This spring saw the eighth consecutive public exhibition of our amazing student’s artwork at the Washington Arts Centre.  This long running tradition has helped showcase some of our amazingly talented students work, which is widely complimented by members of the public and visiting guests of the exhibition.

The Bright Lights: Youth Arts Exhibition is an annual opportunity for students to have their work exhibited in the main gallery of the Washington Arts Centre, should it be successful in the selection process and curation of the exhibit by the Celebrate Difference Collective, a group of young people aged 13-25 from across Sunderland who, with support from Sunderland Culture, co-produce and run their own cultural events.

This year the group decided that they would like artists to respond to the theme of ‘Connections’.  We had an amazing response, with a wide range of entries utilising both traditional Fine Art materials and Photography.

Our Subject Leader in Art and Photography, Mr Campbell said, “As you can see from the images of the exhibition, our students work was a shining example of the talent and ability we see on display daily in the Art and Photography department.  It is fantastic to see students gaining this recognition outside of the classroom environment and we are exceptionally proud and privileged to be surrounded by such amazing creativity on a daily basis.” 

Mr Appleby, the Learning and Engagement Assistant at the Washington Arts Centre said “Year on year, we’re absolutely bowled over by St. Anthony’s submissions to Bright Lights: Youth Arts Exhibition [2026] and this year is no different. The quality of the work is consistently high, and the student’s exploration of the themes is always original – these young artists have a very bright future!”

Some of the students involved in the exhibition commented that, “They were really proud to see their work on display, surrounded by other great pieces from across our community” and that it, “gives a real sense of purpose to their work, beyond just their classwork and recognition in school”. 

We wish to thank everyone for their contributions and offer another huge congratulations to those who had work exhibited.