Fine Art students are bringing more colour to shopping experience in Cheltenham

University of Gloucestershire students are adding colour to the shopping experience in Cheltenham town centre in collaboration with a major department store.

A range of artwork created by students from the University’s BA (Hons) Fine Art programme is being exhibited in areas where thousands of shoppers every year move between the floor levels of John Lewis and Partners in the High Street.

The exhibits include paintings, prints, drawings and photographs, with a mural designed and created by students set to accompany them in the coming months.

Susie Olczak, Lecturer in Fine Art within the University’s School of Creative Arts, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank-you to John Lewis and Partners for inviting our Fine Art students to exhibit work in their Cheltenham town centre department store.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for our Fine Art students to present their work to the local community, enhance the shopping environment, and to have an experience of working with a major national business.

“The public and staff at John Lewis have already commented about how much it brightens up the spaces and how it makes such a difference.”

Olivia Moore, Community Liaison Coordinator at John Lewis and Partners in Cheltenham, said: “The purpose of the John Lewis Partnership is to work in partnership for a happier world.

“As a business and as partners, we champion the role we can play in advancing the happiness of the communities we work with and the wellbeing of society, and we do that through building trusted relationships.

“The Community Art Showcase is one way in which John Lewis Cheltenham works in cohesion with our community and the people and organisations within it to create a happier world.

“It is a great honour to work with University of Gloucestershire Fine Art students to showcase their wonderful artwork.

“We hope the artwork brings happiness to our community by making a very clinical and boring space, be more interesting and captivating. Thank you to the students for making that happen.”

Picture: Olivia Moore, Community Liaison Coordinator at John Lewis and Partners in Cheltenham, alongside some of the artwork produced by students