An exhibition of artwork by thirteen postgraduate students of the MA Fine Art course at Hereford College of Arts, entitled Common Room, opens today in an unusual venue for showing contemporary art. The exhibition showcases diverse multi-disciplinary artistic practice at two pop-up venues in Hereford, in partnership with the Maylord Shopping Centre and Hereford BID and with the kind support of Hereford Cathedral, bringing the students' work into the heart of the city.

The title of the exhibition, ‘Common Room’, refers to a shared creative space where the artists come together to swap ideas and make work. This space is now the MA studios at HCA but was once a real-life common room for staff when the building was part of the Royal National College for the Blind and the Braille print used on the posters reflects this. When the art students moved in, they discovered a braille sign that remained in place from the room's previous use and they adopted the title ‘Common Room’ for their shared practice.

Artwork shown in the exhibition uses mixed media and interdisciplinary practices - and includes painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, installation, photography, video, projection, sound, and participatory works.

On Saturday and Sunday, July 21 and 22 at 3pm, several of the artists will talk about their work, explaining some of the ideas behind their practice and the methods involved in its creation. The exhibition and talks are free to attend.

Dr Daniel Pryde-Jarman, Course Leader, MA Fine Art said: “The Common Room exhibition marks the final stage of the first year of the new MA Fine Art course at Hereford College of Arts. Developed in partnership with Maylords and Hereford BID, Common Room will showcase a dynamic range of new works by 13 artists based in the region, bringing exciting contemporary art into Hereford city centre.”