Hull's young artists take centre stage: your Arts Council summer update
Creativity is thriving across Hull. Through our Arts Councils, we're working hand in hand with schools, artists, and children and young people to turn ambitious creative ideas into finished work you can engage with. Here's what's been happening.
On show now
Our latest exhibition, showcasing work from Malet Lambert, is running at Central Library from 18th June to 30th July. The launch party alone was worth the trip: over 65 guests came through the doors to celebrate, including funders, sponsors, proud family members, and representatives from the Arts Council itself. There's still time to see it before it closes on 30th July, so make the trip into town while you can.
The Thoresby book project is officially complete. It's the result of months of work, and it's now finished, printed, and ready. A launch and celebration assembly was held on 3rd July for invited parents. The book itself will be stored centrally within the library and made available for purchase, so if you missed the assembly, you'll still be able to get your hands on a copy.
Murals finished, and the numbers behind them
Two major community mural projects have wrapped this year, and the scale of involvement says everything about how far young people's ambition can stretch when you give them the space to create.
● Eastfield Mural: 309 children contributed to the finished piece
● East Park Mural: 228 children left their mark on this one
Both projects had an overwhelmingly positive response from Arts Council members, and it's easy to see why.
Boulevard Academy's original anthem and artwork project is finished too. Give it a listen: on.soundcloud.com/c77DZLzYsE43mpyK8L
What's underway
Progress at Kingston Youth Centre continues steadily. Kelvin is deep into high-tech projection mapping and animation.
Ron Dearing UTC have just completed a week-long project with artist Peter Snelling of My Pockets, creating a digital showcase of twenty 35-second films.
Sirius Academy West continue their work with artist Maureen Lennon, and the two will carry on working together into the new academic year.
Matching schools with the right artists
We've now met every one of our Batch 2 schools and secured follow-up meetings to shape what comes next. Artist recruitment is already underway to pair each school with a practitioner who fits its focus:
● Newland: Drama
● Oldfleet: Graphic Design
● Priory: Illustration and mural work
● Chiltern: Storytelling (originally lined up for African dance and music, until they saw artist Jodie's book and changed course)
● Frederick Holmes: Visual Arts
● St Andrew's: A combination of art forms
● Sullivan and our Youth Advisory Council: Still to be decided
For most schools, our standard youth-led artist selection process is in place, meaning pupils choose who they work with. For Sullivan and Frederick Holmes, we've taken a different route, matching students directly with specialist artists who reflect their intake, so nobody's overwhelmed by having to make the choice themselves.