Top 5 ways young people can engage with Arts Award over the summer

The summer holidays are almost upon us! This week we hear from arts and cultural organisations across the country as we look at the Top 5 ways young people can engage with Arts Award over the summer break.

1) Enrol in an art school: Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle

This summer, Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle will be delivering a five-day Art School for 11-16-year olds as well as an Art Academy for 7-10-year olds over three days. Young people have the option to sign up to start their Explore or Bronze Arts Award journey with the gallery when they book. They can participate in many activities each day and then take part in a mini exhibition of all their work in the gallery for friends, family and members of the public to visit.

Blank portfolio templates will be provided and are filled with annotations, drawings, written communications and photos for evidence and young people will be photographed as they explore the gallery and exhibitions, taking part in art activities and skills learning. The aim is to encourage participants to research artists from exhibitions they will look at and gather inspiration from their surroundings. Presenting work can be done through the exhibition, allowing students to gather written and verbal feedback. Participants will be supported on a one to one basis or in a small group to make sure they receive all the help they need whilst working with their Arts Award adviser throughout the week.

Find out more about the Art Academy and the Art School

2) Get curative in a museum: Horniman Museum and Goldsmiths University, London

Working in collaboration with Goldsmiths University, Horniman Museum in London will deliver a Bronze Arts Award for up to 10 young people aged 14-19 in a week-long programme. The main aim of the week will be to explore physical sound, recording techniques and the ideas of Daphne Oram through specialist instruments and the Horniman’s collection, using new technology to capture, remix and re-present the participants’ findings through individual creations.

Using social media and mobile phone apps the experience will be documented in line with Bronze Arts Award requirements in a new and exciting way. Each day will have a different focus but will feature listening and playing instruments, creating compositions, making recordings and remixing material. Young people will have the opportunity to; explore the Horniman’s musical instrument collection, take part in a curator led tour, learn musical editing software and begin creating sound pieces, visit Goldsmiths University Electronic Music Studios and much more!

For further details see here

3) Join a summer school: Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester

Young people will get the opportunity to develop their own creative practice, attend exhibitions and plan and deliver their own arts event whilst working towards their Silver Arts Award as part of a three-week summer school programme, hosted by Manchester Metropolitan University. Tutors will support participants to develop a project of personal interest and aid creative ambitions in the lead up to an exciting external event where a celebration for friends and family will highlight the fantastic work produced on this programme.

The programme will allow young people to achieve their creative goals in preparation for further education or employment, alongside making new friends, experiencing a live art school environment and having lots of fun!

Find out more here

4) Get hands on with architecture: Museum of Richmond, London

Each year the Museum of Richmond’s summer school links to the museum’s temporary exhibitions, with young people being supported to achieve their Bronze Arts Award over the course of five days. This year the exhibition is on St Mary Magdalene, a local church which is over 800 years old!

The summer school helps the museum to appeal to a new audience of young people between 11 to 14 years old, who might feel they’re too old for our family workshops, but parents are still looking for activities for them to be involved in over the summer. Summer school participants will visit and review the exhibition at both the museum and the church and they will also visit other places of worship to compare and contrast how each one is decorated, in turn getting ideas and inspiration for their art work.

Young people will participate in crafts linked to the exhibition topic and create a final piece of art work inspired by these skills and the exhibition. This year, this will involve crafts such as; stained glass, embroidery and Islamic geometric designs. Participants get a chance to try each craft, discussing how it links to the exhibition along the way; and then use what they have learnt to make their final piece. This can be their own interpretation of one of the crafts or a mash up of a selection of them. Participants will then present their final piece to the rest of the group and as a team curate a mini-exhibition of their work which remains on display at the museum until the final day. We also have an ‘exhibition opening’ where they can invite friends and family to come and see what they have done over the course of the week. After the portfolios have been moderated and the exhibition comes down, there will be a graduation ceremony where the Arts Award achievers will be presented with their certificates and celebrate their work.

Find out more here

5) Gain photography skills: Beach Creative CIC, Herne Bay, Kent

Our final summer spotlight project is based at The Darkroom at Beach Creative, founded by Emily Parris. Emily has previously delivered 2 Bronze Arts Award courses for young people in Kent in the summers of 2017 & 2018, which saw a total of 9 young people achieve an Arts Award.

This summer, young people located in and around Herne Bay will take part in a photography focused Silver Arts Award. These young people have already gained rare skills in traditional and digital photography techniques since attending workshops at The Darkroom. Over the summer, they will be using these skills to set themselves a challenge as part of their Silver Arts Award. Young people will also experience an off-site visit to the Turner Contemporary Gallery in Margate where they will view and review the 'Seaside: Photographed exhibition'. The project will conclude with a group showcase exhibition at the Beach Creative's gallery space.

Further details can be found here