Today sees the launch of At home, an online exhibition of photographs taken by sixth form college students during the Covid-19 lockdown. Over 140 students, including 3 from New College Doncaster, from 46 colleges submitted their photographs for the exhibition that runs from 4th to 19th June 2020. The exhibition is being co-ordinated by the Sixth Form Colleges Association and all photographs can be viewed on the SFCA gallery website at – www.sixthformcolleges.org/411/at-home
Launching today’s exhibition, Gillian Keegan, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, said: “This has been a difficult time for the entire country but this exhibition is a wonderful example of how creativity can flourish in the face of adversity. It’s great to see how these sixth form students have captured the experiences of lockdown from a young person’s perspective. A huge congratulations to all exhibitors and I wish them every success for the future”.
Commenting on the exhibition and the engagement of students during lockdown, Lee Trueman, Head of Visual Arts, Media and Film at the Auckley based college, said: “The ‘At Home’ exhibition has allowed New College Doncaster to showcase the talents of its photography students on a national stage. Sian Fenwick (17), Morgan Wright (16) and Freya Collett (17) have all uniquely captured their perspective of life as a young person in Doncaster under lockdown. Even in this incredibly challenging time, our students are producing top quality pieces of work, without having access to the college’s extensive facilities, which is a credit to them and to the dedication of their teachers working from home.”
Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “At home highlights the extraordinary artistic talent that exists in our sector. We are holding this exhibition to recognise and celebrate excellence in sixth form colleges, but also to stimulate our thinking about the world this summer. It is imperative that we keep the arts in education secure and flourishing. If young people are to make a valuable contribution to society – even if they are to be successful scientists, engineers, doctors and technicians – they need to develop their creative skills, their artistic sensitivities and their ability to interact with others. All of this will be more important than ever in the post-Covid world”.
Morgan’s image was also selected to appear on the BBC website coverage of the exhibition. You can see the article here – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-52968564
