On Friday 7th July 2023, QM's Art and Technology Centre opened its doors for a wonderful showcase of work by our talented A Level, GCSE and KS3 students. The Art department was buzzing with creative professionals, staff, parents, current students, and alumnae. We also were delighted to welcome Simon Hill - President of the Royal Photographic Society (read more below about Simon's first-hand involvement with QM), and Clare Granger - QM's Chairman of the Education Committee and High Sheriff of North Yorkshire.
With a broad range of Art courses taught at QM including Textile Design, Graphic Communication, Photography and Fine Art, there was a plethora of work to see. Digital design, installation, animation, garment design, painting, photography and sculpture were all on display, ensuring the department was jam-packed with exhibits.
"The creativity skill of our students is just OUTSTANDING... this is THE student show of the year!" - Sarah Porritt, Head of Art
Art Scholars' Project
Of particular note was an exhibit from the 2022/23 Art Scholars' Project, 'Recreating Queen Margaret'.
A series of beautiful fine art photographs were created with expert support from Simon Hill - an esteemed professional photographer and President of the Royal Photographic Society (pictured below with the 2023 winner of the Photography Award, Pau).
Over the past year, Simon has been visiting QM to give a series of masterclasses and one-to-one sessions to our UVI Photography students about the technique and artistry of lighting, portraiture, and fine art photography - both in the studio and natural light environments. These classes have proved invaluable to developing our students' photography skills and portfolio work, with Simon's years of experience and expert eye giving real insight and inspiration to our students.
The Art Scholars' Project was the culmination of Simons' involvement with QM this year.
Simon commented; “It has been a great privilege to work with such enthusiastic and creative students. Their commitment to producing innovative photography is inspiring and the support they are given by the staff team ensures they produce work which stands up against the most critical evaluation."
Read more about the 'Recreating Queen Margaret' project here.
Thanks
Congratulations to the Art department, the fantastic Art students, and in particular Head of Art Sarah Porritt for organising a successful evening - the atmosphere was buzzing and a brilliant way to open the exhibition in advance of Speech Day 2023.
Many thanks to Housekeeping and Head of Food & Technology Sarah Clark for supporting the event with wine and nibbles. It really brought the occasion together.
