TWO prestigious new partnerships brokered by Wiltshire College & University Centre will create exciting opportunities for students.
The College has been approached by the renowned Winchester School of Art to form a link that will see its experts visiting the Trowbridge campus to give arts lectures during the term and then return later in the year to help students preparing their portfolios.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have had this approach from such a leading name in the art world,” said Owain Milford, Head of Faculty, Creative Arts, Media & Performance. “They contacted us because they felt we had strong students and our courses are well respected.”
Lecturers from Winchester will review students’ portfolios before they submit them to universities and help them prepare for interviews. They could even make students on the spot offers of a place.
As well as art students they will also be working with fashion textiles and games development students
“It gives our students really top level expert advice from academics who are working at a Russell Group university on their portfolios, regardless of whether they want to go to Winchester or not,” said Owain. “It also means that the access will be greater for our students to be able to get into Winchester.”
Winchester has also agreed to set up a pathway for disadvantaged students to make access to its courses more equitable. “It’s a great win for us because there are students who don’t have the benefit of private tuition or maybe even parental encouragement to give them a better chance,” said Owain.
“We believe this will give our students the opportunity to make the most of their potential and fulfil their promise.”
The College has regularly seen students win places at leading arts universities including Ruskin School of Art in Oxford, Glasgow School of Art and De Montfort. “We’re delighted our reputation has attracted a partner with the calibre of Winchester,” said Owain.
Another partnership will bring celebrated artists to Trowbridge for a series of lectures. The Art Society of North Wiltshire has agreed to fund the lectures, in the Tech Trowbridge multi-media theatre, to give students access to world class talent.
The society has been working in schools but wanted to engage with a further education provider. “They approached us, which was great,” said Owain. “They came to us with the idea and we jumped at it straight away because it’s a huge benefit to our students.”
Doug Gillen, a videographer, vlogger, curator, cultural commentator and lecturer specialising in graffiti and street art, will visit on September 24.
While on November 26, the college will host photographer, curator, author, filmmaker, archivist, lecturer Anthony Penrose.
The artist, whose mother was respected war photographer Lee Miller, and his father was surrealist painter and poet Sir Roland Penrose. Because of his family’s influence he met some of the giants of the art world, including Picasso, Miró and Man Ray.
“The timing of the second lecture is great because there’s a new exhibition of Lee Miller’s work opening at the Tate and our students are going to see it a couple of days before,” said Owain.
He said the lectures, which will be part of an ongoing series, will be a great opportunity for students. “It gives them extracurricular enrichment and gives them access to people who are working at these types of levels,” he said.
“It also prepares them for university with something they can talk about at interviews. They’re attending lectures and starting to see a new way to learn and engage. I think it will also help them feel valued because they will be meeting people that students in a rural college wouldn’t normally have access to.
“We hope it will be a valuable experience for the students that also perhaps gives them a little bit of inspiration.”
