Three students from Durham Sixth Form Centre have had their artwork exhibited online as part of the Sixth Form College Association annual exhibition. The theme ‘Planet Future’ saw students from across the nation enter a wide range of artworks to be exhibited. The online exhibition showcases students’ creative interpretation of the theme, and their reflections on how the world is changing and what its future holds.

Bill Watkin, chief executive of the SFCA, said: “This online exhibition is also a way of celebrating the arts and recognising excellence in sixth form colleges. It is imperative that we keep the arts in education secure and flourishing. If young people are to make a truly 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.

The sixth form college sector represents a vital supply pipeline of the next generation of artists who will inspire and challenge us, entertain and inform us. There is no doubt that art has the ability to awaken our sensibilities, develop our communications and express our feelings, anxieties and hopes. These works, produced by 16-19 year-old students in sixth form colleges across England, indicate how young people are feeling about our climate and the environment, and how they view the wider sustainability agenda.”

Further to this, two of the students from Durham Sixth Form Centre also had their work featured on a BBC News online article: Changing Landscape, by Sean Stobart and Doomsday, by Miles Earl-Beckley. Both of these students have been approached by a Dutch sustainability activist and successful entrepreneur who is purchasing these artworks.