‘Brilliant’ work on display at end-of-year Art Show

Selby College’s Art, Design & Media department hosted a vibrant and successful showcase of work from their A Level, Vocational and Higher Education courses as part of their annual Visual and Creative Arts Exhibition on Thursday.

The families of the students, staff, local councillors, school teachers and prospective students were able to walk round the department set up as a professional standard Art Show and explore the creative work and Major Projects on display. It was a great opportunity for the department to celebrate the achievements of their students and for Final Year students to portray and explain their work in greater depth ahead of the end of term.

Work on display included photography, fine art, mixed-media, print-making, time-based installations, moving images, music video and animations with the department’s motto that “Art is no longer simply an image on a wall but an experience enhanced” clearly at the forefront of the students’ minds.

Diverse themes included global warming, emotions, behaviour, mental health, religion, childhood nostalgia, urbanisation, grief, old and new, innocence, sign language, plastic surgery, the Vikings, the human body, nature and the environment.

The Mayor of Selby, Malik Rofidi attended the exhibition along with the Chairman of Selby District Council, Councillor Donald Mackay and his wife, Mrs Patricia Mackay. The Mayor commented on “the brilliant work on show”, adding there are “some really bright futures and thoughtful people behind these works, well done to all.”

The Second Year UAL Level 3 Diploma/Extended Diploma in Art & Design group includes some students progressing onto Selby College’s Higher National Diploma in Art & Design (Arts Practice), as well as to study Fashion Brand Marketing at the University of Huddersfield, Jewellery and Metalwork at Sheffield Hallam University, Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design at Leeds Arts University, and Fashion Design and Technology at Manchester Metropolitan University. The pathways of our Second Year Art & Design A Level students include studying Psychology at Northumbria University and Sociology at the University of Huddersfield, as well as degree courses in Fine Art at Leeds Arts University.

A number of the Final Year Arts Practice HND students are continuing their studies after the summer to top-up to Full Degrees in Fine Art at well-regarded Higher Education institutions, with some even starting their own photography businesses!

Paul Belshaw, Subject Area Manager for Art, Design & Media reflected on another year of outstanding work saying: “It was a wonderful opening evening with a great turnout of visitors coming in to see the students’ work. The standard of presentation was first class and the department looked amazing. The students and staff were justifiably excited about the range and quality of the artwork and we received some excellent feedback from the public.”

Well done to the staff and students for yet again putting on such an impressive exhibition, and working so hard to transform the teaching areas. Thanks also go to the Engineering and Construction departments for their help and support with the work on display.

Congratulations to all our Art, Design and Media students for their achievements, Selby College wishes them all the best with their future studies and career paths.