Parents, friends and visitors descended upon the College’s art department to see the culmination of two years’ hard work by Xaverian students on Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Photography and Textiles A Levels. It is a chance for visitors to see the high level of ability and talent developed by students over an intense two years of gaining new skills, learning from the styles of established artists and pushing their own creative abilities in new and challenging directions.
The event was supported by Xaverian music students who played jazz music throughout the evening to make the event a memorable one for all who attended.
A Level Fine Art student, Amelie Fisher, who came to Xaverian from Priestnall School to study A Levels in Fine Art, Media Studies and Business was drawn to Xaverian College by its attractive buildings and campus and positive and supportive environment. Talking about studying on the Fine Art A Level, Amelie said: “I like the fact that the work is more practical-based and there is a friendly atmosphere in the workshops. We get great support from our teachers and we are encouraged to express ourselves through our art.
“My art skills have improved a lot and studying art has given me the chance to consider my future career in art. I’m planning to do a degree in interior architecture at Nottingham Trent University, and I’d like to work in an architecture firm but focusing on building interiors.”
Xulin Liao, formerly of East Manchester Academy has followed A Levels in Computer Science, Graphic Communication and Mathematics, talked about how Graphic Communication stood out for him as it offered the opportunity to combine his two hobbies of drawing and computer programming/coding. Xulin said: “I also do animation in my free time, and I’ve been able to combine these three elements into my final projects which both included animations. My component one was based on the brief ‘Graphics for Good’. I based mine on mental health and used symbolism of creatures and dragons to represent mental health and stars, which are the guiding light in the campaign, and the antithesis for problems caused by mental health. The animation is framed as a fight with the light shining with the underlying symbolism still being of mental health.
“Being in the art department has taught a me a lot of graphics techniques where we have to show meaning through our work and this has helped me with my illustration work. I put a lot more purpose into my drawings and I intentionally analyse my drawings and animations to a deeper level. I’m going to Manchester Metropolitan University to do a degree in games design as it will develop both sides of my interests and will also open up job opportunities in the industry. I’d like my career to be art-related with animation, or possibly coding/programming where I’ll continue my interest in art as a hobby and see if this takes off online.”
Xiaoshan Chen, formerly of East Manchester Academy and following A Levels in Geography, Photography and Textiles is a keen photographer and looking to work as a freelance photographer or work for a company as a photographer. Xiaoshan said: “Photography is my favourite subject because I enjoy taking photos and seeing people being in awe about the work I produce and the feeling of being proud when I get positive feedback.
“For my final project, I produced artwork that was based around the theme of ‘Perspectives’ so I experimented with this by using various shooting angles to present perspectives in different and interesting ways. I found that using street photography was an effective style to meet my brief and this is what I used to create my final images. I am really pleased with my final photographs, and they are in the style that I wanted to present in my exhibition pieces.”
Xaverian is a great place to be, and it has a really nice environment with a strong emphasis on community. I feel I have a lot of freedom, like a university student, and I’m excited to start my degree in photography at the University of the Arts London.”
A Level Textiles student, Billy Pentreath, former student of Chorlton High School and studying A Levels in Business, English Language and Textiles, chose the Textiles course as he wasn’t looking to study Fashion Design but wanted more of a broad-based arts subject that uses a wide range of creative techniques. Billy commented: “Textiles is much more than just making clothes and is about using lots of different media to create art pieces than would be the case with fashion design. Textiles is my favourite subject as it’s more coursework based which is what I prefer. It’s a more creative course and you gain skills though working on practicals, which suits me more than subjects with more exams.
“For one of my components, I started with graffiti and street art, but it didn’t have much meaning so I started creating art related to Palestine and political graffiti, because I care about what’s happening and thought it would be good to incorporate into my art.
“My plan is to take a gap year to work and then do a foundation in art and design course at Manchester Metropolitan University. Following this, I want to study a degree in fashion marketing at the University of Leeds. I’m thinking about a career in marketing as my degree could lead me in that direction, however I am interested in fashion so I could go down that route as well.”
Daniella Morrison, Curriculum Leader for Art & Design at Xaverian, commented: “I’m so proud of our students who have produced an exhibition of exceptionally high-quality artwork. Our talented teachers have a breadth of experience and knowledge in their respective specialisms and they always encourage our students to explore and push the boundaries of creativity to see what’s possible, and this year the students have all excelled themselves. It was a joy to see so many visitors at the exhibition and the pride in our students’ faces for the positive comments they received on their artwork. I wish all students good luck for their futures and I’m sure they will look upon their time at Xaverian with great fondness.”