Thanks to Gilly for sharing news of the great work that is taking place between Isle of Arts and young people on the Island. Ed
In the run up to this year’s festival, Isle of Arts is working with young Islanders and two Island artists to create an exciting sculptural installation that will be exhibited throughout the festival.
The work is part of our Outreach Programme to provide young people with access to local artists in order to inspire their creativity and encourage them to use their talents and skills to become positive contributors to their communities.
Island artists supporting young people
Artists Chris Jenkins and Tim Johnson are supporting the young people involved to use natural and recycled materials to create an installation of exciting structural sculpture with a strong environmental theme.
The show promises to create an unpredictable and dramatic, cumulative project, allowing students to explore using recycled materials and working together.
Run across six schools
Thanks to generous sponsorship from Liz Earle, Npower and Pabulum we have been able to run this project across six Island schools during the spring term: Queensgate Foundation Primary, East Cowes; Oakfield Church of England Primary, Ryde; All Saints Church of England Primary, Freshwater; Cowes Enterprise College; Ryde Academy; and St Catherine’s, Ventnor.
Chris Jenkins
Chris Jenkins places himself halfway between craftsman and fine artist. He creates his sculptures from discarded pieces of old machines and instruments that are normally considered outmoded or junk.
The creatures that emerge each carry the resonance of these objects’ previous lives making each character a unique exploration of the artist’s personality.
Tim Johnson
Tim Johnson is an artist, basket maker, photographer and sculptor with a diverse practice and wide ranging interests. He has exhibited throughout the UK and taken part in projects and residencies around the world from Australia to Uzbekistan, Alabama to Newfoundland.
His basket weaving projects involve using hard and soft weaving materials like willow, hazel, grasses, rushes and kelp seaweed. In 2011 he was the Contemporary Basket Winner at the V International Contest of Plant Fibres, Mas de Barberans, Spain.
The work created for the Outreach Programme will be on show throughout the festival in Ventnor Youth Centre, Victoria Street, Ventnor. Admission is free.
Please support Isle of Arts festival – by them and other companies sponsoring features and taking advertising, they enable you to continue to read VentnorBlog for free – Ed
