City Lit student Susannah Goulding won the ‘Learning for Health’ award at yesterday’s 2024 Festival of Learning Awards.
The awards, which took place at City Lit, celebrate the remarkable achievements of students in pursuit of education. As well as hosting, City Lit also sponsored the ‘Return to Learning’ Award, which was won by Angie Collard.
Susannah’s Story
Susannah Goulding has always been creative. Given her interest in the arts, naturally she found herself directing films and commercials for most of her life. However, this all changed when she was diagnosed with incurable metastatic cancer. She lost her job, health, identity and much of her mobility.
Determined not to let her diagnosis control her, Susannah sought out City Lit, enrolling in the ‘Contemporary Practice’ and ‘Developing Art Practice’ courses whilst undergoing treatment. This proved to a monumental step, excelling in the classes even amidst her illness.
“The courses I’ve taken at City Lit have been completely and utterly life-changing,” she said. “I realised that my motivation was to create a visual language that talked about cancer in a much more honest, aesthetic way.”
Throughout her time at City Lit, Susannah developed into a talented artist. Her work invites audiences to engage in authentic and meaningful discussions and inspires people to embrace the healing potential of their own creative practice.
She explained, “I’ve also learned the benefits of creativity for wellbeing. There’s a saying that ‘creativity cannot cure, but it can heal’ and that’s really what my learning has given me.
This Delightful Woman
Susannah’s hard work and determination culminated in her first solo exhibition this year in celebration of International Woman’s Day. Taking place in the City Lit Gallery, ‘This Delightful Woman’ was an introspective and raw look at her experiences living with incurable cancer.
The exhibition was multi-disciplinary and examined everything from hospital scans to blood bags. It captured the full range of emotions that emerge and shift for her on a daily basis – running the spectrum from fear to hope.
The 2024 Festival of Learning Awards
Judges commended Susannah for her unparalleled resilience and ability to open up difficult conversations with her peers through her artwork.
City Lit tutor Ian Tucknott, who taught Susannah, was also present at the awards yesterday. “There’s no question that Susannah is a remarkable learner, she’s also a remarkable person,” he said.
“She became an inspiring beacon of resilience, leaving both fellow students and tutors in awe of her dedication and passion for art.”
The Festival of Learning Awards are organised every year by the Learning and Work Institute. As well as inspiring individual stories, the awards also celebrate the outstanding tutors, employers, programmes and institutions involved in adult education across the country.
Find out more about the Festival of Learning 2024 winners.
Study at Art & Design at City Lit
If you are interested in Art & Design, City Lit offers a wide range of courses, from Fine Art to printmaking.
