Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
1 day ago
IDEAschool celebrated a full spectrum of creativity last month at its end of year festival – Here and Now, Ko Au Te Wā.
Across several days of exhibitions, performances and screenings, students in Design, Art, Music, Screen and Fashion presented the culmination of their 2025 work to whānau, friends, staff and the wider community.
Diploma in Music students Thomas De Young, Elias Clark, Darnell Campbell and
Jacob Rivett perform as part if the IDEAschool end of year festival.
Head of School Sean Coyle said the festival was a great success.
“I love the diversity of expression that was on display throughout our festival this year. It was great to see the depth of progression from last year’s level 6 to level 7 students. It is so exciting to see students grow and mature within their creative field.”
Sean said highlights included seeing students take the next critical step into becoming professional creative practitioners and watching their families proudly experiencing their work.
“This year has been a challenging one for IDEAschool, but we are in a creatively exciting phase of development within our programmes. We are busy developing strategies to make our creative practice teaching as future focused and exciting as possible.”
The festival week opened with Screen Production students returning to Napier’s Century Theatre at MTG, with a curated selection of projects including shorts, music videos and documentaries.
Music and Screen Production Lecturer and Programme Coordinator Svetlana Eliason said: “This was a fitting full circle for the level 7 students who had their first lessons in camerawork on the stage there after Gabrielle damaged our campus”.
Lecturer and Technician Wayne Dobson said 16 works, ranging from two to 38 minutes duration were presented and well received by the audience over the two and a half hour screening.
Music students performed at the Paisley Stage for the first time, creating what Svetlana called a vibrant and memorable evening.
“We received great feedback from family and friends, and people noted the different styles covered in one evening. The work of our diploma students was described as outstanding.”
Svetlana said all music was original, much of it created under assessment deadlines, and level 7 students showcased ambitious theatrical elements and directed film compositions.
In Visual Arts, students from levels 5, 6 and 7 presented work that Arts and Design Lecturer and Programme Coordinator Nigel Roberts described as outstanding.
“Highlights were the final year level 7 students confidently claiming the Vent gallery and really impressing everyone with their technical skills and creative ability.”
Nigel said the overall standard was high across ceramics, animation and painting, and noted a continued resurgence in ceramics. He described the exhibition as the programme’s highlight, giving students the chance to share their progress with whānau.
Design Lecturer Beck Wheeler said level 6 and level 7 students presented a polished, professional exhibition that received strong feedback from visitors and staff.
“The students did an outstanding job presenting their work and collaborated extremely well to set up the exhibition in a tight timeframe.”
Beck noted the resilience of level 7 students who began their studies during Cyclone Gabrielle and said the showcase allowed students to celebrate their achievements and connect with potential employers.
The Fashion showcase drew significant interest both on campus and online, with a livestream conducted by Level 5 Screen Production students reaching more than 1000 viewers.
Fashion Lecturer and Programme Coordinator Cheryl Downie said the showcase was “absolutely fabulous”.
“I could not have wished for better. Our start with NZ Diploma in Fashion student I’esha Tairaki-Whaanga doing the mihi, and all our fashion students performing a waiata, set the tone for the evening.”
Fashion Lecturer Christina Rhodes added that it is only possible with the help of all IDEAschool.
“The show is a presentation of student’s fashion clothing produced throughout the year, friends and family who step up to the mark to model on the catwalk, help with hair and makeup.”