Latest News

Students Bring Bolton Museum’s Zoology Collection to Life Through Creative Live Brief

Year 1 A-Level Art, Craft, Textiles and Design students at The Sixth Form Bolton have showcased their creativity and professional design skills through an exciting collaboration with Bolton Museum and Art Gallery as part of the college’s Live Brief Week.

The project challenged students to develop a range of giftware and stationery products inspired by the museum’s Zoology Archive and natural history collections. The live brief was set by Liza Leonard, Visitor Team Manager and Team Leader for Business Development at Bolton Museum, giving students the opportunity to work on a real-world creative project for an external client.

Students began the project with a visit to Bolton Museum, where they were introduced to the collections by Lauren Field, Curator of Natural History. Through photography and first-hand observational drawing, they carefully documented specimens and wildlife within the archive, using these studies as the foundation for their designs.

Drawing inspiration from artists including Molokid, Hannah Höch and Clover Robin, students experimented with a broad range of creative techniques, including embroidery, printmaking, drawing and surface pattern design. Their original artwork was then digitally manipulated and transformed into professional product concepts.

The final collection featured an impressive variety of merchandise, including greetings cards, notebooks, stickers, bookmarks, badges, keyrings, gift wrap and art prints, all inspired by the museum’s fascinating zoological collections. The collaboration provided students with valuable industry experience, helping them to develop key skills in responding to a client brief, understanding target audiences and creating commercially viable designs.

A Level Art, Craft, Textiles and Design Teacher Gillian Robertshaw said:

“We would like to thank Bolton Museum and Art Gallery for the opportunity to work collaboratively with them on this live brief. The students have gained invaluable work experience and a genuine insight into working within the creative industries. We are delighted to celebrate the hard work, creativity and dedication of our students, who have thoroughly enjoyed producing the design work for this project.”

Students also reflected on the impact of the experience. Ryan Simpson said:

“I think this is a great opportunity for us to present our work to the public for the first time and hopefully open up new chances of getting our art out there in the future.”

Charlotte Senior added:

“I really enjoyed working on the live brief as it challenged me to go out of my comfort zone within my designs and try out new things, which ended up in results I'm very proud of. I gained so much from this experience, such as knowledge of working with a client, adapting to a target audience and making products, whilst also developing my personal skills in things such as resilience and determination, all of which will benefit me both as an artist and in my future plans.”

The project highlights The Sixth Form Bolton’s commitment to providing students with meaningful employer-led experiences, enabling them to apply their creative talents in real-world settings while building essential skills for future study and careers in the arts and design sector.