Historic photographs showcased at University of Wolverhampton
Historic photos taken by the Express & Star showing life at the former Wolverhampton Polytechnic during the 1980s and 1990s have gone on display in a new exhibition.
A total of 30 news pictures and portraits are being exhibited, many for the first time since they were originally published, in the free show at the Made In Wolves gallery in the Millennium building, Stafford Street.
The images, covering the period 1983 to 1994, cover the final years of the Wolverhampton Polytechnic before it became a university in 1992.
The collection shows students and staff at work, along with protests against proposed cuts.
The show, which includes a digital display, features young people learning camera techniques along with the students who designed the University of Wolverhampton logo still used today.
It was curated by Dr Jane Webb, deputy head of Wolverhampton School of Art and local artist, and Masters fine art graduate Claire Buckerfield.
The photos were provided by the Express & Star in recognition of the university’s role as a leading partner in the project to digitise thousands of historic images on a website.
Faculty of arts business development manager Scott Knight said: “The photos are a fantastic way of looking back on the history of the university as well as the way of life in education at the time.
“The fashions and the technology featured is evocative and the images have brought back a lot of memories for long serving staff who remember the colleagues and students featured.
“We are very grateful to the Express & Star for use of these photos, many of which have not been seen since they were published.”
Chris Leggett, marketing and communications director of Express & Star publisher Midland News Association, chairs the photo archive committee.
He said: “The University of Wolverhampton has worked with us for more than a decade to save our historic photos so we were only too happy to help share some of the collection in this evocative exhibition.”
