Students also learned about the history of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and were able to explore the town, including excursions to Taylor's Bell Foundry and The Great Central Railway. Art and Culture student, Ema Uchimura expressed how good it was to learn about the history of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, noting that Sockman was particularly admired, "I have enjoyed UK short study trip very much and it was a very valuable to experience UK university life."
The programme started after Andrew Selby, Illustration Lecturer, visited Joshibi University in 2014. Andrew worked together with Professor Linda Dennis from Joshibi to create an exchange programme between the two universities, giving our students the opportunity to visit Japan as well as facilitating this annual event. Professor Inagi, who accompanied the students, was pleased to see the students have such ‘wonderful opportunities to grow through this programme’.
Linda expressed how beneficial the partnership is, stating that "We especially want to thank the Foundation teachers for their support of this programme. They have the great skill of understanding the students and helping them achieve their dreams. We look forward with enthusiasm to next year’s programme."
For the exhibition, students were asked to produce a postcard design in response to a key theme and this years theme was ‘Fragility’. The postcards are professionally printed and sold at the exhibition, with proceeds going to Rainbows Hospice in º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ. This year’s exhibition also featured pieces by residents of Rainbows Hospice, as well as º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Art and Design Foundation students, and Joshibi University Art students. The exhibition helped to raise a total of £207.00, which will go towards helping to provide vital care and support to families impacted by life-limiting conditions.
Paula Gamble-Schwarz, Foundation Programme Director, explains that, "This short project is an integral part of the Foundation course project schedule. All students across the specialisms of Fine Art, Visual Communication, Textiles/Fashion and Three Dimensional Design take part and this breadth of interests and approaches results in a wide variety of visual responses. The Joshibi students spend three weeks here at the university engaging in curational seminars with the Foundation students. This provides a rich cultural experience for both parties and results in lasting friendships which extend long after their departure.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming our guests back in 2021 to undertake what will be our sixth exhibition titled 'Connections'."