. You shouldn’t be afraid to contact the ‘big’, recognisable names, use it as an opportunity to engage with professionals, they may not be able to help but they may also suggest further contacts you hadn’t thought of. There is no harm in aiming high, they might just be able to help, you never know! The creative industry is built up of networking circles and contacts so be as brave as you can in putting yourself in that mix and establish your own network of contacts, this will be helpful now and in the future. Passion is infectious so show how passionate you are about your work and confidence will bloom from there. The worst anyone can do is say ‘no’ but have belief in yourself, and others will too.”