Image: John Sainsbury; Pioneering Places Ramsgate

In Ramsgate...

Turner Contemporary is working with 60 primary school children from Ramsgate so they can lead change in their own town through the arts. The children have been researching the history of Ramsgate. The video, above, is the culmination of the first year of Pioneering Places, and shows how the children have been exploring, creating and being inspired in the last 12 months.
 
Part of their exploration has involved them looking at their environment in new ways. An open top bus took them on a route they devised themselves, navigating various significant points and gaining a view of these from a higher perspective.
 
They became interested in an abandoned beach-side area, concealed behind hoardings. This had once been a tourist destination called the ‘Pleasurama’, but is now a derelict site. The children were given access to it and they looked at materials relating to its history and its proposed future. From the foundations of the original buildings they planned new ones, creating their own spaces with coloured yarn, and marking the existing structures with natural chalk they found on the site.
 
Henry commented on this experience that “we are putting the fun back into the site”.

Willow reflected that “when I talked to the artist about what to paint, I felt so powerful, I felt like my head might explode”.

For Maisy “The Plan means putting children in charge to make decisions for everyone, adults, kids, babies, animals”.
 
Turner Contemporary is a charity and we’re passionate about empowering children to make change in their communities. This links to our ongoing work, championing children's rights through the arts, which you can read more about here https://www.turnercontemporary.org/news/turner-contemporary-s-head-of-learning-champions-children-s-rights-through-the-arts-in-hong-kong and in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/jul/18/margate-turner-contemporary-schools and see more of in other videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_szvrpYi7bk

What Do The Arts Mean to You?
 
Ty Locke, is a sculptor living and making art in Margate with a studio space at Limbo, in the heart of the town. Ty graduated with a BA in Fine Art from UCA in Canterbury last year and has recently been accepted to both The Slade School of Art and the Royal College of Art on their MA Sculpture courses. With only 15 places available among thousands of applicants from across the world, Ty describes this as ‘crazy and almost impossible’.
 
Ty discovered art aged 7, where he recollects being obsessed with making. He watched a video of a woman making a paper boat and watched this over and over again until he could make it with his eyes closed. Making tiny boats and huge boats and this is still his approach to making to date, ‘obsessive making’. When starting secondary school, in Year 7 Ty realised that art was a real possibility. His art teachers and his peers commented on how talented he was. He stayed on at the Sixth Form where his teachers told him that he should apply to university.
 
Ty talks about being the first generation within his immediate family to go to university. He describes growing up in a family that was disadvantaged and on a low income. As soon as he became old enough to make his own decisions, he found that life ‘speeded up’. Whilst his family are supportive they are not always able to help financially. Undeterred, Ty successfully applied to the University for the Creative Arts in Canterbury, which he says was one of the best decisions he has ever made despite being homeless in his first year of university often sofa surfing with friends until eventually finding a place to live. Meeting like-minded people on his course and winning various awards during his studies including the Platform Graduate Award and the CRATE Graduate Award, meant a move to Margate to continue to exhibit and make new work.
 
“I know that I want to be an artist and I know that I will probably never be rich but that’s not the reason that I do it. I want a career as an artist and I know it’s not impossible if you are willing to put in the time and effort. There is nothing that is going to stop me.”

www.tylocke.com
Instagram: tylockeart

Future Views Workshop @ The EDGE, Folkestone College

Flow Associates ran a bespoke Future Views workshop, funded by Artswork, this month with 8 students from The EDGE School of Creative and Business at Folkestone College (East Kent Colleges Group), their tutor Matt Rowe and Head of School, Jez Giddings, and industry guests Fiona Kingsman of Pioneering Places, Nova Marshall representing the local Cultural Education Partnership, and Peter Cocks of Albion Incorporated. Peter and Fiona were there to discuss a creative film project documenting a year of engagement at Fort Burgoyne. The session began with an ice breaker and Susanne, the facilitator, then introduced the question for the session:

'How can colleges, students and people in the local cultural sector co-create new opportunities for young people in the world of work, with genuine mutual benefit?’

We’ve heard from young people and educators through Future Views research that there is a huge gap between school and work, which can’t be filled by work experience and volunteering. Young people need to earn money and work in an environment that can support them to develop, and employers need people who are equipped with the right skills, attitudes and capacities to thrive.

The findings from this workshop are being compiled and will be published shortly and made available at the next Partnership Network Group meeting held on Wednesday 3rd July at Revelation St Mary's in Ashford.

albionincorporated.com
www.flowassociates.com
Folkestone College, East Kent College Group
@TheEdgeEKC

Mindfulness Mondays at The Beaney

Come and take part in a mindful journey at The Beaney. Learn how to relax and take time to take in your surroundings and look slowly at pieces from the museum’s collection. Enjoy this cross-curricular learning experience with elements of Literacy, Numeracy, Art, History, Geography, PSHE: Health and Well-being and British Values. Discover that you can experience the benefits of art without needing expertise. Unlock your inner passion and creativity by taking time to slow down and be inspired by the museum’s collection.

You will take part in some breathing and focusing techniques and will then take time to look more closely at items from the museum’s collection. After this, you will have the opportunity to discuss the artworks in more detail and share what you have observed with others.

Sessions run for 1.5 hours and are available at the following times: 09.30 – 11.00, 11.15 – 12.45 and 13.00 – 14.30. Cost is £3.00 per pupil, accompanying adults are FREE. Minimum charge £70. The maximum numbers for the session is 32 pupils, plus accompanying teachers. For enquiries, or to book please email: [log in to unmask]

Bethany scoops a First Prize in Portfolio Art Competition

For the third year running, Draper’s Mills Primary School has won a first prize in the Turner Contemporary’s Portfolio art competition, which this year celebrated the theme ‘Art Rebels’.

Bethany Brown in Year 4, was awarded as the Winner for Bold and Contemporary Approach for her piece ‘Ruined Resources’; a collection of jars filled with snapped pencils, felt tip pens without lids and pencil sharpenings. Her artwork was selected from more than 1,300 entries from  primary and secondary schools across Kent and Medway. Bethany was ecstatic to win a camera as part of her prize.

Congratulations were also due to five other pupils from Draper’s Mills who were shortlisted into the top 100 entries. Prizes were awarded at an evening ceremony at Canterbury Christ Church University.

Art teacher Gemma Comber said: “Art and creativity are at the heart of our school and having a rich arts education is vitally important for all of our children, supporting their self esteem and sense of well-being. We are proud that all of our pupils have a broad, exciting and successful artistic life which regularly reaches out into our local community.”

The staff and parents are immensely proud of all of the children involved, for showing their rebellious side and creating work with such flair and creativity!

All of the winning entries that will feature in an exhibition at Turner Contemporary this summer from Thursday 27^th June - Sunday 8^th September 2019. This exhibition will also be going on tour to three partner cultural venues in Kent for the first time in the competition's history between September - December 2019, in partnership with Artswork.