ARTS VOLUNTEERING
Our Society and its volunteers have worked with local schools and colleges, including Croft Primary School, Mount Pleasant Primary School and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington. We have provided projects and funding aiming to advance arts education and to help future generations to develop an interest in the arts and have worked on a special project with young carers. We have also initiated projects involving the wider community.
Funding has been given to Mount Pleasant Primary School to bring local artists in to work with young children to produce individual artwork which became large installation pieces displayed in the school hall. The first provided links with The Bowes Museum and the National Gallery.
Art Foundation students, at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College were given a grant to help with the printing costs to produce large artwork panels for an exhibition at the huge ‘Festival of Thrift’ event in Darlington, which also helped to promote the aims of The Arts Society.
Three students were also awarded a bursary to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the pre-degree Art Foundation Course at the College.
We provided funding for Arts society accredited lecturers to visit the College to deliver excellent lectures on specialist themes to all the Art and Design students.
David Rosier talked on Chinese textiles and brought in examples of Chinese embroidery from his own collection.
Doug Gillen’s topic was Street Art and Anne Haworth devised a special lecture on the influences of Balenciaga, Channel and Dior on contemporary fashion designers.
We also worked with Andrew Penrose who loaned a special exhibition of his mother, Lee Miller’s photography of a rare visit of Picasso to the UK. The exhibition was called ‘Picasso at Play’ and was staged in the College and open to the general public. QESFC funded a special preview evening which was opened by the Mayor of Darlington. Our Society also funded an artist-led photography workshop for the students linked to the exhibition.
In community terms, our Society has staged events linked to the international Big Draw initiative, including artwork being created at different venues. St Cuthbert’s Church for a drawing day and The Head of Steam Railway Museum, Darlington, for a weekend creating a huge drawing on paper stretching the length of a platform.
Our Society initiated a ‘Drawing from Collections’ project in the Bowes Museum, where members worked in the galleries of the museum.
This was followed up by three separate days in London at the V&A Museum visiting and drawing in three special exhibitions: Balenciaga, Dior and Kimono.
The Society has also been enthusiastic to take part in community events such as the Darlington Arts Festival.
Rita Smith