On Wednesday 17th April 2024, first year students at Buxton & Leek College’s (BLC) Leek School of Art held an interim exhibition to showcase their work.
Working with practising artist Claudia Rose, students began to understand the nuances of creating an exhibition. This is a key step to developing the professional skills and behaviours they’ll need throughout their careers in industry. Claudia ran one-to-one sessions with the students offering a unique insight into the industry, their work, goals, and how they can progress.
Speaking to BLC she said, “The activities we did were great for giving them an idea of what life can be like after study. I loved talking to them about how to do a show, it’s what I know how to do, and these First Years have never done one before, so I wanted to show them what they need to think about practically and critically when showing their work. We started developing the best way to show your work and have an audience engage with it.
“I’ve spoken a lot about art and language, how to read artwork, and how other people might interpret art from different points of view. We started off with a language task and they effectively applied it to how to put a show together, thinking of how an audience might read it.
“There’s no right or wrong way for something to be interpreted, but if you’re deliberate about your choices then you can have a bit of an influence over how people might read something. I think in all aspects of life you need to be aware of the choices you’ve made and how they might be read – it’s something that does take years to develop, but it’s important for them to start thinking about early on. Predominantly it’s about empathy and understanding how someone else might connect to a topic you’ve previously connected with.”
Working in the contemporary art field, Claudia offered students a unique perspective as she knows exactly what’s going on right now, making her one of the best people to talk to about their work.
She added, “The students supported and helped each other throughout the experience. Having talked to them about group shows and the collaborative nature of art school, it was amazing to watch them become more aware of everyone’s work and how it sat together.
“Hopefully I’ve been able to show them how putting your work out into the world can be scary, but also fun and rewarding.”
Alongside being an incredibly motivational start to the young artists’ careers, the session promoted personal growth and communicative skills by developing their empathy and self-awareness.
On Thursday 13th June 2024 the prestigious Leek School of Art will be holding a private view exhibition to showcase the students’ impressive work and celebrate another successful academic year.
The success is no surprise, as BLC’s Art & Design programmes allow students access to all the industry-standard spaces and equipment they need to achieve technical excellence as they begin their careers, including dark rooms, studio lighting, screen printing, a laser cutter, printmaking presses, and even a ceramics studio.
The exhibition will be open to the public from Monday 17th June 9:30am – 5pm for the following two weeks. You can find out more about Art & Design programmes at Buxton & Leek College, and details about the End of Year Show at blc.ac.uk.
