Chichester College art students have been given a rare opportunity to gain insight on their talents from a panel of influential industry figures.
Taking inspiration from the exhibits at Cass Sculpture Foundation, the students – in their second year of the art and design diploma – created a series of maquettes, which are small scale models of proposed sculptures.
They presented them to a panel at Cass Sculpture Foundation, explaining how they envisaged the maquettes as full-size sculptures – detailing their “real size”, what materials would be used and where in the grounds they would take residence. They also took into account other requirements such as health and safety.
The panel included Helen Turner, the curator of the foundation, along with the artist Sean Steadman and the foundation’s education officer, Clare Jefferson Jones.
The project was funded by the Heritage Lottery and the Arts Council England to inspire aspiring young artists. To help the students, they were given special access to the archives and collections at the gallery.
Lecturer Maria Smith said: “This was a brilliant opportunity for the students to gain first-hand experience of presenting their ideas to industry professionals.
“It challenged them to think beyond the concept, which is something they will need to do if they pursue careers as artists.
“The constructive and critical feedback from the panel was really valuable. It enabled each of the students to gain a clear understanding of how their work would be perceived by the viewing public and helped them to understand how feasible it would be to construct their designs at full scale.”
Sian Delaney presented a maquette called Manipulated Construction, depicting oversize construction tools nestled in woodland. She added: “I really enjoyed this project, it was interesting to do and to hear the feedback from the panel.
“I tried to do something a bit playful and that could be interpreted in different ways, having been inspired by a piece at the foundation which I thought I had misinterpreted.”
