Sculpture Park inspires induction exhibition

Student artists new to Walsall College have successfully produced original work, put it on display and hosted their first exhibition, all in the space of three days.

The Level 1 and 2 art and design students’ induction exhibition was inspired by their visit to an exhibition by indigenous North American artists hosted at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in West Bretton, Wakefield.

Natalie Ali, Programme Lead for art and design at the college said: “It is a tradition for the art and design faculty to kickstart our college year with an outing followed by an exhibition.

“It’s the ideal way for students to immerse themselves in a creative atmosphere while experiencing the professional responsibilities involved in curating, collaborating and bringing to life, high-quality artwork for a public audience.”

The induction exhibition consisted of 12 sculptures by groups of 3-5 students each assigned a specific sculpture to replicate and/or reinterpret. These included a samurai warrior, and a sculpture featuring the slogan ‘stop the black snake’ which refers to oil pipelines.

Each piece was photographed and included in a video collage as another form of creative expression. A series of portrait drawings were also on show.

The exhibition was attended by their family and friends, as well as college staff and student peers. Feedback from parents and friends was overwhelmingly positive.

Lecturer, Anita Zychniewicz added: “The exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park was called Hold on to this earth and at its centre was the powerful, enduring relationship between people and land as well as the importance of resilience, continuity and connection.

“Some of the work features raw elements with sharp edges so we encouraged the students to include dramatic shapes and poses in their sculptures so that they would share a similar message.

“We’re pleased everyone demonstrated how inspired and enthused they are by their learning environment and the teaching that has taken place so far.”