Students to embrace community and compassion with art project

Level 2 Art and Design and Level 3 Photography students at Burton and South Derbyshire College recently worked on a live brief set by local charity, SARAC (Sexual Abuse and Rape Advice Centre) to create artwork for an exhibition on the theme of community, compassion and connection.

Compassionate Communities of Burton (CoCo) is a service that is provided by SARAC for survivors of trauma and the community around them. It provides people with a place to build trust and courage in each other through social activities and retail pop-up shops. It focuses on the education of communities to understand and be more compassionate about their own and the response of other people to trauma, as well as helping people to connect with and within their bodies.

As part of SARAC’s Compassionate Communities of Burton (CoCo) activities, students were asked to create a range of artwork expressing themes such as what the community of Burton means to them, what compassion for self and others looks like and how they view Burton as part of a wider global ecosystem.

The themes have been presented using a variety of techniques, including photography, painting, drawing and mixed media collages, and will form part of an exhibition taking place at the CoCo pop-up shop on 18 Borough Road on Thursday 13th June, Friday 14th June, Thursday 20th June and Friday 21st June, 10:30 – 3:00pm. 

Amanda Baker, Services Manager at SARAC commented: “It’s amazing to see the work that the students have produced. I’m overwhelmed by the thought process that has gone into creating the pieces; they’ve surpassed expectations and have definitely nailed the brief. The students should be very proud of what they have created and will now have the opportunity to showcase their work in our pop-up shop. Seeing the work that has been produced here has made me very hopeful for the future and the new generation coming through.”

Kiran Padam-Moorley, Art Lecturer at Burton and South Derbyshire College said: “Students have come up with some great ideas to fit SARAC’s brief and are looking forward to seeing their work being exhibited in the pop-up shop to raise the profile of the charity and the work they do to support the survivors of trauma. Students used their creative talents to produce a high standard of work to match the set brief, which will provide valuable work experience for their future careers.”