End-of-year shows celebrate two years of Wiltshire students’ creativity 

Hundreds of students from Wiltshire College & University Centre will be showcasing their work over weeks of exhibitions and performances at end-of-term shows this summer.

More than 600 exhibits encompassing art, design, media, film, photography, fashion textiles and music performance and production will be on show at week-long exhibitions at the college’s campuses in Chippenham, Trowbridge and Salisbury. 

For more than half of the students, who are at the end of their second year, it will be a final curtain call as they show work that reflects the culmination of two years of work and study. 

Owain Milford, Head of Faculty, Creative Arts, Media & Performance at the college, said, “It’s a real celebration of the students’ journey and their work, and it’s an exciting time for them. It’s also a chance to give them that experience of displaying something they’ve created to the public, which is the end point of all creative work really.” 

Also among the exhibitors will be students at the end of their first year, who will use the shows to reflect on their first 12 months at the college. 

For Trowbridge, (which has a private view of its show on June 11th and is open to the public from June 12th to 14th) this year has special significance as it celebrates the 50th anniversary of its Foundation Art and Design course. “It’s a great milestone for us and when you think of all the people who have studied with us and gone on to do great things, it’s something to celebrate,” said Owain. 

The anniversary will be celebrated at the private view evening, where more than 500 visitors, including former students, guests from the art world and partners such as Winchester School of Art and universities, will meet the next generation of creators. 

Also at Trowbridge, performing Arts students produced an immersive theatre production at the college from April 27th to May 1st. Called The Erlking, the play told the story of four friends reuniting after years apart.  

Media students’ work, including film and games, will be on show on the big screen in the recently extended Tech Trowbridge arena. 

There will be just as much to see at the Chippenham and Salisbury campuses, which will have private view nights on June 18th, with public exhibitions running on June 19th and from June 22nd to 24th. 

Salisbury art students will also see their work on public display at The Young Gallery in the city from May 24th to July 4th. 

Music performance and production students from Chippenham have already been up on stage at two gigs at The Ruze in Chippenham, while they and their counterparts from Salisbury have played shows at The Tunnels in Frome. 

Chippenham will also host the Kandu Film Festival as part of a long-standing partnership with Kandu Arts in Chippenham, which inspires creativity with young people across the area. The festival will feature a mix of films produced by students and the charity. 

Performing and Production Arts students at Salisbury, who are part of a partnership with Wiltshire Creative, staged two productions of Peer Gynt at Salisbury Arts Centre on May 13th and 14th. 

Owain added, “It’s incredibly busy for everyone but it is exciting and we all enjoy it.” 

Entry to all the shows is free but tickets must be booked in advance at: wiltshire.ac.uk/events/. 

Pictured above: Students at Trowbridge exhibiting their work at last year’s end-of-year shows (IMAGE: Wiltshire College & University Centre)