occasions when the general public gets a chance to see for itself the quality of work produced by the students.

This year's exhibition can only enhance the Art Department's growing reputation for innovation and high standards of application.

As first and second year students were busily preparing to hang the exhibition, prior to its opening last week, the sheer range and variety of media was already apparent. Figure drawing, portraiture, abstracts, still life and design studies, as well as three-dimensional creations were all represented.

Although the art exhibition has been staged in the spacious surroundings of the College Centre at Stonington, Dr. Charles Zuill and Mrs. Diana Amos, who run the Department, are looking forward to the day when they are allocated a permanent exhibition space there.

"Exhibitions make a big difference to students at this stage, because it gives them self-confidence. Instead of having one big exhibition each year, it would be nice if we could have several, throughout the year. I hope this will become a reality when we finally move over to Stonington,'' said Mrs. Amos. At present, the College's Art Department is still situated in the Roberts Avenue complex.

"There is an urgent need for a new facility,'' said Dr. Zuill. "There are times when we're trying to teach drawing in an atmosphere that's so soggy, the paper feels wet.'' The lecturers, both of whom are renowned artists in their own right, had been hoping that an art gallery could have been included within the new library building.

"The light there is very good. And we really do need to be near the library.

It's very frustrating for students to be so far away from their reference books,'' Dr. Zuill said.

In the meantime, they are pleased with prevailing standards reached by their students.

Recognising that academic drawing is the foundation on which other skills are built, first year students take introductory courses in drawing and painting.

Mrs. Amos pointed out that although some students go on to study fine arts (there is a Fine Arts diploma programme), many have gone into the field of commercial art and advertising, where their skills are in steady demand.

"So we do try to introduce as many new techniques as possible. We had a design project, for instance, where they had to do a cubist painting. And abstracts are useful for exploring the qualities of paint,'' she explained.

"And in my design classes, I ask students to go through the entire process by doing a number of preparatory drawings,'' added Dr. Zuill.

Some who have taken Art as a minor course have discovered unsuspected talents -- with one or two deciding to make art a major, rather than a minor part of their lives. And for those who cannot pursue the full-time, two-year programme, there are part-time courses. For these students exams are an option, not a necessity.

Mrs. Amos emphasised that, wherever possible, the College tries to demonstrate how art may be used as a means of communication, both in educational and social fields. This year, for instance, first year students co-operated with the Department of Health in promoting AIDS Awareness Month.

On display was an AIDS information board, a montage of painted wooden panels illustrating "Wise Choices'' to be followed by young people: "Each panel lifts up, and underneath there are printed messages, but it is the pictures that grab the initial attention. One student made a sculpture of a magnified AIDS virus and a mobile, showing how the virus spreads was very successful.

The Health Department said it was one of their most effective teaching tools,'' said Mrs. Amos.

One of those students who came back to school after leaving eight years earlier, is Ginea Edwards. She is hoping to pursue a career in arts therapy.

"Art is used a lot these days as psychotherapy for people who are recovering from certain problems, such as rape or abuse of some kind.

Sometimes, it's very hard for people to express their feelings verbally if they have been through a traumatic experience and art can help them to deal with a problem in another way,'' she said.

Twins Dawnette and Shawnette Anderson, who are in their second year at the College, also returned after leaving in 1986. They are interested in commercial art and plan to repeat internships at Bermuda's National Gallery this summer.

Six years of art under the instruction of Saltus art teacher Mr. Vaughan Evans, ensured Andrew Scaife's enduring interest in the subject. While still at school, his sculpture was one of three selected to be displayed in New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine. After a spell at college overseas, he also decided to come back to the College to take their arts course.

Paul Douglas, from Whitney Institute, now in his second year and specialising in graphic design, hopes to go to Savannah College of Art and Design: "I think I've always had a natural ability. Ever since I could hold a pencil, I was always drawing and people thought I was tracing the things I drew, but I wasn't!'' Altogether, about 70 pieces of work are now on display at the Stonington campus. The students themselves have pitched in to help plan the layout of the show and to hang the paintings. And to emphasise the team spirit, students from the Carpentry Department have made all of the picture frames.

Talent spotters and bargain hunters should seize this chance to buy up some of this "art of the future'', some of which is on sale. The exhibition is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and continues through Wednesday, May 5.

STUDENTS' ART -- Mrs. Diana Amos, right, pictured with some of her students as they prepare for the annual Bermuda College Art Show. In the back row are twins Dawnette and Shawnette Anderson and in front, Ginea Edwards and Andrew Scaife. Missing from the picture is Dr. Charles Zuill.