Art students get creative with museum and art gallery

By Barrie Hudson - 29 September 2022

CommunityArts and Culture
  • New College Swindon art students with their specially selected exhibition

    New College Swindon art students with their specially selected exhibition

About 50 art students from New College Swindon took part in Swindon Creative Curation workshops.

Organised by Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, the workshops were facilitated through the museum’s learning and outreach programme, Art on Tour.

Students gained an insight into careers in curating, and the processes of planning an exhibition. They were also given the opportunity to select artworks from Swindon Museum and Art Gallery’s collection for display in the college.

Cllr Matty Courtliff, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage, Leisure, and Town Centre Experience, said: “This is a great example of how the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery team continues to connect art and audiences through their outreach activities and co-curation.

“We hope all of the New College students enjoy the artworks selected through this work while they’re displayed at the college. 

'This has given them a taste of the artwork within our collection and encourages them to visit Swindon Museum and Art Gallery when it opens in its new home at the Civic Offices next year.”

The three paintings have been on show at the Queens Drive Campus throughout September for hundreds of students and members of staff to enjoy. They include paintings by Swindon-born artists Roy Bizley and Peter Waldron.

The third is by Simon Carter, co-founder of Contemporary British Painting, which gifted a generous donation of artworks to Swindon Museum and Art Gallery in 2013. 

The paintings come together in a display exploring a dialogue between the artist, paint and the natural landscape.

In addition, two drawings by Nicola Tyson have been added to the ‘Highlights from the Swindon Collection’ exhibition at the Civic Offices. They were also popular choices amongst the students, and can be viewed by the public on weekdays from 9am until 5pm, along with other works from Swindon Museum and Art Gallery.

Karen Pau, Assistant Curriculum Manager, Creative Industries at New College Swindon, said: “New College Swindon was thrilled to collaborate with Swindon Museum and Art Gallery on this project. 

"The material covered during the Creative Curation workshops was invaluable for the students’ work experience and end of year shows.

“We were able to include art students at various stages of their education, and studying a variety of creative disciplines, including textiles and illustration. We look forward to further collaboration with the museum in the not-too-distant future.”

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