A COLLECTION of 30 pieces of art done by students from six schools, including Woodrush High School in Hollywood, went on display at Birmingham’s New Street Station this week.
The designs – installed as part of this year’s Railway 200 celebrations – highlight famous Birmingham businesses, brands, and historical figures and show how important the railway was to their development and ambitions.
From the city’s founding fathers of the city – Boulton, Watt and Murdoch – to internationally famous brands such as Cadbury, Dunlop and HP Sauce, each piece was specially created to celebrate the past, present, and future of the railway and its role in the towns, cities, and communities it serves.
The artwork was unveiled by students from the colleges and schools involved in the project.
Woodrush’s (below) depicts the famous Birmingham brand ‘Fort Dunlop’.
Woodrush High School’s artwork. Picture by Network Rail. sDenise Wetton, Network Rail’s Central route director, said it was fantastic for local schools and colleges to showcase their brilliant Railway 200 artwork.
“The station is at the heart of the city centre and plays a big part in the local community and, with more than 100,000 people using it every day, I hope the pupils’ and students’ creativity gets the recognition it deserves.
“It was a pleasure to see the artwork on display and to help unveil it with the schools and colleges.”
Jay Barber, headteacher at Woodrush High School, said: “For our young artists to have been granted creative licence by Network Rail to research, draft, and produce work for public display, is applied learning at its very best.
“Using historic archives, iconic logos and distinctive colour palettes, our young people have creatively reimagined the spirit of our industrial heritage.”
The artwork is the latest in a series of celebrations marking 200 years of the railway in Britain.
Next month, the West Midlands will be the first two stops for a special train, named Inspiration, which will tour stations and locations across Britain over the next 12 months.
Tickets for the Inspiration train are free but must be booked in advance.
Visit: railway200.co.uk/inspiration for more.
