Fine art and photography among Thomas Rotherham students’ exhibition

Thomas Rotherham College’s Year 13 showcase featured examples of fine art, graphic communication and photography.

It also saw the presentation to proud student Chloe Jolley of the annual Painting Award, which has been renamed in memory of ex-student Lulu Blundell.

Lulu, who died on New Year’s Day after a long fight against cancer, had won the same award herself two years ago and her mum Carolyn presented the prize for 2023 in what graphics and art teacher Patience Heath called “an incredible moment and gesture”.

Patience explained the range of work being shown, saying: “For fine art, it is focussed primarily on painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking outcomes.

“Photography is centred around photographs but our students manipulate these in a variety of ways, for example using the darkroom or creating cyanotype prints, to create exciting outcomes such as instillations and sculpture.

“Graphic Communication deals primarily with printmaking — lino and screen print — to create commercial outcomes and products, always accompanied with a societal aim, be it ethical, political or environmental.

“During the day of the exhibition we had a visit from the Mayor, but also Catcliffe Primary School who brought around 33 pupils to see the exhibition and chat to our volunteers.

“Our volunteer students presented their work to both the Mayor and Catcliffe pupils, as well as the many other individual visitors we had during the day from other local schools and staff and students within the college itself as well.”

The evening exhibition saw students’ friends and family invited to see their work.

“We all said it felt like the busiest year in a very long time,” said Patiennce.

“As we are every year, we are so proud and excited to display all our students’ work.”

The college has produce a time lapse of the exhibition space being transformed into the final showcase, which you can see he transforming the rooms into the finished exhibition.