YORK College students Rudo Bolcar, Kate Buckley and Layla Khoo are exhibiting at the double.

Their artworks are on display not only in the We Made Something Of This show at According To McGee, in Tower Street, but also in a second run of While The Ink Is Wet prints, holding court at the Fossgate Social bar in Fossgate until June 29.

"All contemporary galleries benefit so much from exhibiting the work of top-notch students that it really should be an obligation," says co-director Greg McGee, who describes Bolcar, Buckley and Khoo as "some of the hungriest, most vital artists in the area". "The best litmus test of a city's cultural scene is the quality of its young artists: by that token, York is doing pretty well."

McGee points to a long and fertile relationship between his gallery and York College. "They do such a cracking job and incubate the sensitivity and creativity of hundreds of young artists at the college," he says. "The discipline is there too. We gave Layla a ring and asked if she'd help us select fellow students for the show. Within hours, she'd done it, organised photography from Carolyn Young, and collaborated with York graphic designer Andrew Jones."

Layla is delighted to see her work featured in different gallery spaces, alongside Horace Panter, of The Specials, ex-miner Harry Malkin and digital artist John Creighton at According To McGee, and with plenty more at the Fossgate Social. "As a graduating degree student, it's very flattering and exciting to have a gallery willing to support emerging talent," she says.

York Press:

Lifejacket, by Layla Khoo

"As a sculptural artist, it can be difficult to have your work on display; the limited-edition prints are a perfect solution to this and also give the opportunity to provide context to the work. I think it's really important that work is shown in more public and informal spaces like the Fossgate Social exhibition: it makes art more accessible for everyone."

The students' work at the Fossgate bar is augmented by selections from new talents Amelia Willows, Anna Molloy, Eddie Grant, Jack Rientoul and Jessie Meyer. "We've always celebrated new artists," says According To McGee co-director Ails McGee. "What we've done at Fossgate is build on the aesthetic put down by Layla and Andrew's designs to nail a Penguin paperback classics vibe, capturing the artwork and unifying it. It really adds to the desirability of the work. It's a great exhibition at one of the coolest coffee bars in the city. What's not to love?"

Fossgate Social owner Sarah Lakin has held monthly exhibitions there since opening the bar three years ago. "All sorts of creations have gone on display in that time, including clothes, hand-made animals, photographs, prints and drawings," she says. "According To McGee have become regular exhibitors, because, as gallery owners, they have their fingers on the pulse of what’s hot and happening, but also, and perhaps more importantly, they're such fun people."

The priority, suggests Greg, is to provide wider opportunities for new artists. "We're very proud with what we do at our gallery and with satellite shows such as this, but it's the city-wide crackle afoot that is the most exciting. The Fossgate Social is part of it, we're part of it, but we're subordinate to the actual young creatives out there. York is such an exciting place to be at the moment, and it's an honour to play our part."

While The Ink Is Wet runs at the Fossgate Social, Fossgate, York, until June 29.