Alchemy Gold Arts Award Project 2013

ALCHEMYDefinition: a seemingly magical process of

transformation, creation, or combination

Gold Arts Award

Project 2013

Partners: InspirED, SPAEDA, Arts Education and

Somerset Art Works (SAW) Huish Episcopi Academy

Huish Episcopi Primary School, Langport and Huish Youth Group

with financial support from RIO

Core Aims for the Arts Award Gold Qualification

To develop young people’s creativity, communication, planning, teamwork and leadership skills.

ALCHEMY is all about maximising opportunities: Gold Award

student, Nicky, taking the lead with learning workshop

demonstration skills modelled directly by SAW artist Melanie

Tomlinson in addition to developing her own artistic

abilities and understanding – fusing aspects of Unit 1 and Unit

2 wherever possible.

• This project is all about partnership and negotiation. Students and advisors (Sara Dudman, Ian mcGinn, Marina Fraser, Sarah Jobling, Alice Crane, Carol Carey) are working together to make the most of opportunities and resources to successfully complete the Gold Arts Award journey……by early 2014 The advisors all attended Gold Award training together in May 2013 hosted by SPAEDA at Great Bow Wharf in Somerset.

Gold Award advisors, Sara

Dudman and Alice Crane,

working with students at the launch of their

exhibition at Great Bow

Wharf.

Sara Dudman is the lead project advisor and is supporting the project through planning, scheduling, facilitating and 1:1 and group tutorials and seminars to track and advise on progress throughout the programme. Ian McGinn is the hands-on school-based advisor who is be in charge of online and technical support, uploading portfolio evidence onto the Tumblr sites and managing day-to-day communications and advice.Marina Fraser is the school-based teacher-advisor, who is working with students to support the practical and planning and organisational work for Arts Award.Sarah Jobling and Alice Crane are the SPAEDA advisors, looking after communications with Arts Award directly and overseeing the pilot project – students are unlikely to work directly with them as advisors. Carol Carey is the SAW advisor, working with Beccy Swaine to facilitate opportunities for the students to work directly with artists and Arts Organisations for Unit 1.

Marina Fraser working with

Arts Award Gold student Benjy –

working on ideas for personal

development in Unit 1.

Having a team of fully trained Arts Award Gold advisors drawn from all the project partner organisations means there is coherent understanding of the requirements and opportunities presented by the Award.

Artwork for Unit 1 part A created by a Gold

Arts Award student in response to artist-led

workshops.

Arts Award Gold has two units

Unit 1: personal arts development

Part A: extend own arts practice

Facilitated by SAW (Somerset Art Works), students have engaged in a number of practical artist-led workshops:

Examples of work by

Melanie Tomlinson

and Maeve Clancy,

both artists who have

worked directly

with the Gold Arts

Award students.

Arts practice: Young people gain experience of a new area of the arts and produce new art work by working with a more advanced practitioner.

SAW ‘Great Crane Project Lead Artist’ Melanie Tomlinson

came to Huish Episcopi Academy for 2 days to lead

workshops with Gold Award

Students and other art students from

the school (capitalising on opportunity to

work directly with an artist-in-

residence was maximised by

school)

Students participated in 2 days of metalwork diorama-making workshops held at Huish Episcopi Academy, led by Melanie Tomlinson. On the first day of the workshops Damon, from The Great Crane Project also visited to explain this process of the re-introduction of the Great Crane to the Somerset Levels. This wildlife project forms the basis of an art project currently being run through SAW, with Melanie and other artists working with art and communities to help interpretation and understanding.

Students worked with paper installation artist Maeve Clancy. Maeve was one of a number of artists commissioned by SAW to create a contemporary craft-based installation at Barrington Court.

Students participated in a paper-making workshop at Barrington Court, led by artist Julie Roberts.

Artwork created by Arts Award Gold students and artists.

Arts Award Gold students making metalwork dioramas in workshops

with Melanie Tomlinson

Unit 1: personal arts development Part B: identify and use development opportunities and sources of information within the wider arts sector.The wider arts sector: Young people get involved in the arts world through placements, volunteering, training and research.

Arts Award Gold student Dan chose to volunteer for 2 days to assist with

the transformation of the local youth club

toilets. He worked alongside graffitti artist Scott Walker with youth club members to design

and paint a graffitti mural on the boys’ toilet

walls. Dan learnt valuable skills in leading workshops in addition to

being able to interview Scott and gain insight

into the professional life of an artist.

In addition to Dan volunteering at the youth-club, the other 2 Arts Award Gold students have undertaken other volunteering opportunities through SAW at Barrington Court to assist with stewarding exhibitions and helping with family art workshops.

Unit 1: personal arts development Part C: research and review the work of more advanced practitioners and explore relationship to own practice.

Dan took the opportunity to

ask Scott about his

professional life in addition

to his own research for

part C of unit 1.

InspirED launch

Arts Award Gold students gave a short presentation of their work so far at the launch of the new Somerset Arts Education Network ‘InspirED’ at Great Bow Wharf in July. It was at a very early stage of the Arts Award project, but students communicated the key aspects of Arts Award Gold and shared their own experiences of working with artists so far to an audience of art teachers and other arts and education professionals.

Great Bow Wharf exhibition September – October 2013

The Arts Award Gold students shared publicly the outcomes of their work for both their Silver Arts Award (just completed) together with the artwork they had created so far for their Gold Award. The exhibition, held at Great Bow Wharf was part of SAW Arts Weeks 2013 and was publicised together with other venues in Langport. The students learnt about staging an exhibition, publicity, events etc. in preparation for taking the lead in curating a second exhibition planned for December, which will showcase the work they create with primary school children in Unit 2 and also further resolved artwork they create for unit 1.

Arts Award Gold students’ exhibition at Great Bow Wharf.

As part of the process of staging an exhibition, the students invited an audience from their school community to come to an exhibition launch event during which they presented their work and explained the project so far.

In addition to installing the

exhibition and giving a

presentation about it, the

students wrote a full range of

interpretation boards to

accompany their work in the

exhibition and also designed and published

exhibition launch event publicity – see the following

2 slides.

ALCHEMYA Gold ARTS AWARD PROJECT RUN AT

HUISH EPISCOPI SIXTH FORM

This exhibition comprises of work done by year 9 students from Huish Episcopi academy and year 12 students from Huish sixth form. This work was carried out for unit one of our Gold Arts award in which we had to develop ourselves as artists through research and arts practice. These students from Huish Episcopi Academy are exhibiting works from their Silver Arts Award and the beginnings of their Gold Arts Award Journey where they have been working in partnership with Somerset Art Works artist Melanie Thomson to produce dioramas inspired by the great crane project. They have taken part in a range of volunteering activities for Somerset Art Works and SPAEDA. With the support of artist, Sara Dudman and Marina Fraser and Ian McGinn from Huish Academy, they have curated this show and promoted it as part of Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2013. Alchemy is presented alongside work from local Primary Schools taking part in Somerset Art Works’ Hunky Punks project with artist Sarah Dicks. The project was put together by SPAEDA, Somerset’s Arts Education Charity based here at the Great Bow Wharf. If you’d like to find out more about the show, SPAEDA or the Arts Award contact Alice on 01458 254 262 or see www.spaeda.org.uk

An example of one of the exhibition

interpretation panels written by

the students to accompany the

exhibition.

Exhibition launch event invitation created by the students to invite their school and wider community to the exhibition.

Gold Arts Award: Unit 2 Arts Project Leadership: Young people take individual responsibility (within legal health and safety guidelines) for planning, running and reviewing an arts project.

Plan the project: Prepare an arts leadership project, identifying aims and organising people and resources.

The Gold Arts Award students plan to lead a series of 4 art workshops with children from one of the local feeder primary school during November. Each student will take responsibility for leading aspects of the project directly informed and influenced by their own skills and artistic journey taken so far. Watch this space……..

When What Who

27th June Julie Roberts paper-making workshop day @ Barrington Court (talk by Maeve Clancy) Marina/ Ian / students

4th July First workshop day with Melanie Tomlinson plus Arts award Gold briefing/ context: Sara / Marina / Ian / Melanie Tomlinson / Damon (Great Crane) / students

10th July Second workshop day with Melanie Tomlinson Marina / Ian / Melanie Tomlinson / students

10th July InspirED launch at Great Bow Wharf 4-6pm – students to attend and give brief presentation of their project so far. Marina / Ian / Sarah Jobling / Beccy Swaine / Carol Carey/ Alice Crane/ students

15th July Sara meet with all students @ Huish Episcopi at 1.20pm to review workshops and set expectations and provide support materials for the summer break (to include support for interviewing artists etc.) Fran. Sarah, Alice, Carol to meet at 3pm at the school with the students, Sara and teachers to have a brief initial review meeting.

Sara / students / Ian / Marina / Fran / Sarah Jobling / Alice / Beccy / Carol

31st July family papermaking workshop - students may be interested in volunteering

19 + 20th August Nikki will do toilet graffiti project working with artist Scott walker Nikki / Annie / Scott Walker/ youth club

4th September from 1.20-3.20pm planning session with Sara and Ian @ Huish Episcopi Academy with Sara to select Silver Award work and outcomes from Melanie’s workshops and agree framing/ presentation/ installation needs/ concept for SAW exhibition. Deadline: framing / prep for exhibition to be complete by 9am on 10th September

Sara / students / Ian

10th September Installing/ Hanging SAW exhibition of students’ and artists’ work at Great Bow WharfNB: Sara Dudman will be there for the morning only – students to be there as and when available throughout the day.

Students / Sara Dudman / Sarah Jobling/ Beccy Swaine/ Sarah Dicks (Hunky Punks)/ Ian

11th September Installing/ Hanging SAW exhibition of students’ and artists’ work at Great Bow WharfNB: Sara Dudman will be there for the afternoon only – all students expected to be on site from 1.30pm onwards until 6pm expected if possible – anyone who can make it in the morning is very welcome.

Students / Sara Dudman / Ian

With thanks to:Annie Shillabeer and the Langport Youth ClubFiona Winning (Audio interview with Gold Award Students)Nisha Haq and Seb King (SAW)

InspirED is a unique partnership between Spaeda, Somerset Film and Video, Somerset Art Works and Take Art, bringing the skills and expertise of arts and media professionals direct to Somerset schools, colleges and education settings