Last week, our Executive Director, Clare Purcell, met the BA (Hons) Textile Design students at Hereford College of Arts. She gave a half-hour presentation about Meadow Arts’ work and our ongoing project at No.1 Station Approach – the new student accommodation block situated near Hereford Station and Aylestone Hill. The students were interested to hear the ideas behind the artworks currently on display, by Matthew Cornford and John Beck. They had not realised that the ‘&ART’ design on the Aylestone Hill gable was lifted from Art College font signs, nor that the font for the illuminated A-R-T graphic at the Hereford Station end of the building had come from HCA’s lettering. 

We talked about #theartschoolsproject and how the West Midlands used to have 38 art colleges, HCA being one of the last surviving independent art colleges and celebrating its’ 170th Anniversary this year: an impressive achievement!

Afterwards, we all visited the print studios and saw Textile Design students Melissa Sanders, Ollie Betts, and Aimee Bainbridge at work, screen printing the college’s own set of A R T tote bags. They looked wonderful with strong block colours and will make ideal gifts. The print rooms were a joy to visit – full of natural light and space, yet filled with creativity and eye-catching artwork. It was a lovely hour spent chatting with interesting students who had an interest in our work. Thanks to tutor Flett Bertram for the invite.

The HCA totes will be for sale from the College Shop in reception at the College Road campus. We’ll be first in the queue!

No.1 Station Approach is the first of the fifteen projects to be launched in the city thanks to the support of Stronger Hereford.

Images: No.1 Station Approach, ART tote bags screen printed by students at HCA. Photos courtesy HCA. Photographer, Megan Banks-Jenkins.