NPTC WORKSHOP

Today I was taking a workshop at NPTC in Wales, the class was an eager mix from the Neath and Afan campuses of NPTC students studying on the Year one, Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art and Design. I was surprised by the sheer amount of knowledge these students had. All of them had a very good understanding of materials, brilliant 3D and making skills and they were not afraid to tackle the task of the 3Dimensional illustration project which I had set them. Their tutor Carolyn Gammon was a very pro-active initiator. From a quick Email I sent back in January through to getting me in to take the class yesterday.

There were some students who took lead to ask questions and showed initiative of leading in their groups, but on the whole the class was a level ground of fast thinking problem solvers. This being the first situation where I was teaching a class at a further education level, I was very impressed by how everyone was so open minded towards new way's of working and being creative. Their group dynamics were formed best when they were mixed between students from 2 campuses Neath and Affan and most of these had not met each other before so it really was like working in the real world of creativity.

I was also very pleased with the diversity of the projects that the NPTC students created, some were fashion, headpieces, props, conceptual installations, iconic animal sculptures. I also had the chance to meet some of the other members of staff at NPTC and had a look around the now cutting edge facilities, G5 Mac Suites, photographic dark rooms, also the fine art drawing and painting rooms and the intricate textile rooms amassed with sketchbooks flooded with beautiful imagery. It really was a different world from the college I knew back in 2000.

The students already had a good approach to recycled materials and were very open to working with materials in this way and transforming the old into the new. With any luck we will see a vibrant generation of fast thinking problem solving eco conscious creatives!

This workshop was made possible by Carolyn Gammon, Lesley Blower and the Reaching wider initiative.

For more information on Neath Portalbot College please visit the link below.

http://www.nptc.ac.uk