Norden Farm holds 'biggest and best' Maidenhead Schools Exhibition

Organisers of Norden Farm’s Maidenhead Schools Exhibition said this is the ‘biggest and best’ exhibition the arts venue has had.

The annual display is back for its sixth year and features artwork of an array of mediums by students from Furze Platt Senior School, Berkshire College of Agriculture (BCA), Holyport College and Newlands Girls’ School.

The exhibition opened to the public on Wednesday, October 22, and on Friday, October 24, more than 50 people, including students and their families, were at the Altwood Road arts venue to find out who had been awarded first prize and highly commended in each category.

More than 50 pieces of artwork are on display across a range of categories, including painting and drawing, photography and moving image, textiles, mixed-media and digital art and design.

This year’s judging panel included Maidenhead MP Josh Reynolds, local visual artist Jho, mixed-media textile artists Double Trouble, chair of Maidenhead Camera Club Bob Simpson, local digital artist Nicola Metcalfe and Mandy Taylor of The Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham.

The panel carefully studied the artworks before retiring to deliberate.

Guests waited in anticipation as the judges extended their deliberation time, before coming back into the exhibition gallery to make their announcements.

First place winners received a certificate and a prize.

This year, prizes were donated by Double Trouble, Daler-Rowney and Feathers and Fur Falconry Centre.

The highly commended entries were also recognised with a certificate.

Student Isobel Harvey took first place in the textiles category with her piece ‘Grandad Biscuits’, which was inspired by her grandfathers, who have passed away.

As part of her piece, she used photographs of her grandfathers to showcase their lives from young to old and the memories they created.

Isobel, 18, told the Advertiser she was ‘really pleased’ to have been awarded first prize.

Speaking on the night, Norden Farm’s education manager Kayleigh Robinson, said: “The biggest and I want to say best exhibition we’ve had.

“This year has just been an amazing success.

“We’ve got sculptures, we’ve got fabric pieces – it is just a mixed bag of everything you can create with.”

There have been ‘some really interesting themes this year’, she explained.

“I love the fact that we’ve got fabric pieces this year,” Kayleigh added.

“In previous years, we’ve not had that much fabric and this year we’ve had costume pieces, like full-on outfits.

“We’ve had tapestries and hanging wall pieces, which is just incredible.”

She called the talent among the students ‘amazing’ and said the judges did a ‘great job’ as ‘it was hard’ to choose.

“There’s too many good pieces, that I couldn’t pick, so they did well.”

Kayleigh added: “The feedback we have from some of the parents, it’s just so lovely being able to have the artwork displayed in a professional space.”

The exhibition will remain open to the public until Saturday, November 8.

“I think it’s been really well received so far,” she added.

The exhibition is part of Norden Farm’s Farm Out Arts Programme for schools, which has been funded by the Spoore, Merry and Rixman Foundation.