Our Art, Our City came to Smithfield Works

Posted: 13 July 2023

On Wednesday 12th July a private VIP viewing was held to launch the Stoke-on-Trent College ‘Our Art, Our City’ pop-up exhibition. This annual celebration of student talent showcases a vibrant collection of art and design and the wide-ranging skills students have developed during their time studying courses offered within the Digital and Creative Hub.

Themes for this year’s exhibition include profiling the industrial heritage of Stoke-on-Trent and its regeneration journey, an interpretation piece based on body image with strong iconic and thought-provoking images, and a focus on the environment looking at plastic and pollution with a varying mix of outcomes using painting, photography, sculpture, print and motion. The exhibition also provided a platform for digital and gaming students to demonstrate their creativity.

During the launch, guests heard from College Principal and CEO, Lisa Capper MBE and a selection of level 3 students from graphics, digital and creative media courses. Students spoke passionately about their journey at the College and their progression into the industry or to Higher Education in the coming months.

Julianne Joyce from the Canal and River Trust spoke about the recent partnership project with the students to develop a mural along the canal towpath at Cliff Vale representing the #PlasticsChallenge campaign. She highlighted how projects such as this make a difference to the thousands of people who visit and spend time on the canal each year.

Principal and CEO Lisa Capper MBE said: “We are thrilled with this year’s pop-up art exhibition. The professionalism of the show is testament to our hard-working and talented students and our creative colleagues who have created a stand-out gallery for the City. Stoke-on-Trent is a creative City with a proud history and we are delighted that several of our students have taken the opportunity to analyse and interpret some of the City’s traditional industries within their work as well as their personal stories. It is also wonderful to see the use of digital graphics, iconic photography and animation highlighting the breadth of technical skills taught at the College.”

Hannah Malloy Governor at the College said: “Not only was the gallery on a par with a professional art space, the buzz from students, VIP guests and partners was great to see and hear as they celebrated their achievements.”

The venue for the pop-up gallery was kindly sponsored by Genr8 Developments., utilising their Smithfield Works communal space and available unit at Two Smithfield, Leonard Coates. Way.

Tiffany Chevis from Genr8 Developments said: “It was a pleasure to offer Smithfield Works to the college for this event, and provide the students somewhere to showcase their incredibly varied and reflective work. We’re passionate about supporting the next generation across sectors and vocations, and it was wonderful to see the space transformed by their creativity and skill.”

 

Find out more about the Digital and Creative Hub and the various courses on offer for September starts.