DEANAH Allen is one step closer to her goal of forging a career as an artist in Germany, with a major exhibition to mark the end of her degree.
Ms Allen, 22, is one of the first five students who will graduate from the TAFE NSW Hunter Street campus Bachelor of Creative Practice.
All will showcase their bodies of work in the Creative By Degree exhibition, which opens at Watt Space Gallery on Wednesday.
Ms Allen's body of work Objection was influenced by psychoanalytic theory, feminism and the state of rupture. It comprises sculptures, costumes, performance, a poem and photography.
"I've always felt like creative practice gives me a sense of identity," Ms Allen said.
"I find I think the same as [other artists] and it gives me a sense of place.
"I love creating because it gives me a way of expressing of how I'm thinking and feeling on the inside, because I base a lot of my work off my analysis of the world."
The University of Newcastle announced in July 2020 it would discontinue its Bachelor of Creative Industries and is redeveloping its Master of Creative Industries.
TAFE is building its focus on the field, pointing to a National Skills Commission Employment Projections prediction that the number of visual arts and crafts professionals was expected to grow "very strongly" in the five years to November 2026.
TAFE lecturer Andy Devine said TAFE's degree had been offered at Hunter Street since the start of 2021 to students who have completed an advanced diploma.
They need to complete the equivalent of three semesters full time study to obtain their degree.
"It has been in the planning for quite a number of years," Mr Devine said.
"Because of the establishment of Newcastle Art School on the TAFE campus it was one of those areas that needed to be looked at.
"A lot of the students once they finish their advanced diploma they go over to the university [for an extra year to get a degree], but with that program no longer necessarily existing, then it was a really nice transition for the students knowing the school and knowing the lecturers to advance into [our] degree itself.
"It gives them a prime opportunity to be self directed and to really hone into their skills across disciplines and their subject matter, which is quite varied."
The degree also helps students develop marketing, entrepreneurship and business skills.
"The students do a whole host of marketing and innovations within either promoting themselves or promoting themselves within another area of the visual arts, whether that be curation for example or working in a gallery situation in a managerial aspect," he said.
"If they don't then they're not going to be able to apply for grants and residencies."
Mr Devine said the full three-year degree would open to first year students in the future.
"It will take a few years for it to get really established, to the point of the numbers that the university did have.
"I think it will be a thriving community and I think Newcastle in itself will definitely benefit from it, being a very artistic city itself."
He said there were 10 students in the first intake at the start of 2021 and six in mid-2021.
