HE students Project Manage Streets Ahead Collective Store Launch

On Thursday 7 November The Streets Ahead Collective, a unique new retail and exhibition space in Canterbury, celebrated its official launch, bringing local artists, students, and the community together for a project that highlights creativity and collaboration.  

With the support of students from our Foundation Degree in Creative Professional Business Practice, who helped project manage the launch, the Streets Ahead Collective is now open to the public as a shop and exhibition space where artists can share their work with the local community. 

Streets Ahead Collective is spearheaded by Liz Wellstead from Rock, Paper, Scissors with support from Ben Kidger, Head of our Visual Arts department, with the mission of creating a dedicated space for local artists to showcase and sell their work, offering a vibrant setting for art exhibitions, workshops, and community engagement. Liz also hopes to utilise the space to offer community workshops and additional learning opportunities for creative students at the College.  

Students on the Foundation Degree in Creative Professional Business Practice took on fundamental roles within the organisation and execution of the shops launch. This opportunity has given them a unique platform in which to experience and apply their creative and business knowledge in a professional setting. Our students took the lead on managing event logistics, schedules, and marketing efforts, gaining firsthand experience in event planning and retail operations. 

Jessy Arundell-Lucatero, who was responsible for the admin and the recruitment of volunteers commented: “This whole experience has been eye-opening. Starting on this new course, being involved in real projects and learning more about business is very different to anything I’ve done before. There’s been a lot to do but it’s all been worth it to see everything come together.  

“I’ve learnt so much in such a short space of time. From managing other people and their time, interviewing volunteers, time management and even how to structure formal emails, there is so much that I’ll take away from this experience. 

“I’m so glad our hard work has paid off. The launch event has been really fun, we’ve even managed to connect with some other creatives.”  

The passion Jessy has for bringing more art to the City and her confidence in this project shone through as she delivered a crowd-pleasing speech during the event. 

Emma Arundell-Lucatero, was tasked with social media management for the store, with fellow student, Denada Mehalla, becoming the creative brain behind the artistic shop windows. Whilst catching up with Denada during the launch event, she said: “I think the launch event has gone really well. I’ve met lots of people and it’s been nice for everyone to see all of our hardwork come to life.” 

Liz Wellstead, founder of Streets Ahead Collective, praised the students’ contributions, saying, “The students have exceeded my expectation! I’ve given them so much responsibility – they’ve been organising the rota, the layout of the rooms and designing the windows. They’ve had to liaise with over 40 student volunteers, as well as all the Artists and Designers in the space, which has been a good life lesson in how to multitask, manage and even negotiate with people. 

“They’ve had to deal with a lot of barriers and people being unable to do what they’ve asked which is a very common occurrence in these kinds of professional settings and they’ve dealt with them very well.” 

Ben Kidger highlighted the benefits of students completing real projects such as this, noting: “the Foundation Degree in Creative Professional Business Practice is unique in that at least 60% of the curriculum is taught outside of the usual, College studio space.  

“Students get the chance to take part in multiple placements within the industry, just like this one, so they can essentially learn on-the-job. They learn about marketing, communication, liaising with other Artists and professionals and even admin skills needed so they’re fully prepared when they move into the industry as professionals themselves.” 

Located at 6-8 Longmarket, the Streets Ahead Collective is now open, featuring a curated selection of locally-made art, crafts, and unique products.  

Interested in getting involved and managing projects in the creative sector?  

Apply for our Foundation Degree in Creative Professional Business Practice