St Bede's College graphic designer and old boy Matthew Grueber (1998-2002) takes a moment to admire his work - the first of a series of art installations planned for St Bede's that celebrate the people and the history of our college through pictures.

In 2020, we sadly had to remove the photos of our rugby teams that hung around the walls of our dining hall, after sun damage had faded them to a near unrecognisable state. It was always our intention to replace them without subjecting further images to the same fate. We decided on an art installation that could be installed and over time added to, or re-printed and replaced. 

After researching some options by visiting other schools, and taking into account the surface we were dealing with, Matthew was briefed and began creating. The image selection and design process began at the beginning of 2023, with assistance from archivist Emily Rosevear.

Many hours went in to this project, around some other significant design projects for Matthew, including the design of the 100th edition of the Bedean Yearbook. We hoped to have the artwork installed in time for our Grandparent Day and Golden Bedean lunch, which we managed just in time, literally putting the final panels up the morning prior. 

In true St Bede's fashion, it took many hands to bring this to fruition. First and foremost, Matthew and Emily. We are also extremely grateful to the PTA for funding the printing, and to John Boyle (old boy 1978-1982) from Rainbow Print, for personally delivering the panels to us to meet our deadline. For all those who rolled up their sleeves and helped me to install the panels, including our Rector Jon McDowall and boarder Jonty Coburn.

We hope the boarders in particular will enjoy the artwork as they line up for their meals, and we welcome visitors to come and have a look.  

The Community Office team will now set about planning the next of our design projects, which will see art installations in some of our other buildings, including a sports wall in the gymnasium that will recognise some of our prominent sportsmen from across the years.  

We welcome ideas and feedback to oldboys@stbedes.school.nz or cwilkinson@stbedes.school.nz