STUDENTS from Yeovil College have produced art that is so inspirational that it has been given a permanent home in the boardroom at Leonardo in Yeovil, the Home of British Helicopters.
The display marks the culmination of a partnership between Leonardo and Yeovil College that challenged students to design an artwork for display at the company, as part of their curriculum.
To inform their work, the students were invited to the iAero site in Yeovil, which acts as a business hub for innovation and start-ups.
iAero is an aerospace centre dedicated to innovation, collaboration, and sustainable aviation, formed through a strategic partnership between Somerset Council and Leonardo.
This year’s chosen theme was ‘Time’, so following a tour of iAero, the students were given background information about Leonardo’s rich aviation roots in the region, which stretch back far in time to the first manufacture of aircraft in 1915.
The students designed their pieces to fit the company’s display boards.
To ignite their creativity, all artwork mediums were encouraged, with a combination of paintings, digital paintings, digital collages, and camera-less photography techniques submitted.
The project cumulated in a presentation evening held at iAero recently, with the students and parents invited, along with representatives from Leonardo and Yeovil College, including Adam Clark (Managing Director of LH UK) and Mark Bolton (CEO & Principal at Yeovil College), who presented the certificates, and then prizes.
Adam spoke about the importance of the close interlinking partnerships between Leonardo, Yeovil College, and the surrounding communities.
He also described how the artistry and creativity captured in the students’ work is equally applicable and necessary in engineering, and that projects such as the art competition can highlight the connection between innovation and creativity.
The winners were selected via a two-stage process, with Yeovil College nominees presented to Leonardo, followed by voting from members of the HR department where the artwork will be located, scores were then combined for the top three.
After the awards had been presented, the attendees were invited to explore the iAero centre, where the finished artwork was on display in its final form.
Joshua Barry, graduate mechanical engineer at Leonardo Helicopters UK, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed running this project, and seeing the artwork on display at a two- metre scale was incredibly rewarding, with every brushstroke visible.
“The creativity, passion, and focus, the students put into these pieces is clear, and they look brilliant on display in Leonardo.
“I believe seeing the effort and care the students put into their artwork will inspire us every day to do the same”.
The artwork is now proudly displayed in the company.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here