Orihuela School of Art marks 50 years with exhibition at La Lonja

The Orihuela School of Art and Higher School of Design (EASDO) is marking its 50th anniversary with a programme showcasing work by its students, former students and professionals from the sector at La Lonja. The main event will take place on 27 October 2026, and the exhibition will remain open for around a month, according to the programme presented by the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall).

The day will include a video featuring interviews and images from different periods in the school’s history, a discussion with former students from several generations, and performances by the Orihuela Professional Conservatory of Music. The exhibition will feature student projects, including some that have won awards. The initiative is aimed at residents of Orihuela and the Vega Baja.

The programme will continue on 5 November with a day devoted to research in arts education, at the Aula Magna of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH). A talk by the Gallego Bros, illustrators and animators from San Isidro, is also planned to coincide with the exhibition’s closing. Anniversary events will continue throughout 2027.

The school is a public institution located beside the Palmeral, on Avenida Doctor García Rogel. Its courses include degrees in Design and higher vocational qualifications in subjects such as Photography, Audiovisual Graphics, Advertising Graphics, Fashion Design, Interior Decoration and Stone Sculpture Techniques. In July 2026, the school graduated the first cohort of its integrated Photography, Audiovisuals and Design pathway, within the Graphic Design degree.

The anniversary marks the start of classes in the 1975–76 academic year, according to an order published in the BOE (Official State Gazette). The school had been legally established earlier: Decree 1048/1970 was published in April 1970. Over its five decades, the school has added new courses, including higher studies in Conservation and Restoration and Design in the 2000–01 academic year.

The director, María Isabel García Quinto, and deputy director, Susana Quiles Antón, presented the activities alongside the Councillor for Education, Vicente Pina. The school’s management said it wants to strengthen ties with businesses in the area to create career opportunities for students in the Vega Baja. It also thanked the UMH and the Valencian Community’s Higher Institute of Artistic Education for their collaboration.

For residents of Guardamar and the wider area, the exhibition offers an opportunity to learn more about the arts education available in Orihuela and the work of its students. EASDO welcomes students from towns across the Vega Baja and has international participation through the Erasmus programme. The event on 27 October and the exhibition will bring the school’s work to the wider public, beyond the education community.

Article written by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.