Bachelor of Creative Practice student Olivia Wilson is celebrating her first solo exhibition, after winning the prestigious David Fine Scholarship.

The 25-year-old student, who is in her final year of the three-year degree, has been able to bring her creative vision to life at the Hastings Community Arts Centre thanks to the scholarship.

“Winning the David Fine Scholarship was a surprise, but a very exciting one. It’s an honour, and I really wanted to do David Fine and his family justice.”

Olivia’s exhibition, Chipper, draws inspiration from Cyclone Gabrielle and was initially her Level 7 project which required students to solve a problem.

“Cyclone Gabrielle was and still is a huge issue for Hawke’s Bay and I thought that through the opportunity of the David Fine Scholarship, I could do my piece for the Hawke’s Bay Community. A lot of us, following the weather event, suffered from mental stress. I could only relate this to my own experience, and I wanted to help others feel better.”

The Chipper exhibition includes Olivia’s 2D and 3D design work, along with photography and prints from fellow EIT student and fine artist Oriane De Lacey.

A key part of her exhibition is a kinetic windmill design, which Olivia says is a nostalgic reminder of childhood and a grounding symbolism.

“My intention behind Chipper is to simply make you feel good. I want to help you open doorways in your search for a happy life. We all know what it can feel like being stuck in the humdrum of daily life. I wanted to introduce colour to a hard hit Hawke’s Bay community – not just in its literal sense. I also somehow wanted the installation to convey a more positive association with weather.”

“The reaction has been great,” Olivia says. “I’ve loved seeing people’s smiley faces, especially my grandparents, alongside the installation.”

She thanked her team and family, along with her sponsors Resene, Carters, Richard Kepka Builders and Heather Wilson Artist.

Olivia’s passion for design started in high school, where she earned a scholarship in her final year at Napier Girls’ High School.

“My happy place from the get-go has been design. I love concepting and developing ideas and watching them come to fruition. I’ve always known that my passion lies in being creative, and I’m super stoked to almost have a degree and be in my final year.”

Olivia credits her time at EIT as transformative.

“When I left high school, I became quite unwell. I spent several years recovering and learning to manage my illness. I was encouraged by my therapist and my family to enrol at EIT. This decision has been a catalyst for some of the most positive changes in my life to date.

“EIT has been some of the best years of my life – my tutors have really encouraged me, and I feel a very strong sense of community at EIT IDEAschool. I have also made some golden friends.

“I find it really hard to believe sometimes how far I’ve come in relation to where I was. I am now incredibly well, and I think that’s because I have purpose. I owe those who encouraged me along the way, a massive thank you.”

While her two-week exhibition finished on Friday (September 13) the installation has been reinstalled in The Atrium at EIT.

IDEAschool Design Programme Coordinator and Senior Lecturer Anthony Chiappin said: “Livvy and her cohort of third year Bachelor of Creative Practice students have worked together to realise this exhibition”.

“For us it not only showcases the incredible talent we foster within the programme, but the huge amount of support by which the design lecturers who teach the students give, selflessly beyond the call of duty. Lecturers Beck Wheeler, Roger Kelly and Mazin Bahho supported by the rest of the crew, namely Diane Wilkie and Estelle Booth, have been pivotal in seeing this vision through.

“The best part about the education paradigm at IDEAschool is the one on one attention paid to each student, where they get much more real world experience from lecturers who practice in the real world. Overall Chipper can only benefit the entire community, and by default shine some light on the horrific 2023 we all experienced.”