Archive Project: Artsweek 2000 - 2006

Project Description

Artsweek 2000 - 2006

Warwickshire Artsweek is a bi-ennial countywide celebration of the visual arts and crafts involving open studios, exhibitions, events and a series of artist-led residencies, which schools have participated in from its early inception.

Artsweek 2000
Schools exhibited work for the first Warwickshire arts week in a range of interesting venues. Very young children from Whitnash Nursery worked with textile artist Michael Brennan Wood and the resulting pieces of art work were exhibited at Warwick Hospital.

Other venues included railway stations through out the county, shopping malls and libraries.

 

Artsweek 2002

Schools played their part by working on new pieces of work which were intended for exhibition during ArtsWeek in the four regions of the County. These exhibitions were a celebration of young people’s creativity in Warwickshire schools. The work was developed in artist led workshops where students and teachers worked alongside artists to create the pieces, in some cases taking inspiration from the local heritage and often exhibiting in buildings of local interest. Many exhibitions had their own private viewing for friends and relatives as well as being open to the general public during ArtsWeek. The exhibitions included work from young people ranging from three to sixteen years of age.

Wasted Art - A collaborative project involving four secondary schools and two professional artists. Each participating school hosted workshops for one week. It provided the opportunity for Year 10 GCSE students to work alongside practising artists to develop and broaden their art techniques, experiences of making Art and working collaboratively. The project enabled students to develop their work over a longer period than normal school hours permit. A subordinate aim was staff professional development afforded by the sharing of ideas and practices in this collaborative approach.

Making Faces - was a collaborative project enabling twelve Early Years settings to visit the gallery, work with four professional artists and explore their own creativity resulting in an exhibition that displayed the excitement of artistic expression through documentary comments and photographs. It was also possible to illustrate how this creativity can be used to access many areas of the early years curriculum.

Bridget Riley in 3D - The project involved eight primary schools. The infant classes worked with a professional artist. They visited Rugby Art Gallery & Museum to explore an exhibition of silkscreens by the artist Bridget Riley. During this visit they sketched designs. They enjoyed this activity and the accompanying artist was able to offer support and advice. These sketches were then transferred into black and white designs back at school. In a further day visit to the school, the artist worked with the pupils to further develop their designs.

Mystery in the Cathedral at Coventry Cathedral -The project involved five schools. The student task was to create banners working with a professional artist for display as part of a collaborative performance of mystery plays in the cathedral involving Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull schools.

Centenary Celebrations - A showcase of 3D work created by pupils to celebrate the centenary of Warwickshire LEA. The project involved two Primary schools and one Special school. . The pupils enjoyed a day at Charlecote Manor. Here they explored the venue from an artistic perspective. Deer were constructed using wire frames which were then modrocked by the pupils. The pupils then covered these deer with their designs based on their Charlecote Manor research.

Drawing Power - This was an individual school project. The Year 10 GCSE mixed ability group visited a Julian Opie exhibition hosted at the Ikon Gallery earlier in the year and developed work in response supported by two professional artists for exhibition. They also produced coursework pieces which were exhibited in the school grounds as part of ArtsWeek.

Artsweek 2004

Fusion
The education contribution to 2004 Artsweek managed by Artists in Warwickshire Education had the theme of Fusion. The five exhibitions /events reflected cultural diversity in 21st Century Britain.
• An exhibition of work created by Primary Schools and Lawrence Sheriff Secondary School with poet Richard Grant and animation artist Fiona Kulantari. Pupils explored identity through poetry, prose and animation culminating in a projected video piece.
• A photographic exhibition of work created by children from Primary schools who worked with artists: Roi Kwabena, Anwa for Tribal Soul, Latin motion, Val Hunt, Glassball Art Projects and CMS on the theme of Carnival Around the World. Steel pan drumming in the Royal Priors Shopping centre from The Clinton school Panners and The Steel Saints from St Pauls
• An exhibition of work created by children from Secondary Schools, working with artist Meera Chauda using collage & photography to create images exploring identity and place to help pupils understand the world they live in .
• An exhibition of work created by 3-5 year olds who workied with artist Matthew Krishanu exploring Hindu mythological animals.
• ENTER THE DRAGON - Children from infant schools worked with Chinese artists exploring Chinese culture and art in the China gallery. During the week-end, drop-in workshops, artists’ performances and demonstrations were available.

 

Artsweek 2006

Recycling Shakespeare
The theme for 2006 artsweek for youth and education were exhibitions on recycling and Shakespeare. The national/county celebration of The Complete Works influenced our choice of theme, encouraging young people to explore the visual aspect of the bards work.

Dream on! - Ten primary schools within the Stratford area created pictorial stories using recycled materials inspired by Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" . Photographs were on display in McDonalds in Stratford upon Avon during artsweek.

Midsummer Madness! - A group of Year 8 students from the English and Drama departments at Alcester Grammar School were set the brief to illustrate the story of Midsummer’s Night Dream.
‘Another Country’ - A village celebration of ‘Another Country’, an international and intergenerational community project with the village of Great Alne aimed at extending contemporary arts practice and developing cultural exchange.

Amidst Saturn’s Light Stream at Compton Verney - This performance was the final part of a schools project looking at recycling Shakespeare. The excerpts performed were taken from a Science Fiction version of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ co-written by Nigel Sewell and Benjamin Sephton-Smith.

Rugby CREATES Link Up - College students, secondary, primary and PRU pupils worked with practicing artists to make art work inspired by the David Kefford exhibition ‘Balance of Being’ at Rugby Art Gallery & Museum using recycled materials, students and pupils explored themes with well known Shakespeare plays.

The Speed of Light - The ceramicist Jason Wheeler has been conducting workshops at North Warwickshire and Hinckley College and presented the work of first year students from the Higher National Diploma in Design Crafts who produced clocks and light sources based on the theme of recycling.

3D Shakespeare - Working with artist Ros Ingram, who specialises in combining ceramics with recycled materials, children from; Primary schools in Nuneaton, created sculptures inspired by Shakespeare's “The Tempest". After exploring characters and relationships the children combined ceramics with recycled materials to create a life-sized installation exhibited at British Home Stores in the Ropewalk shopping centre, Nuneaton during Artsweek.

Dreamscapes - A series of collaborative sculptures by children from a selection of early years settings in North Warwickshire used materials from Creates, with Artist Laura Gilmour.

SNAP UP! - An exciting collection of photographs from the pupils at North Leamington School were on display at The School of Art, Warwickshire College for a period during Arts Week 2006. The work ran along the themes of Recycling and Shakespeare.

Costumes and Characters - The Art department at Campion School designed a project which was based around students critical analysis of works of art in a Gallery & Museum setting.

Funders and Partners