Mature BA (Hons) Fine Art graduate Ajay is the recipient of the Barbara Hackwood Prize for Outstanding Creative Development 2025! The award recognises the student who has shown the most progress and development during their three academic years with us. It bears the name of Barbara Hackwood, who was a much-loved member of staff at the Northern School of Art.

Responding to winning the award, she said, “winning the award was a great surprise for me, especially as a mature student who hadn’t been in education for over 20 years. I come from a time when pursuing an art career was not encouraged. I felt that many others were more deserving of the award, and I experienced what is commonly known as “impostor syndrome,” which many students, including myself, often face. However, leading up to the final major project (FMP) and the degree show, receiving this award helped me realise that I am indeed an artist and that my hard work and dedication were recognised. It is an incredible honour to receive this award.”

Ajay, from Norton in Stockton-on-Tees, joined The Northern School of Art after completing the Access to HE course in art and design at our Middlesbrough campus. She said, “I chose to study at the school because of its welcoming atmosphere. Everyone was friendly, and the environment wasn’t overcrowded. People took the time to engage with me, which made a positive impression.”

She said, “I appreciated the open plan and bright studios, plenty of windows letting in natural light and ample space to move around. I was also impressed by the number of dedicated teaching hours and the school’s success rate in helping students secure employment after graduation.”

Ajay liked the industry and creative community focus of the degree programme. She said, “The opportunities for work experiences, voluntary positions, and local community events were appealing. The Northern School of Art collaborates closely with local authorities, associations, and businesses to provide students with opportunities to engage in community projects and work with local galleries and museums to organise regular exhibitions. I liked the idea of having the freedom and opportunity to collaborate with other students and staff from different courses.”

She said, “I am glad I chose the BA (Hons) Fine Art programme, it has been an incredible journey, challenging at times, but the patience, encouragement, support, and passion shown by staff have been essential to my learning. It wasn’t easy as a mature student returning to education, being dyslexic, balancing family responsibilities and work, but with the great support and understanding of student services and learning support made it possible. It’s been an amazing experience. I have learned so much and grown in confidence both personally and professionally.”

She continued, “The programme exceeded my expectations. I had my pre-conceptions of fine art, which I found to be quite common amongst others of the same age. I assumed it was going to be only drawing, painting and sketching. It’s more than that. It gave me the freedom to experiment with many different disciplines, mediums, processes, and subject matters. The freedom to experiment and to try out crazy ideas, trust me, I had many, some worked, some didn’t, but this was all part of the journey and learning to accept critique and then adapt and improve. The programme allows you to explore every aspect of art. The help, support, and high-quality teaching from staff help you to develop as a professional artist while discovering yourself not only as a person, but also as an artist.  Having the opportunity to plan and organise your exhibitions with your fellow students taught me multiple skills, which have been vital to me, entering the art industry as a freelance artist exhibiting, attending community events, running workshops in the community and business launches for other creatives already in the industry.”

Ajay’s FMP took her five months to plan and create “This was a huge project. It is the biggest sculpture I have created to date. The first challenge was how I was going to collect enough materials to create a 120ft wave of plastic; the length representing the 120 years plastic has existed. But I did overcome this challenge by involving local community litter picks, organising a beach pick, and installing a recycling bin in the Art café specifically for materials for the wave. There were a few delays due to illness, weather, awaiting permissions and people’s availability.

What I found the most challenging was how I was going to install the Wave accurately in the centre of the large green space. I wanted to utilise the space as best as I could, but from ground level, this was difficult to visualise; so I worked with drone operator to enable me to see from a different perspective and to identify the best form, which would fill the space evenly. This was a game-changer.  I found myself creating spirals and other interesting forms in prep for the final form. The spiral was my most memorable moment, I worked with a fine art technician, giving them instructions on how to create a 120ft+ spiral from an A6 sketch. It was central, utilised the space perfectly, and I made a vision a reality. This was when I realised just how much I had grown as an artist.”

The project challenged her skill set “I had to learn technical skills along the way, but working with unconventional materials, techniques, and processes always has its challenges, and working against the elements due to the unpredictability of UK weather.”

Speaking of her final year show she said, “the degree show was an amazing experience, and I learned so much through my role in marketing and fundraising, meeting and greeting people from all over the Tees Valley area and further, making connections with other professionals.  It was a great way to enhance my professional career and I was also able to secure an opportunity exhibiting The Wave of Plastic II at a local gallery, the Redcar Contemporary 2025 summer show Time.

Check out Andrea’s work on her Instagram :@ajaywood_art

If you are interested in studying fine art at a degree level, make sure you check out our fantastic BA (Hons) Fine Art degree here.