Students help shape artists of the future

Posted Monday 11 July 2011

Children making sculptures with Kingston student Amy Hodgins. Children from two local primary schools have staged an exhibition at Kingston's Stanley Picker Gallery, with a little bit of help from a group of Kingston University students. Pupils from Green Lane Primary School in Worcester Park and Chandlers Field School in West Molesey worked with 11 third year Fine Art students on the Future Shape project.

Funded by Kingston University's Opportunities Fund, the project was lead by the gallery's education coordinator, Natalie Kay, who worked with the students to help them learn how to plan and deliver art-based workshops for young people.

Using their own work as a starting point, each student developed a project with a small group of 9-11 year olds. The work culminated in the exhibition at the Stanley Picker Gallery, which was held 24-27 June.

Kingston student Joe Wilson, who made sound and animation pieces with his group, said the opportunity to develop a workshop for young people had been fantastic. "It has put me in a great position to get work with youth organisations and has given me the confidence to develop more of these kinds of initiatives in the future," he said.

Children planning how to construct their clubhouse with Jim Robertson and Harry Laskowski. Jim Robertson and Harry Laskowski built a clubhouse with the children they worked with. "It has been great to work with local schools - hopefully the pupils enjoyed the process as much as I have," Jim said. "I now have loads of ideas for further art work and workshops."

According to Natalie Kay it was a steep learning curve for the students but some of them discovered a real talent and enthusiasm for working with children. "Following their experience at the gallery, one or two have already found employment in schools and art venues," she added.

The students said they hoped the project had given the children a taste of they could learn outside the classroom.