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Hidden gems of Manchester inspire Art and Design students of The Manchester College

Various hidden gems in Manchester were cleverly recreated by students of The Manchester College as part of an exhibition at the city’s beautiful Portico Library on Monday night (March 20).

A total of 23 students on the Foundation Art and Design Diploma course were tasked with collecting a number of drawings in a variety of different media from some of the most inspiring parts of the city, including Manchester Museum, Manchester Art Gallery and The Portico Library.

They then converted these images into print form, including etchings, woodcuts and monoprints. This culminated in Monday’s exhibition of exceptional artwork from the students, led by printmaking tutor Tim Rushton.

Tim explained: “Observational drawing, in conjunction with life drawing, is an essential part of our course and the students are encouraged to develop these vital skills.

Observational drawing, in conjunction with life drawing, is an essential part of our course and the students are encouraged to develop these vital skills.

“The work being showcased, for one night only, represents only a fraction of the extended range of outcomes to the brief we gave to the students and is indicative of the pathways students will be progressing to.”

On completion of the course this summer, students are likely to move on to higher education to study courses including Graphic Design, Fine Art, Fashion, Illustration, Textiles and Photography.

Luke O’Donnell, 20, from London, has accepted a place on Manchester Metropolitan University’s Fine Art & Art History course.

He said: “I chose Manchester Museum as part of my research and I investigated the ‘living cultures’ section. I made a number of sketches of different figures that I found but decided on this one tribal figure which I’m exhibiting today.

“Having the opportunity to exhibit your work like this is a really valuable experience. I have really enjoyed my time at The Manchester College and I’ve learnt so much, in fact I knew nothing about print when I started my course. Now I hope to be a sculptor and have my own studio one day.”

Hialene So, 23, is going to university this summer to study Landscape Architecture. She said: “I chose to use the etching technique because it is a very different and unique method.”

Nelida Taque, 21, will study Fine Art, either in London or Birmingham, and was full of praise for her tutor. She said: “Tim is great. He has a very thorough way of explaining techniques that brings our work to life.”