Sixth-form students use art to express life in lockdown

15 June 2020

An online exhibition by sixth-form students from 46 different colleges features artists expressing their experiences of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

A photo montage of portraits of a young woman with sunsets in the background — Image caption,
Dreaming of Going Out, by Georgia Birch from Wilberforce Sixth Form College in Hull.

The exhibition, entitled At Home, has been co-ordinated by the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) and features the work of 140 students.

"This exhibition highlights the extraordinary artistic talent that exists in our sector," said Bill Watkin, chief executive of the SFCA.

"It is imperative that we keep the arts in education secure and flourishing.

"If young people are to make a valuable contribution to society - even if they are to be successful scientists, engineers, doctors and technicians - they need to develop their creative skills, their artistic sensitivities and their ability to interact with others.

"All of this will be more important than ever in the post-Covid world."

Here is a selection of work from the exhibition.

A girl looks bored next to a stacked pile of board games — Image caption,
Waiting Game, by Emily Pritchett from The Sixth Form College, Farnborough.

A painting of girl reading a book whilst surrounded by books — Image caption,
Escape, by Charlotte Cater from The Sixth Form College, Colchester.

A portrait of a toddler looking out of a window — Image caption,
The Streets Beyond, by Katie-Leigh Edwards from Bolton Sixth Form College.

A black-and-white photo of a person lying in bed surrounded by possessions — Image caption,
Patient, by Cora Slack from Leyton Sixth Form College in London.

A man celebrates his birthday at home — Image caption,
Birthday in Lockdown, by Sorcha Mary Keeshan from Woodhouse College in London.

A photo montage of a petri dish with words around it that discuss obsessive-compulsive disorder — Image caption,
Routines, by Leigh Cleverley from Priestley College in Warrington.

A man sits on the sofa with a mobile phone to his ear — Image caption,
Through the Dark, by Victoria Pansu from Christ the King Sixth Form College in London.

A photo and art montage showing a desk lamp next to a window — Image caption,
Fragmented, by Isabel Birchall and Edward Colliston from Holy Cross College in Bury.

A portrait of a girl looking sad and lost in thought — Image caption,
Lost in Thought, by Nell Hamilton of Loreto College in Manchester.

A person stands in a field and holds a mirror showing the sky — Image caption,
Head in the Clouds, by Lauren Sargeant from One Sixth Form College in Ipswich.

A black-and-white photo of a woman at home with two children — Image caption,
A Hero in a Crisis, by Ellie-Mai Holmes-McClure from Cadbury Sixth Form College in Birmingham.

A creative montage showing lots of different types of digital media — Image caption,
Homepage, by Lauren Borg and Abigail Leak from Holy Cross College, Bury.

A painting of a young person — Image caption,
Nick via the Internet, by Lily Goodey from The Sixth Form College, Colchester.

A black-and-white montage of a laptop, phone, television and woman walking past wearing a face mask — Image caption,
Monday Mornings in Lockdown… by Tina Shammas from Bolton Sixth Form College.

A montage of a young woman in different positions around her living room — Image caption,
Isolation by Matilda Millbank from Christ the King Sixth Form College in London.

A photo montage showing a woman's face surrounded by flowers — Image caption,
Untitled - Dead & Alive Project, by Morgan Wright from New College, Doncaster.

A woman paints a picture in her bedroom — Image caption,
APARTment, by Dorottya Szabo from Xaverian College in Manchester.

At Home runs until 19 June, external.

All photographs subject to copyright