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CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS

SCRAPBOOK

THE HEART OF CREATIVITY 2025 - 2026 1

CONTENTS

2 INTRODUCTION 3 ART & DESIGN 6 CREATIVE DESIGN FOR GAMING 7 GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION 9 MEDIA 11 MUSIC 13 PERFORMING ARTS 19 PHOTOGRAPHY 21 END OF YEAR CREATIVE ARTS SHOW HE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES - GRAPHIC DESIGN 23

INTRODUCTION Check out all the exciting activities our Creative & Performing Arts students have taken part in this academic year. Our Centre of Excellence is more than just a place to study, it’s a community where you’re encouraged to innovate, collaborate, and bring your ideas to life. These opportunities and more could await you here at Wigan & Leigh College.

ART & DESIGN

CIRCUS ACT Level 2 Art and Design students used appliqué techniques to produce banner designs for their ‘Circus’ themed project. The group experimented with different concepts and researched the global history of the circus. This included the evolution of equality and diversity within the circus from the past to modern day.

EXPLORING FOLKLORE

CREATION MEETS CURATION

Level 2 Art and Design students showcased their incredible work at an Exploring Folklore exhibition, held at Kawas Coffee and Wine Bar in Wigan. Through handmade papers, inks, dyes, collage, illustration and sculpture, this exhibition celebrated the creativity, experimentation and dedication our students have poured into the project.

Students had an incredible opportunity to work alongside local artists, Klaire Doyle and Anna FC Smith to help prepare for the Wigan Open Exhibition at Wigan Pier. As part of this exciting industry experience, our students supported with selecting artwork, booking pieces in from exhibiting artists, and learning the professional skills needed to safely handle and curate artwork. They also had the privilege of collecting a selected artwork from Lancashire Artist of the Year 2025, Gary North. They then explored how exhibitions are designed from the viewer’s perspective, developing their understanding of layout and artwork spacing, to create a strong visual impact.

URBAN LANDSCAPE PROJECT

DOCUMENTING HISTORY

Students explored the Museum of Liverpool to learn about the city’s rich history and heritage before heading into the city centre to study the architecture and immerse themselves in its vibrant art and culture. The trip provided valuable insights into history, creativity, and design, offering fresh perspectives for their projects.

Level 2 Art & Design students visited Wigan Market’s Redman’s Print Shop with local artists to create pop-up zines documenting the current market. These zines will be placed in the Wigan Archives, preserving a snapshot of the market for future generations when the site eventually comes down. They explored the market to gather reference photographs, develop sketches and produce printed outcomes. The students had a great time bringing their ideas to life.

CREATIVE DESIGN RETRO FOR GAMING PLAY

Level 3 Game Design, Graphic Design, and Computing students visited Arcade Club in Bury for a fun afternoon to reward their hard work and let them unwind and enjoy some classic arcade games.

Games Design students visited the SODA Building at Manchester Metropolitan University to take part in a games art workshop. It was also a chance to find out more about the uni courses on offer and to get a feel for uni life from their degree students.

A FEEL FOR UNI LIFE BIOPUNK We welcomed Talib Kadhim, Senior Animator at Expression Games, to deliver an exciting live brief which challenged students to explore the theme “Biopunk”, applying their creativity and skills in a real-world context. Talib shared insights from his years of industry experience, giving students a glimpse into his journey across film and games development. Students were able to discuss their ideas with him and receive valuable feedback.

GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION TEGAN DAVIES

Well done to Level 3 Graphic Design student, Tegan who got her university applications off early and was rewarded with a range of fantastic offers. The former Fred Longworth High School pupil has been getting work ready and has career aspirations of working within digital marketing. “I’ve really found this course fun, and we get a lot of freedom to use our own ideas. I did graphic design at school, and I enjoyed the creative side of it, so knew I wanted to come to college and do something I really enjoyed. “I’ve improved my skills a lot using adobe software and we get to work on lots of interesting projects, with live briefs, that also allow us to put our personality into them.”

GM SKILLS SUCCESS Our Games Design, Graphic Design and Media students enjoyed success at the Greater Manchester College’s Skills competition, with this year’s briefs all centred around AI. Congratulations to Amy Watson, who took 1st place in Games Design, and Sophie Porter, who secured 1st place in Graphic Design. The standard of work was really impressive across the board and we’re incredibly proud of all the students who took part.

DRAWING INSPIRATION IN LIVERPOOL A visit to Liverpool inspired learners to gather real world research for their next project. The group visited the Walker Art Gallery to see the John Moores Painting Prize, discussing their favourite work and why. The trip demonstrated how graphic design draws inspiration from many different sources, including fine art, composition, colour, mood and storytelling.

PITCH PERFECT Students pitched their ideas for a live brief set by the international Design and Art Direction Awards Competition. The group had to work to create a set of advertising concepts using the Twix branding. This annual competition gives students the experience of working to industry-standard briefs set by some of the world’s leading brands. Students’ concepts ranged from re-imagined vending machines to rewards-based apps, all whilst keeping the recognisable Twix look and feel at the heart of their work.

MEDIA

PODCAST PRODUCTION Throughout the year, our Media students have been gaining valuable work experience as they have been producing a series of podcasts for Councillor Chris Ready. They’ve played an active role in the recordings, both in the production process as well as asking thoughtful questions on the couch in our green room. Guests have ranged from politicians to sports personalities and important figures from across the borough. All episodes are available to watch here:

REAL-WORLD WORK PROJECTS

Creative Media Practice students were briefed about an exciting project by Marketing and Communications Lead, Lauren Butler from Haigh Hall. They had the opportunity to work with a real-life client in a varied setting to focus on something that interests them, from parkrun, coffee, woodland walks, or events. The main task was to create engaging short form content that could be used on Haigh Hall’s social media once approved. Wigan Council provided support for the learners through the proposal and content creation process, while also providing advice on careers in media too.

GETTING FUTURE READY AT MEDIA CITY

Students attended a Greater Manchester Institute of Technology ‘Career Quest’ event for future creators at The University of Salford and MediaCityUK. They had the opportunity to hear from leading industry professionals from BBC, Dock10 and Carbon Creative with lightning talks, Q&A panel and interactive activities. To round off an amazing day, students toured the facilities at the BBC and Dock10 Studio. This event showed them the variety of opportunities in the UK creative industry and prepared them for their media careers.

FUTURE CONTENT CREATOR AARON JOHNSON Former St Mary’s Catholic High School pupil, Aaron Johnson is pursuing a media career in content creation after developing his technical skills while on our media course. “This college had the best technology, and I wanted to learn more about filming techniques. Learning more about film-making on this course has helped me improve both my time management and problem-solving skills.”

MUSIC

Music students put on an amazing show at The Cavern in Liverpool for the annual End of Year performance. The iconic venue provided the backdrop for an unforgettable experience as students delivered a series of brilliant performances.

EPIC PERFORMANCES AT ICONIC VENUE

LIVE FROM THE PIER

Our Music students performed a live show at Pier 4 as part of Wigan Arts Fest 2026. There was a great mix of bands and acoustic singer-songwriters performing across two stages during the event. This incredible experience showcased our students’ talent and hard work.

PRACTICE IN A GREAT SETTING Our Level 3 Year 1 Music Performance student band ‘The Boulevard’ rehearsed at The Old Courts in Wigan to fine tune their full set ahead of their Christmas Rock Fest, which took place in the college theatre.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT LOUIS ROCHFORD Level 3 Music Practice student, Louis Rochford received some great university offers to progress his journey into the music industry. The former Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic High School pupil aspires to be a full-time performer. “I’ve been doing music since I was 9 and I started to write songs and learn instruments so it’s something I have always wanted to do.” About the course, Louis added: “I’ve loved the people here and getting to work with students with similar interests. I have learnt more about production and song writing too which has been great. I think it’s very accessible to everyone – there’s lots of Mac rooms to help do research and recording. The theatre space we have creates a great sound to perform in too. “We have done a few gigs outside of college including The Cavern, which was great as I am a massive Beatles fan, so it was very exciting to get up there and perform my own songs - an amazing experience!”

PERFORMING ARTS The acclaimed Shakespearean actor and star of stage and screen gave the college’s Centre of Excellence students an unforgettable experience during a private audience attended by learners and staff from Performing Arts, Media, Fashion, Music and the Student Council. The Lord Of The Rings star, who officially opened our theatre and Centre for Performing Arts and Media, had some words of advice for our awe-struck students saying, “Luck is important, but my advice is to be ready for it when it arrives. Keep at it, keep working, and if there’s no work, make some.” After posing for photos with students and staff, the famous actor commanded the stage for an unplanned and spontaneous performance of “The Strangers’ Case” from the Shakespeare play Sir Thomas More. The whole theatre fell silent with students and staff alike in awe of what was a uniquely once in a lifetime moment to be in the presence of acting royalty.

SIR IAN MCKELLEN

LIPA INDUSTRY WORKSHOPS

LEARNING NEW TECHNIQUES

We were thrilled to welcome representatives from Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts for a morning of acting, dance, and musical theatre workshops, with each focusing on the specific needs of the respective disciplines. Students gained hands-on experience and valuable insights into their chosen pathways, supporting their work readiness and future progression.

Students learned about Stanislavski’s acting methods through script work, focusing on character motivation, given circumstances, and truthful performance. Stanislavski’s theory encourages actors to use “experiencing”, drawing on personal emotions and subconscious processes to fully embody a role.

AMAZING MOVES

DANCE SHOW

Our Performing Arts students shone brightly in April’s dance shows.

WHAT A SHOW! Our Performing Arts students wowed student and visitor audiences as well as pupils from local high schools in a stunning and highly entertaining Beauty and the Beast pantomime.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

CURTAIN CALLS

FROM BROADWAY TO THE WEST END A packed out audience were blown away by our Performing Arts students as they took centre stage at The Edge, Wigan for their musical, Curtain Calls: From Broadway to the West End. It was a highly energetic performance, brimming with talent and determination. What a brilliant way to end the year with such an amazing spectacle.

PHOTOGRAPHY Level 3 Photography student, Oliver Roberts had his work featured on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, where the music video he filmed for the band The Slates, Understand The Groove, was shown as part of the programme. With a keen interest in music and band photography, Oliver has developed a strong connection with the band and continues to work closely with them, producing a range of promotional photography for their social media, promoting gigs, documenting live performances and establishing himself within the music scene.

BUDDING MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHER

OPEN EYE TALK

Guest speakers from the Open Eye Gallery, Wigan Council, and photographer Andy Yates visited our Level 3 Photography students to launch two exciting projects for our students to work on. “Tree Stories of Wigan” documented our local community’s relationship with trees, and “Humans of Wigan” is aimed at celebrating diversity within the borough. The students were supported and mentored by Open Eye curators before their final submissions were selected for inclusion in exhibitions at the gallery and other public spaces.

WORK ON DISPLAY The Tree Stories of Wigan exhibition was held at the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool where our students got to see their work on display. This exhibition formed part of Look Climate Lab 2026 The award-winning gallery setting was the perfect backdrop to spark conversations about socially engaged photography, with students sharing their thoughts on the styles, techniques, and ideas on display.

LOCAL ARTIST INSPIRATION Students took part in creative workshops with artists Anna Heinrich and Leon Palmer, whose innovative image-making techniques featured in large-scale installations at Wigan’s Light Night Festival. Learners explored cutting-edge digital methods, including LiDAR photography and photogrammetry, to create their own 3D images.

CREATIVE ARTS END OF YEAR SHOW

VIEW THE EXHIBITION HERE:

Our End of Year Creative Arts Exhibition was spectacular yet again as hundreds of guests turned up to see the outstanding work that our students produced for their final major projects. So much talent on show.

HE GRAPHIC BERLIN DESIGN ADVENTURE FdA Creative Industries and BA (Hons) Creative Practitioner students enjoyed an educational trip to Berlin, where they explored some of the city’s historic landmarks including the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Topography of Terror Museum and Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The trip also supported their creative practice through a visit to one of Europe’s most highly awarded independent design agencies, Innocean Berlin. Marcelo and Odile from Innocean spoke to the group about their approach to branding before holding a Q&A. This experience gave our students real industry insight and built their confidence in networking.

LONDON RESIDENTIAL Students visited a curated exhibition on multidisciplinary designer Theo Crosby at the OSH Gallery. They also had a tour of the world’s largest design agency, Pentagram, at their newly opened studios, followed by sightseeing across the capital. The group spent their second day exploring the Design Museum’s exhibitions on the design process, cultural impact, and a Wes Anderson retrospective, followed by a walk along Brick Lane to take in the street art. The trip concluded with a studio visit to the award-winning agency Rose, where studio manager Alexandria and senior designer Ethan shared insights into project lifecycles and their professional design journeys.

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