A two-year international art project which has seen students and staff travelling thousands of miles around Europe came to a finale with an exhibition in King’s Lynn.
SMART (Soul Mates in ART) involved the College of West Anglia and sister colleges in Germany and the Netherlands who had worked together, visiting each other’s centres, creating work and finally mounting their own exhibition.
Seven students from each college had been involved and their work had already been on show in Bonn, Germany, and Poort Drachten, Netherlands.
Their work formed a popular exhibition and its official opening was attended by many people at the King’s Lynn Arts Centre.
Among them were the Borough’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoress, Colin and Julie Manning, the College’s Principal David Pomfret; seven visitors from Germany and nine from the Netherlands, and key staff from the College of West Anglia who had worked on the project, which had also been filmed around Europe by its Springboard TV team.
The official opening had started with comments from students at the College of West Anglia, working at Level 3 on Media, Practical Photography, Art and Design and Graphic Design.
Their comments summed up the success of SMART and what they had gained from being part of it.
“Best experiences I have ever had”; “got along so well with other countries”. “Thoroughly enjoyed visiting countries”; being involved in the exhibition was just amazing”; “really wonderful experience”; once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The opening was performed by Chris Challender, College of West Anglia external projects manager, who had been involving in arranging the European Union funding, without which the three-way project could not have taken place.
He praised the work of Emma Forrest-Leigh, programme manager for Art and Design, who had led the team, and lecturer Tom Griffiths for his involvement.
Mr Challender said SMART had been the culmination of two years of hard work and the experiences gained would change lives. He said he would testify to the effort which had been put in.
The exhibition at King’s Lynn Arts Centre saw 30 pieces of work showcased by the 21 students, featuring the heading “Young Europeans Being Creative Together.”
The artwork on show was produced by Further Education students at The College of West Anglia, Heinrich-Hertz Europakolleh der Bundesstadt Bonn Germany and ROC Friese Poort Drachten, Netherlands.
Project SMART has engaged students and lecturers from partner schools in the three EU Member States in a productive working relationship to develop and share best-practice in teaching and learning more about creative art and media.
This process was created via a multi-dimensional interaction between the partners over the past two academic years, in which students have explored cultural stereotypes and relationships.
The student-generated products that have resulted from the experiences have been exhibited at a public art gallery in Bonn and Drachten, in Northwest Netherlands, already, and the UK exhibition was the culmination of all work done to date, to celebrate and close the project.
The work on show not only documented the project, but informed viewers of the participants’ perception of national cultures and illustrated their commonality via the medium of art.
Pictures
Nations united… students from King’s Lynn and Germany and The Netherlands at the art finale of their international project.
Deputy Borough Mayor Colin Manning, fourth right, back row, and Deputy Mayoress, Julie Manning, left, are pictured with College of West Anglia Principal David Pomfret, right, and Emma Forrest-Leight, third left, programme manager for art and design at the College of West Anglia.
Students and guests view some of the SMART works.
A two-year international art project which has seen students and staff travelling thousands of miles around Europe came to a finale with an exhibition in King’s Lynn.
SMART (Soul Mates in ART) involved the College of West Anglia and sister colleges in Germany and the Netherlands who had worked together, visiting each other’s centres, creating work and finally mounting their own exhibition.
Seven students from each college had been involved and their work had already been on show in Bonn, Germany, and Poort Drachten, Netherlands.
Their work formed a popular exhibition and its official opening was attended by many people at the King’s Lynn Arts Centre.
Among them were the Borough’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoress, Colin and Julie Manning, the College’s Principal David Pomfret; seven visitors from Germany and nine from the Netherlands, and key staff from the College of West Anglia who had worked on the project, which had also been filmed around Europe by its Springboard TV team.
The official opening had started with comments from students at the College of West Anglia, working at Level 3 on Media, Practical Photography, Art and Design and Graphic Design.
Their comments summed up the success of SMART and what they had gained from being part of it.
“Best experiences I have ever had”; “got along so well with other countries”. “Thoroughly enjoyed visiting countries”; being involved in the exhibition was just amazing”; “really wonderful experience”; once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The opening was performed by Chris Challender, College of West Anglia external projects manager, who had been involving in arranging the European Union funding, without which the three-way project could not have taken place.
He praised the work of Emma Forrest-Leigh, programme manager for Art and Design, who had led the team, and lecturer Tom Griffiths for his involvement.
Mr Challender said SMART had been the culmination of two years of hard work and the experiences gained would change lives. He said he would testify to the effort which had been put in.
The exhibition at King’s Lynn Arts Centre saw 30 pieces of work showcased by the 21 students, featuring the heading “Young Europeans Being Creative Together.”
The artwork on show was produced by Further Education students at The College of West Anglia, Heinrich-Hertz Europakolleh der Bundesstadt Bonn Germany and ROC Friese Poort Drachten, Netherlands.
Project SMART has engaged students and lecturers from partner schools in the three EU Member States in a productive working relationship to develop and share best-practice in teaching and learning more about creative art and media.
This process was created via a multi-dimensional interaction between the partners over the past two academic years, in which students have explored cultural stereotypes and relationships.
The student-generated products that have resulted from the experiences have been exhibited at a public art gallery in Bonn and Drachten, in Northwest Netherlands, already, and the UK exhibition was the culmination of all work done to date, to celebrate and close the project.
The work on show not only documented the project, but informed viewers of the participants’ perception of national cultures and illustrated their commonality via the medium of art.
Pictures
Nations united… students from King’s Lynn and Germany and The Netherlands at the art finale of their international project.
Deputy Borough Mayor Colin Manning, fourth right, back row, and Deputy Mayoress, Julie Manning, left, are pictured with College of West Anglia Principal David Pomfret, right, and Emma Forrest-Leight, third left, programme manager for art and design at the College of West Anglia.
Students and guests view some of the SMART works.