Hartlepool art students impress at special exhibition

The second year students from Cleveland College of Art and Design (CCAD) have created the exhibition ‘Still I Rise’ inspired by American poet Maya Angelou.

Fifteen students from the BA (Hons) Fine Art degree are now showcasing their work, which pays tribute to the acclaimed poet and activist, on PSS Wingfield Castle at the Museum of Hartlepool until Sunday.

The show comprises of photography, sculpture, moving image, painting, print making and installation, and reflects fifteen individual points of view and areas of research such as social and cultural history, feminism, subjectivity and psychoanalytical art.

As part of their degree studies, the students have developed and marketed the exhibition for their professional practice module, including curation of the exhibition, sourcing and liaising with the venue, fundraising and publicity.

The students have been working on their own personal pieces since October last year and were very excited to be putting on their first exhibition and showcasing their work to the public.

Rebecca Johnson, 19, from Boldon Colliery, said: “The placement of the exhibition is quite a unique spot. It is a completely different seeing it on show within the chosen space.

“It’s a bit strange, but exciting, having the public view my work as it is something which I haven’t shown to many people outside of an educational setting.”

For her collection, fellow student, 19-year-old Amber Rushforth, explored photography and collage, challenging space and time through images from different angles and perspectives.

She said: “I have taken multiple photographs while moving around the subject to then combine them later in the studio on paper. The images do not fit together perfectly; I embrace this and celebrate alternative ways of describing reality.

“In the fundraising team I enjoyed helping to generate ideas and figuring out how to solve these problems practically. It was exciting watching the ideas become reality.”

Amber said the whole class had been working in the shared studio space and it was interesting to view the final ideas.

She said: “Watching everybody’s ideas shape into the work they are presenting is exciting.

“I find my classmates inspiring; as we are all women I feel that we empower each other in the work space. We help each other push our ideas.”