College Student Earns National Recognition for Environmental Art Medal

A first-year HND Jewellery student at City of Glasgow College has achieved national recognition after being awarded a Merit in the prestigious British Art Medal Society (BAMS) Student Medal Project.

Georgina Keane received the award for her striking art medal, “The Once-ler Won,” a piece that explores the urgent issue of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and its impact on biodiversity. The British Art Medal Society competition is highly regarded across the UK, attracting submissions from leading art colleges, making this achievement particularly notable at such an early stage in Georgina’s studies.

Georgina’s design draws inspiration from the children’s film The Lorax, using a deliberately simple, child-like visual style to communicate a powerful message. Her work highlights how environmental responsibility is a concept that is easy to understand, even for younger generations, while also reflecting on how today’s actions will affect the future.

Explaining her concept, Georgina said her piece aims to show that “protecting biodiversity is such a simple idea that even a child can comprehend it,” while also serving as a reminder that “the mistakes we make now go on to affect newer generations.”

Lecturer Lisa McGovern praised the achievement, saying: “This is a fantastic achievement, as the British Art Medal Society student competition is highly regarded and attracts entries from across the UK. It is a great recognition of the student’s creativity, design development, and making skills at an early stage in her jewellery education.”

The success reflects not only Georgina’s creativity, but also her strong design development and technical making skills, supported by the HND Jewellery team led by lecturers David Finlay and Lisa McGovern.

As part of the project, all medals created by the HND Jewellery group will be showcased in a public exhibition at the New Ashgate Gallery in Farnham throughout May. The exhibition forms part of the annual BAMS Student Medal Project, which promotes the art of medal-making and brings together work from up to fifteen art colleges across the UK.

This recognition highlights the strength of emerging talent at the College and reinforces the value of national partnerships such as the one with the British Art Medal Society in supporting student success and creative development.