Design lecturer’s street art reaches the national collection

City of Glasgow College Design lecturer Ashley Rawson is celebrating a major milestone after several of his street art pieces were featured on Art UK, the digital showcase of the UK’s public art collections.

The featured works, Make America Great Again, Brain Drain, A String of X Boyfriends and Bro(w)therly Love, were photographed around Glasgow before being selected for inclusion.

The recognition is particularly significant given Ashley’s journey into street art. For years, he focused on acrylic paintings on canvas, but after the rejection of his painting Glasgow Kiss by Glasgow Museums, he decided to take his work in a new direction.

At the age of 50, Ashley began creating street art, taking his work out of the gallery and onto the streets of Glasgow.

The change of direction has now led to national recognition, although Ashley admits he didn’t immediately realise the significance of being featured on Art UK. He only discovered the pieces had been included when a friend sent him a link.

“A month or so ago a friend contacted me with a link and said, ‘Do you know you’re on Art UK?’ It came as a surprise, to be honest.”

For Ashley, there is also a satisfying irony to the recognition.

“I find it really ironic and hilarious that I seem to be finding more recognition for street art than all those canvas paintings I’ve spent years on.”

Ashley’s achievement is something the College is incredibly proud to celebrate, a recognition of his work as an artist and a reflection of the professional expertise and creativity our lecturers bring to their teaching.

Amy Whiten, Curriculum Head - Visual Communication, said: “We’re incredibly proud of Ashley and this recognition of his work. He works very hard and part-time lecturers have such a challenge to build their creative careers alongside doing constructive, valuable teaching. I am very grateful to have Ashley in my team as he manages to do this and inspire his students through his hard graft and success outside of college. It’s a brilliant example of the talent and creativity within our faculty, and of the value our students gain from learning alongside lecturers who are active, successful professionals in their fields." 

Our lecturers continue to work, create and achieve within their industries alongside teaching, bringing current professional knowledge, experience and inspiration directly into the classroom.

For Ashley, what started as a change of direction has become an important milestone in his artistic career.

“I suppose it’s an example of failure and rejection actually being a good thing in most walks of life, as long as it can be turned into a positive.”