Honorary Awards at UCA Graduation 2013

They were presented with their scrolls at Royal Festival Hall in London, alongside UCA’s 1,922 graduating students and UCA Chancellor, Zandra Rhodes.

Margaret Howell CBE RDI, who was presented with an honorary professorship during the UCA Epsom and UCA Maidstone ceremony on 26 June 2013, said: ”It’s a great honour to receive this award from UCA and I would like to accept it on behalf of everyone at my label.

“I remember how daunting it was when I graduated from college so I hope that I can help encourage and inspire the students today as they begin their careers.”

The internationally-renowned fashion designer, who founded her business from her kitchen table in 1969, today has five outlets in the UK, one in Paris and 80 in Japan.

 

(Left to right) UCA Vice-Chancellor Dr Simon Ofield-Kerr, Margaret Howell, UCA Chancellor Zandra Rhodes and UCA Head of Fashion Thomass Atkinson.

 

Victoria Pomery OBE received an honorary Master of Arts on 25 June alongside graduates from UCA Canterbury and UCA Rochester.

Since 2002, Victoria has overseen the development of Turner Contemporary which has welcomed more than 850,000 visitors, including HM the Queen, and generated more than £21m into the local economy since it opened in 2010.

Victoria Pomery said: “This is a huge honour for me and I’m absolutely thrilled and delighted to receive this award from UCA.

“Turner Contemporary has had a very close relationship with UCA for many years. We’ve worked on a range of academic projects, showcase events and, most recently, a joint Masters Degree in Curatorial Practice, so this award really cements a long-term relationship that we’ve developed and I’m looking forward to working with UCA in future years.”

On Monday 24 June, Dr Tanya Harrod was presented with an honorary Master of Arts for her contribution to the crafts.

After training as an art historian at the Universities of York and Oxford, she went on to write the prize-winning book The Crafts in Britain in the Twentieth Century.

Dr Tanya Harrod said: “It was a joyful experience for me and I thought it was wonderful to see first-hand how these arts schools, that I’ve always known about, have become one, amazing unified institution.

“I regularly use the archive at the Crafts Study Centre at UCA Farnham for research, so it’s thrilling to see the other side of the University and see the students receive their degrees on this wonderful occasion.”

UCA Vice-Chancellor, Simon Ofield-Kerr, said: “I am delighted to honour three such talented and dedicated individuals at this year’s graduation ceremonies.

“All three women have an impressive track record in pushing creative and intellectual boundaries.”