For the first time ever, the Art Department of the Bermuda College, is staging an exhibition that features past students -- the list of whose names makes for surprising reading.

The end result is a collection of work that represents some of the best artists currently working in Bermuda.

Just a few of the more than 40 participating artists include such well-known names as Sheilagh Head, Sharon Wilson, Christopher Marson, Bruce Stuart, Otto Trott, Paul Doughty, Margaret Downing Dill, and Graham Foster.

"This show is part of the College's 20th anniversary celebrations,'' explains Mrs. Diana Amos who, with Dr. Charles Zuill head up the Department.

"We have wanted to do this show for some time now, so we thought it would be a good idea to tie it in with the anniversary. The show includes work by people who have been full-time or part-time students. We hope the public will come and see the calibre of students that we have attracted over the years.'' Selected pieces are offered by the artists for sale, with part proceeds going to the Bermuda College Art Student Tour Fund. It is hoped that the Alumni Exhibition will become an annual event.

In an effort to attract visitors, the show will remain open in the evenings from Monday to Thursday until 7.30 p.m.

The list of those who have gone on from the Fine Art course at the College to pursue successful careers in the arts or art-related businesses is impressive and tends to give lie to the oft-conceived view of the arts as being an impractical, or even frivolous subject for the career-minded.

Says Mrs. Jan Doidge, public relations director at the College, "I think you only have to look at the careers of people like Emma Mitchell and Rhona Emmerson, both of whom run their own advertising agencies and who both studied art at the College, to realise that this simply isn't so!'' She points out that many people who have taken advantage of the part-time courses, have been able to go on qualify in their chosen field.

"We consider these people to be a very important part of what we are trying to do at the College. We have a lot of `mature' students and it's an indication of the changing times that people often take untraditional routes to acquire their qualifications.'' Mrs. Sheilagh Head, one of Bermuda's best known landscape artists and colourists, is one of many who are grateful to the Bermuda College. Although she qualified at Manchester's School of Art and went on to study in Italy, she experienced the artist's equivalent of `writer's block' when she came to live in Bermuda some 20 years ago.

"I was able to go along to the college three days a week where I did some pottery and then eventually got back to painting. It was wonderful to be able to work with Diana in that way and I would certainly recommend the College, both for beginners and for people who want to continue learning or as a source of renewed inspiration.'' On a tour of the show, Mrs. Amos points out work by water colourist Christopher Marson who, she says, had not done much painting when he came to the College: "He was doing acrylics then and came here to do our landscape course.'' Then, she says, there was Emma Mitchell, who was already employed but after attending the College went on to the Parsons School to do fashion illustration, and Paul Doughty who needed to assemble a portfolio of his work.

"He also went on to Parsons to study sculpture.'' She singles out, too, Kendra Ezekiel who originally took art as just one of her `electives' but decided then to study full time in England where she specialised in sculpture.

"And Louisa Bermingham is one of our younger alumni who has just completed a course at the Rhode Island School of Design, specialising in textiles. Then there's Fiona Rodriguez who has been at the Maryland Institute of Art for three years, and Graham Foster who's doing a fine arts course at the Boston Museum School.'' Mrs. Amos is especially proud of former students Bruce Stuart who came to her when he was still a student at school, and Sharon Wilson who came from Whitney Institute, and completed her portfolio at the College before going on to Massachusetts School of Art.

Mrs. Amos firmly believes that even those who do not go on to study art or art-related subjects, will never regret taking the fine arts courses on offer.

"Art is a serious subject and Charles and I like to think that we've provided a valuable stepping-stone in many peoples' careers. Liz Jones (English specialist at the College) always said that the arts students were always the most interesting! Art encourages people to think on different levels, using both sides of the brain. This tends to be neglected in the strictly academic environment -- and as we all know, most of the world's original thinkers are those who use both sides of the brain!'' Dr. Zuill points out the importance of design in our lives. "We are surrounded by objects that have been designed by someone, so why not make sure they are designed well? If we live with and use things that are well designed, we tend to feel better, happier and I believe we become more efficient. For instance, it's been proven that well designed factories have far fewer accidents.'' Emphasising that art is a subject where the capacity to learn and grow is never diminished, Mrs. Amos says this is one of the reasons why the part-time courses are so popular.

"The beauty of it is that people get the chance to do the full-time course as part-time students and if they prefer to register as non-audited students, they can do that. People are welcome to come back from time to time over the years -- and even repeat the painting course if they want to. Students who wish can also transfer most, if not all of their credits, when they continue their studies overseas.'' Courses offered include First and Second Year Drawing, First and Second Year Painting, Two and Three Dimensional Design and three courses in Art History.

The Bermuda College Alumni Art Show, which is well worth a visit, continues at the Stonington Campus through December 14. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., Mondays to Thursdays, and until 5 p.m. on Fridays.

AN EYE FOR ART -- This is one of the works (`Untitled' by Fiona Rodriguez) currently on view at the Bermuda College Alumni Art Show.