UCOL BLOG

Firstly I would like to say welcome to UCOL! Like always, O-Week is AS@U’s way of kicking off the semester with games, food, music and giveaways.

This semester I am a student with my massive one paper! Unfortunately my classes just happened to fall on the O-Week schedule Monday and Tuesday so I couldn’t be there to take photos, however I managed to score a few from AS@U for Day 1 and will try and find some of the powhiri soon as well. I will be around taking photos today though, it’s the Market Day so make sure you come and see all the businesses who are here to offer you special deals and discounts, there will be music, games and more giveaways as in true AS@U style.

Click HERE for the photos on our Facebook page.

Three UCOL Fine Arts graduates are amongst the finalists in the inaugural Sculpture Wanganui event.

Five sculptural works by local and national artists have been shortlisted for installation along the riverfront in Whanganui. The event which starts in mid September and runs for two weeks.

The shortlisted artists are: Daniel Clifford, Paul Dibble, Mikel Durel Browne (in conjunction with Kerry McDonnell and Max Cody), Matt Pine and Sarah Mauvan.  The artists’ works will be installed and on display in the riverfront area, near the new Visitor Information Centre, during the two week event.
Kerry McDonnell, Mikel Browne and Daniel Clifford hold Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from Whanganui UCOL. Daniel also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Graphic Design at Whanganui UCOL.

Read More: “UCOL artists feature in Sculpture event”…

For the first time Palmerston North UCOL will host Top Art 2010, a travelling exhibition of the cream of Secondary School students’ visual arts portfolios.

Two groups of students’ portfolios that achieved Excellence at NCEA level 3 in 2009 will travel to approximately 30 schools, museums, and galleries throughout New Zealand over five months.

Top Art is a chance for this year’s level 3 Visual Arts students to see first-hand a range of high-calibre art produced by their peers in each of the five Visual Arts contexts; design, painting, photography, print-making and sculpture. This year the exhibition includes information from the artists on the development of their work.

The Top Art exhibitions also allow members of the public to see the impressive work which secondary school students are producing.

Top Art runs from 20 to 23 July in the Atrium at the Palmerston North campus and will move on to the Quay School of the Arts in Whanganui from 26 to 30 July.

More than 100 local and international artists will be represented at an exhibition at the Federal Hotel Gallery from 20 July. Alternatives 2010 will feature a variety of photographic images that combine old and new techniques.

Head of Photography at the Quay School of the Arts Rita Dibert says the exhibition attracted a large number of entries from which the final selection was made. The biennial exhibition is coordinated and presented by photography students in the Quay School of Art BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) degree. The exhibition prospectus was circulated on the internet and on Facebook and artworks from Australia, New Zealand, The United States andWhanganui were chosen by 2nd, 3rd and 4th year Photography Majors.

“The majority of work is not digital, we wanted to show our commitment to the wet darkroom and a range of photographic processes,” says Rita. “Visitors to the exhibition will be amazed at the diversity of the images using hand tinting, photo-collage and gelatine silver print techniques.”

Read More: “Photography alternatives explored in exhibition”…

The newest member of UCOL’s School of Nursing’s teaching staff is likely to spend all day lying in bed but she is destined to play a key role in student learning.

Affectionately known as ‘Annie’, the newly purchased state of the art, life-like mannequin is designed for scenario-based training in general patient assessment and care.

Complete with normal and abnormal heart and breathing sounds, and the ability to cough, moan and scream Annie gives nursing students a unique simulated experience of patient care.

Along with simulated lungs and stomach, trachea and oesophagus Annie provides important anatomical landmarks for students to practise basic procedures.

Annie’s functions can be remotely controlled by teaching staff who are able to programme up to ten different nursing care ‘scenarios’ for nursing students to respond to.

Read More: “UCOL’s nursing ‘Annie’ is no dummy”…

Fine work by three senior UCOL Fine Arts students and graduates goes on show at the Square Edge Gallery in Palmerston North tomorrow (Friday 2 July).

The exhibition – titled Between – features paintings and glassworks by Whanganui UCOL Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate Brenda Banks, and current Glass major students Karen McIntyre and Kate Walker.

It will run from 2 July to 27 July.

Photo Thumbnail: Painting by Brenda Banks