Manchester Airport Unveils New Exhibition Space Showcasing Winning Art by College Students to Thousands of Travelers

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Art created by college students is now exhibited to thousands of travelers in a newly unveiled section of Manchester Airport, following their victory in a competition.

Manchester Airport issued a challenge to local sixth formers to create art pieces for a new airport section designed to facilitate passenger movement to gates amidst ongoing renovations in Terminal 2, part of the airport’s £1.3 billion upgrade project.

Students from University Technical College (UTC) Media City were given the chance to view their winning designs showcased at Manchester Airport last Friday during a walkthrough of the renovated Terminal 2.

The contest saw entries from six colleges and tertiary institutions, which were tasked with crafting graphics representing destinations accessible from the terminal.

The judging panel, comprising airport officials and contractors involved in the £1.3 billion Terminal 2 overhaul project, such as Pascall + Watson, Mace, and Agency Creative, selected the winners.

UTC Media City was honored with the top prize, while four individual awards were bestowed upon participants from other colleges and sixth forms. The celebrated art pieces now grace a new temporary passage that connects the terminal’s departure area to several gates, circumventing the construction zone where the final stage of the transformation project is in progress.

Jonathan Irwin, a teacher at UTC Media City, said: “The students really enjoyed the freedom the brief provided and the opportunity to explore different techniques and processes to design their work.

“When the students visited the airport and saw their work on the wall, it made them feel extremely proud of what they’d achieved. They really felt honoured with a ribbon cutting, tour and photos taken with their work. It was an amazing journey and experience for the students to work for something so public and prestigious.”

Rick Wagstaffe, Director of MAN-TP Change at Manchester Airport, added: “The artwork that UTC Media City students submitted was brilliant – it was creative, original and does a great job of capturing the sheer variety and diversity of the destinations passengers can fly to from this terminal. We’re sure it will brighten their journeys.”

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