Art students showcase their work

Students showed off their creative talents at a public exhibition at Barrow Sixth Form College this week.

A fashion magazine promoting positive body image to teenagers, artwork for a band tour and promotional materials for a museum were among the projects on display.

The students Dylan Marwood, Dani Howson, Ella Pearson, Jaiden Braithwaite, Jasmine Jacques and Carrie Bundy have all completed the Foundation Art, Design and Media course at the Rating Lane campus.

Danielle Howson’s final piece – a promotional campaign for the new fossil exhibition at Kendal Museum – incorporates the use of many different mediums including ceramics, fabrics, polymer clay modelling and printing, using mostly natural materials and dyes.

“I’ve enjoyed all aspects of the course and it has introduced me to new techniques and methods, my favourite of which being print-making,” she said. “It has also influenced the introduction of textiles into my artistic portfolio.”

Danielle has an online shop where she, in the past has mainly sold hand-dyed Merino wool but she is now planning on adding more printed and fabric-based products to her stock, all of which will be produced using the new techniques she’s learned in her Foundation Art, Design and Media course.

Dylan Marwood progressed onto the Foundation Art, Design and Media course after studying media and photography at A Level and will now go to Leeds Beckett University to study a degree.

His project featured artwork for an international electronic band, including tour posters and album artwork on a retro-futurism theme.

“I have enjoyed being able to experiment with new techniques including printing and digital mediums,” he said.  “I’ve created a digitally produced album cover inspired by Robert Beatty, an artist and musician based in Kentucky, USA.”

Ella Pearson, whose impressive project included a full fashion magazine and clothing, said the course has helped her with her organisational skills.

“You have to meet deadlines so it is almost like you are running your own business. I’ve loved the course it has been completely different to A Levels because you get to do a wide range of different topics.”

Nikki Conigliaro, subject leader for art and design/photography, said the exhibition marked the end of their last project which spanned 10-weeks.

“They have had the freedom to design and create whatever they liked and the result has been a wide range of entirely different creative concepts that they have delivered very professionally to a high standard.”

The Foundation Art, Design and Media course follows on from A Levels and helps prepare students for university degrees and higher-level employment in the creative sector. It is also open to adults who want to improve their artistic skills.

For more about the course you can visit our website: https://www.furness.ac.uk/courses/course-detail/course/btec-level-3-foundation-diploma-in-art-and-design/

Applications are still open for September 2022: https://www.furnessapplications.co.uk/