The annual Visual Arts show at EKC Canterbury College, titled ‘Bloc’, once again returned to Canterbury to showcase the incredible talent and creativity of its students.
This year’s event, the 12th overall, featured work from Level 2 Visual Art students on the College campus, with the exhibition continuing into the city centre at the former Currys shop on Burgate, where artwork from Level 3 and Foundation and above was displayed. The exhibition was open to the public from Saturday 21 June until Sunday 29 June.
For nearly a year since the last End of Year Show, our Visual Arts department has been working closely with the Streets Ahead Collective, providing invaluable work experience opportunities as they engage with the local community. The goal in mind of these exhibitions is to make visual arts more accessible to the people and visitors of Canterbury, with the students’ exhibition offering a platform for the public to engage with the artwork.
This year’s celebrations began with Level 2 Visual Arts students exhibiting their artwork around the College. Guests were greeted with drinks as they admired the impressive collection, from manipulated photographs to painted artwork and ceramic pieces.
Following this, our Fashion and Textiles students prepared for their Fashion show, showcasing garments they have spent many hours designing and creating for their end-of-year assignments. The models, ready backstage, brought the designers’ visions to life on the catwalk in front of a crowd.
Gabriel Brandao was one of the models during the show and is also a Level 3 Art student. He said of the event: “This is my third end of year show, and each time, building up to it is a great celebration of everything that we’ve done.
“This year I really wanted to explore textiles and screen-printing, so I was given the time to create shirts and tote bags outside of my lessons. I had lots of time with the tutors which was very helpful and I feel like I’ve pushed what I’m capable of.
“Modelling on stage for the fashion show isn’t something that a lot of people get to do, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Fellow model and Level 3 student, Leila Webb, said: “It’s a great community feel and it’s all great fun.
“My favourite thing about studying here is the variety of materials that you can use and the many experiences like this that I’ve been able to take part in. You really can go any direction that you like after College.
“It’s fantastic to see everyone come together and thanks to this course I’ve made lifelong friends.”
After the fashion show, attendees moved to the city centre exhibition at 59 Burgate. Here, staff, students, and families were invited to a ‘Private View’ of works created by students studying on courses from Level 3 upwards. This was an opportunity for students, parents, staff and friends to gather together in Canterbury’s city centre to celebrate the artwork and achievement of our learners.
This variety of artwork spanned across two floors, including interactive art, photography, sculptures, and multimedia art. This public exhibition not only provided students with a platform to showcase their work, but also offered opportunities for their art to be purchased, setting them up for future success in the art world.
One student whose artwork was on display was Level 3 student, Harvey Booth, who created a set of 16 different vinyl album covers, one for each track of ‘The Alexander Technique’, an album by Rex Orange County.
For this project, he listened to each song and planned out visually what it would look like to him and how the artwork could carefully represent every song.
He said: “To be able to put my work out to the public and in a show is really great. This event has allowed lots of people to see it and to see what I’m capable of.
“Setting up the show has been a cool experience. My course has helped me to develop my work and through the two years I’ve been here I’ve learnt so many skills that I didn’t think possible.
“After College, I’m looking forward to going out into the creative industry so that I can develop my work further.”
Towards the end of the private view, students celebrated and won awards in various categories.
Frankie Pettman, Level 3 Graphic Design, won this year’s ‘Gold Award’, to further recognise her achievement at this year’s WorldSkills UK competition, in which she received a perfect score for her work.
Her piece at the show, ‘Behind the Scenes’, explores how a character’s environment can become part of their personality, and replicated a film set that would suit a teenage girl in the 60’s.
She is going to Central Saint Martins in September, and credited the art department with helping her achieve her goals. She said: “My experiences at College, such as doing the end of year show has been incredibly valuable.
“I looked at artists like Tracey Emin to inspire my work this year. I feel like you get an idea of the character that would use this environment and it’s been an interesting thing to explore.
“My favourite part of studying here has been the creative freedom. Every project has been very different and I’ve been able to tailor it to my own style and what I’m interested in.
“I’m now going to study Graphic Design and Communication at Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London) which is really exciting.”
These events are a fantastic way for students to showcase their work and celebrate with their friends and family. They also serve as a stepping stone for future opportunities, allowing students to engage with the general public and gain recognition for their achievements.
Both venues were alive with a wide range of creative offerings, all of which is evidence of the passion and dedication of our Visual Arts team at EKC Canterbury College and all other supporting departments and staff.
Ben Kidger, Head of Visual Arts, praised the event in this way, saying: “I’m incredibly proud. It’s a highly ambitious thing to achieve every year and the students always respond well to the challenges we set for them along the way.
“All the learners share our ambition in promoting the Visual Arts as much as possible and tonight really shows that. One of the main reasons why we do an event like this is because it shares the artwork with the public and gets them to understand what studying art is all about.”
Lucy McLeod, CEO of East Kent Colleges Group, added: “It makes me extremely proud to see EKC Canterbury College on the front door of our community and to see so many people enjoying our learner’s art and what they have achieved.
“There are so many opportunities with an event like this and the pride the students have in displaying their artwork and showing it off to their families and friends is wonderful.”
A big thank you to all the staff and students involved for yet another successful end-of-year event celebrating the students’ work.
If you’re interested in exploring your own artistic potential, check out our Visual Arts courses.
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