Young Arts Projects
Posted January 2019
Every year, the Arts Society Blackwater aims to support artistic endeavour with young people. This is usually in the form of financial support but it can also involve offering expertise. For the last four years, we have funded an artist to work with a school in different ways. In 2015, the local artist worked Lisa Temple-Cox, spent a day at Terling primary School and every child in the school (90) had the opportunity to contribute to making two very large collages which were mounted and now decorate a corridor and the school library.
In July 2016, another local artist and print maker, Karenza Jackson provided a morning’s ‘masterclass’ in monoprinting for 8 teachers in the art department at Plume Academy. In the afternoon, Karenza was videoed talking with the head of Art, Kevin Flower and demonstrating three types of monoprinting. The video was used with 600 pupils in years 7 & 8 who were engaged in a print project. The video has proved to be a valuable resource and it has continued to be used as a stimulus for examination groups, exclusively within Plume Academy.
In July 2017, a sculptor Mo Gardner worked with pupils at Heybridge Alternative School.Click here for the report
This year, once again, Blackwater Young Arts sponsored an artist to work with pupils at Heybridge Co-operative Academy (formerly Heybridge Alternative School). The art teacher, Victoria Phillips arranged for Anne Swegmann-Fielding, a local sculptor and mosaic artist, to spend a day at the school. Small groups of pupils were released from lessons throughout the day to help create two circular mosaics 65 centimetres in diameter. The fully grouted mosaics have been placed in the main school corridor. 22 pupils from years 8 to 10 participated and all learned to cut, place and fix tiles onto the circular boards. It was intricate work and a unique opportunity for the pupils to work with a professional artist.
Stephanie Jones
Young Arts Representative