ArtHouse Jersey and Standard Chartered have wrapped up the latest Saturday Art School, a free extra-curricular course available to secondary school students across the Island.
With £10,000 sponsorship from Standard Chartered, these lively and friendly workshops have welcomed 28 young people every Saturday morning for six weeks to learn new skills and develop independent tools to embark upon their own creative journey using a variety of mixed media. Now it has been announced that a special weekend long exhibition curated by the Saturday Art School students will take place at Greve de Lecq Barracks in February 2024, the details of which will be announced in the new year.
Saturday Art School is delivered in partnership with ArtHouse Jersey, CYPES (Children, Young People, Education and Skills) and local artists. Over the past six weeks the young people have created experimental work through mark making, collage, sculpture, paint, stencil making and textiles. In October, the group visited the No Place Like Home exhibition at ArtHouse Jersey at Capital House to consider how different artworks are displayed. Inspired by the work of renowned artist Lisa Traxler, the group began to make art informed by the interconnecting shapes seen in her specially commissioned sculpture Ghost Echo. The sessions encouraged students to make work from direct observation, developing ideas each week then transforming images using different processes to create unique outcomes. The participating artists were able to share their own practice and expertise in different areas of art and design.
Available to all students, aged 12 to 18 in the Island, the next round of workshops is due to start towards the end of January 2024. Young people are encouraged to speak with their art teachers at school in the first instance, should they wish to take part.
CEO of Standard Chartered Jersey, Henry Baye, said: “It was a real delight to meet the young students and see first-hand their remarkable artwork created over the past six weeks, such incredible talent! We’re very proud to sponsor ArtHouse Jersey’s Saturday Art School, knowing the opportunity it gives young people and the positive local community impact it brings. Well done to the students and I look forward to next season’s workshop.”
Director of ArtHouse Jersey, Tom Dingle, said: “The positive impact of initiatives such as Saturday Art School cannot be overstated. Without our sponsors, Standard Chartered, this course, which removes costs for families and breaks down barriers to taking part in art, would not be possible. The young people are being supported to create new work and curate their own exhibition, offering an artistic autonomy that they likely wouldn’t ordinarily encounter. This type of course helps build confidence and gives them positive experiences they perhaps wouldn’t otherwise encounter. We’re excited to see this exhibition take place in February and very much hope that Islanders will come along and celebrate these young people’s creativity.”
