Connor Tuxford exhibit
When we were approached by a group of final year photography students who were looking for a venue for their first exhibition, we were happy to agree. The students approached us in a professional manner, had some good ideas for a theme for their show and were clearly enthusiastic – not just about their opportunity to show their work for the first time but also about our venue. The project space seemed to lend itself perfectly to their needs.
When it came to installing the exhibition, we were happy to offer some assistance and some advice. They were students, this was their first exhibition and they were unsure and lacking some confidence in just what they could do. We really enjoyed making some suggestions and seeing how they interpreted the ideas to suit their own needs. It is really quite satisfying to see a younger generation benefit from the experiences we have had in using this old mill as an art space!
The work in their exhibition was an exploration into various experimental techniques and different means of presenting work under the theme of ‘Experimental in Nature’. This made it easier to suggest ways of presenting that they had not previously considered and the resulting exhibition really was a credit to them all, not just for the quality of their work but for their willingness to explore and experiment even with how they showed the work.
The preview evening was a busy affair with parents, friends and relatives all proudly and excitedly viewing the work of the individual students but also a number of those who attended committed to us about how well the show worked as a whole. We were very proud to have enabled this and especially when the course tutor and other staff from the college commented on how well the whole experience had gone, how pleased they were with the end result and how they would like to work with us again in the future.
The exhibition has now closed but this was another exciting marker in Oxheys’ history.
The university students in their second and final year of a foundation photography degree: Charles Stanton, Connor Tuxford, James Fothergill, Holly Fletcher, Bethanie Lawson, Larissa Pointer, Lee-ann Pearson