UCOL BLOG

A painting by Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate, Rachel McMullen.

Fine Arts students at Whanganui UCOL need models for their Life Drawing classes.

Life Drawing is a key component in the Bachelor of Fine Arts programme but lecturer Rita Dibert says it is often difficult to find people available to pose for the students.

The Quay School of the Arts has put out a call for volunteers who will be paid $22 an hour for their time.

“We are looking for women, aged 30 and over, who would feel comfortable modeling, unclothed, for a life drawing class. We also need more male models – we currently have only two on our list.

“We have no females on the list because our previous models have left Whanganui or are unable to model for other reasons, “says Rita.

She says there is a need for models for classes held throughout this semester for Bachelor of Fine Arts, Fashion and Graphic Design classes.

Rita says models do not need previous experience and can come in all shapes and sizes. “Often the best models have had yoga, dance or theatre experience, but not necessarily.”

Willing and available potential models should contact Jenny Jones at the Quay School of the Arts on 965 3801 extension 62435.

UCOL lecturer Deborah Rolston and her business students form the promotional team for Made in Wairarapa.

UCOL Wairarapa Business students will flex their promotional muscles over the next few weeks as they support their region’s Made in Wairarapa expo.

The 18 National Certificate in Business Administration students will use traditional and the latest methods to promote community awareness and participation for the annual event later this month.

Their strategy includes the distribution of flyers and posters directly to businesses, and the creation of a Facebook marketing campaign.

UCOL Business Programme Coordinator and Lecturer Deborah Rolston says the majority of her business students are under 25 years of age and are keen to use social media as a promotional tool. “It is the first time Facebook has been used to promote Made in Wairarapa.”

Deborah says the team project not only covers several elements of the Level 4 programme including event management and written communications, but has many other benefits. “The students have to get out into the business community to promote the expo. That improves their self-confidence and can raise their personal profile among the industries they may wish to find future employment in.”

Made in Wairarapa organising committee member, Pete Nikolaison, says his small team is grateful for UCOL’s initiative and support. “We are very impressed with the enthusiasm and professionalism shown by the business students,” he says. “They have had some great ideas and we are very excited at the prospect of using social media this year to promote the event.”

In its fourth year, Made in Wairarapa allows local companies to showcase their business to the general public and to form inter-business connections. Pete says, “We’d like to encourage Wairarapa businesses and the community to spend locally when they can.”

When: 27 – 28 August 2011.

10.00am – 4.00pm.

Where: Genesis Event Centre, Masterton.

Free Entry.

UCOL Wairarapa Carpentry students are on the look-out for their next building challenge, and they will work for free.

Carpentry tutor Peter Van der Veen says the real life projects form part of the practical component of UCOL’s one year, Level 4 carpentry programme. “The clients provide the materials and get the building consents, and we supply the labour at no cost.”

Past projects include playground improvements at West Kindergarten and an adventure playground rebuild at Dalefield Primary School.

“We are always looking for these kinds of projects,” says Peter. “The students are not only helping their community but they are getting practical experience while training for the trade.”

The work is carried out under Pete’s watchful supervision and he regards it as an ideal learning experience. “Projects are a fantastic way for students to gain a variety of basic carpentry skills in a single work area,” he says.

“You can draw pictures on a whiteboard in the classroom until you are blue in the face but until you see it in real time, or take part, it is still just a picture. Nothing beats hands on experience.”

The Certificate in Carpentry requires students to complete 300 hours of practical experience. Pete says the time spent working on a community project is credited to each student’s hours.

If you wish to take advantage of this offer, contact Dan Burt (06) 952 7001 extn 70156, 021 886 740 or d.burt@ucol.ac.nz.

UCOL students have won a record 52 awards at this year’s Epson/New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers (NZIPP) Iris Professional Photography Awards, including the award for top student.

Second year Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging student Aimee Thompson, won the Student/Assistant category, beating out competition from other leading New Zealand tertiary institutions.

As well as Aimee’s award as top student, UCOL students on the BAVI and the Diploma in Photographic Imaging took four Gold awards, two Silver Distinctions, seven Silver Awards, and 39 Bronze Awards.

Senior Lecturer Ian Rotherham says the result is “absolutely outstanding and represents a record number of awards for UCOL students even compared with the excellent results achieved in previous years at the Iris Awards.

“It reflects the high quality, creativity and commitment of our students and the success of our Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging and Diploma programmes in fostering achievement in the real world.”

Staff on the BAVI programme also featured in the list of award winners. Senior Lecturer Kaye Davis was named Creative Photographer of the Year and also took a Gold Award and Silver Distinctions.

A total of seven Silver Awards were won by Lecturers Paul Gummer (3), Ian Rotherham (2) and Anna Kernohan (1), with a further 16 Bronze Awards earned by Lecturers Tricia Falkner (2), Anna Kernohan (6), Ian Rotherham (2),Paul Gummer (3), and Kaye Davis (3).

Paul Gummer and Anna Kernohan were finalists in the Landscape and Creative Portrait categories: Anna Kernoham, who won the Student/Assistant category last year, was also awarded Associate membership of NZIPP.

Two of last year’s BAVI graduates, Kevin Bone and Miho Tsumakura, were awarded NZIPP Associate membership.

UCOL has been named Institute of the Year for six years running at the Iris awards: this year there was no category for this award “possibly because it was becoming a foregone conclusion”, says Ian.

UCOL’s Executive Dean of Humanities and Business Clive Jones says this year’s results are clear proof that UCOL’s Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging programme is, and remains New Zealand’s leading tertiary qualification for training successful professional photographers.

“I congratulate the students and staff for their magnificent achievements against very determined competition from throughout the country.”

Photographs:
All award winning photographs are on display in the Block 2 Gallery in Queen Street at UCOL.
You can also view online on the NZIPP Website

Whanganui Quay School of the Arts hosts Top Art 2011 on its final stop of a five month tour of the country this week.

Top Art is 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 2010 have travelled to schools, museums, and galleries throughout New Zealand since the end of March.

Top Art is a chance to see first-hand a range of high-calibre work produced by young artists in each of the five Visual Arts contexts; design, painting, photography, print-making and sculpture.

Top Art runs from 9 to 12 August at the in the Atrium at Whanganui UCOL’s Te Matapihi ki te Ao campus.

NZQA is the organiser of Top Art

Students improve their learning and create new asset for UCOL

 In March of this year a new course called Certificate in Trade Skills   started in the Trades areas.  This level 1 programme offered students the chance to experience a range of trades’ experience and improve their readiness for further study.  

 We had seen how much a “home room” space contributed to a good learning environment for the Tertiary Study Skills Level 1 programme, so it was intended to provide a similar home room space for the trades students.  Three weeks into the course, the staff and students were given block 16,  the old BP garage on Grey St, for use in the programme.  The building had been repainted but was empty.

 As part of their engineering training the students took on the responsibility to fit out the entire building, this included fabricating everything required from scratch.  They worked on engineering benches, woodworking benches, welding bays and safety curtains.  They fabricated welding regulator mounts, gas bottle mounts and broom holders.  They also had to modify the new MIG welders so they could fit under the benches.

 These students were working with a purpose:  their practical skills were given a work out and their study benefited from the finished workshops. The students enthusiastically carried out this work.  They not only fitted out this resource but also created all the other projects required of them to complete their course, including four go-karts. 

 Brent Kennard is the main lecturer working with this programme.  He has tried to give students opportunities that are meaningful for their learning and supports them to achieve.  The second semester intake for this programme has just  started and the students will face new challenges  but the first student cohort have left a fine facility as a result of their work and growing skills.

 This is a good example of project or job based learning that encompasses unit standards, literacy and numeracy and programme requirements.  The students get a chance to do learning in the way it works best for them—hands on, task focussed, with learning coming from the doing.