Foundation Diploma in Art end of year exhibition
South West College Foundation Diploma in Art students officially opened their end of year art exhibition, with a gathering of family, friends and special guests at the Clinton Centre in Enniskillen on Friday 13th May 2011. The show, which is open to the public and runs from 13th May to 6th June, exhibits a wide range of interesting mediums including fine art, fashion, interiors, ceramics, graphics, animation and photography.
During the year the art team travelled to London where they visited art galleries, museums and West End shows as well as viewing many of London’s historic and contemporary architectural treasures. This trip certainly provided inspiration and the back drop to many of the students’ portfolios, with some students expressing the isolation and loneliness often felt in a large busy city and others producing portraits mirroring the work viewed at the National Portrait Gallery.
The exhibition was opened by Malachy McAleer, Director, South West College who welcomed the guests and congratulated the students on the outstanding displays of work and the array of creative mediums used.
Clare McCarroll, Art and Design Lecturer recapped on key highlights for the Art team throughout 2010/11 saying,
“This group of students have produced superb work throughout the year and they have also made valuable contributions to the local community, lending their creative expertise to a number of businesses, namely working with Nature’s Choice in Enniskillen where John Law’s design was chosen as the shop’s logo and working with local eatery, Kooki in the design process to create bespoke ideas for new packaging for Kooki’s cup cakes.”
Foundation Diploma in Art student, Seamus Bogue from Enniskillen was also announced as the winner of the First Trust Bank award for his outstanding exhibit at the show. Following the show, his painting entitled ‘going your own way’ will be exhibited in the First Trust Bank’s premises in Enniskillen for one year. Speaking about his award, Seamus admitted he was truly surprised but delighted to have received the art bursary, which he will re-invest into some new art materials needed for the next stage of his training at Hope University in Liverpool.
Also speaking at the end of year exhibition, Kate Sheridan, Curriculum Manger, South West College, said,
“This exhibition is a celebration of the students’ hard work and artistic talents and it also serves as a platform for the launch of their future careers in the art industry. It has been a joy watching each individual flourish on this course and we are proud to say that all of our students have been successful in achieving their goals this year, with the majority opting to progress to degree courses at universities in Northern Ireland, Liverpool, Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle and Nottingham. We would also like to take this opportunity to say a special word of thanks to the Fermanagh Arts Council for the use of their gallery at the Clinton Centre, an ideal venue for this exciting exhibition.”
