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Pop-Up Gallery Success for Canterbury Creatives

Have you ever been to a high street shop that has turned into a pop-up gallery and fashion show? Students from the Canterbury School of Visual Arts (CSVA) at Canterbury College have produced just that.

On Thursday 24 June, with the expert help of the College’s Lecturers, budding student artists were able to go above and beyond to create a show of a lifetime in Canterbury’s Whitefriars Shopping Centre.

The pop-up exhibition’s private view offered students and their families the opportunity to celebrate the end of the year in style.

The perfect combination between Milan Fashion Week and the Tate Gallery, the event offered an eclectic mix of visual arts, complete with a cutting-edge fashion show, with the amateur models gaining a roar of applause from the crowd.

“It has been a great night,” cheered ‘Best in Show’ award winner and Graphic Design student, Connor McCullen. Meanwhile, proud drag queen and fellow student, Will Roberts, who spent weeks utilising a stepladder and lipstick to create his look, summarised his experiences of the past year commenting: “It has been good - sometimes chaotic – but well worth it in the end”.

Head of Visual Arts at the College, Ben Kidger, who opened the event, commented: “I am tremendously proud of our students’ resilience - they truly could have quit at any time during the struggle that the pandemic has caused, but everyone showed tenacity and should be proud”.

Meanwhile, Principal of Canterbury College, Lucy McLeod, said: “I am very proud of our students.

“The last year has been a tough one for all, nevertheless the young creatives displayed exceptional tenacity. Not only were the Canterbury College students successful in creating high-quality art, but they all came together to produce a show of a lifetime.”

For more information about Visual Arts at Canterbury College, visit canterburycollege.ac.uk 

 


Article authored by: Jesse Tomlinson, External Affairs Intern at EKC Group