Young Arts Projects
2023-2024 From our new Young Arts coordinator Jane Sayers
In the year 2022/23 we continued our support of Heathlands School. Money given was used by the school to enable pupils to take part in the Shakespeare Schools' Festival. Two mainstream schools took part alongside Heathlands. Heathlands provided an abridged version of Hamlet and voiceover was provided for those who did not understand sign language.
Over the year the Art@TheStation project has conrinued and the pictures on display have been changed.
The project we are currently supporting is the making of an outdoor creative learning space. The area is outside some new classrooms which have been built. It is an exciting project and we look forward to its completion.
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21-2022 art@thestation and Willow
Dear All
I first met with Andrew Chillingsworth, Community Rail Officer Thameslink, back in February 2020 to discuss The Arts Society initiative called Art@thestation, hoping to involve Heathlands School for the Deaf, who we've been supporting for some years. Andrew was very receptive to the idea, particularly as the station was being revamped, with improved facilities and new buildings which could provide space for the students' artwork.
As you all well know, since then we've been hit by Covid, with the school closing, and that, together with the terrible weather conditions over the winter, the completion of the building project was delayed. However Monday 19th July proved to be a memorable day not only when England opened up, but also when the students' artwork was hung in the newly built waiting room on platform 1 at St Albans station.
The talented students' artwork on display conveys a message about the perspective of those who are deaf. Inclusion is an important issue for us all to bear in mind and this is an appealing and effective reminder in a public space. Please make sure you take a look next time you travel from St Albans station, but if you're unable here is a link to some photographs.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgIptaKitelBjaQSsy3jk9zGCLdzAg?e=WhDyBR
The HertsAd have already featured the story on their website (they've apologised for our incorrect name!).
My thanks to Andrew and Thameslink for supporting this project and to Caroline Barnes, Young Arts Area Coordinator, who made me aware of the initiative and helped me along the way.
It has been a great pleasure to be TASSA’s Young Arts Co-ordinator and such a rewarding relationship with Heathlands School, that started some 7 years ago when their new art block was constructed.
Art, in its many forms, is a major focus for the school, from nursery age right through to GCSE classes. With the students being unable easily to express themselves verbally, art is a very important outlet and their work is displayed throughout the school.
You will know how well our donations have been used, from the original purchase of the movie camera, then iPens, sewing machines for new textile classes and most recently contributing to a willow weaver’s visit. The wonderful stag that resulted is pictured below.
I’m also happy to let you know that the Art@TheStation project has finally been completed. This was interrupted several times by Covid, but the last frame of the students’ work was hung in July. Please pop into the waiting room on platform 1 when you’re next at St Albans station and take a look.
I’m delighted that Jane Sayers is taking over my role. She is very keen to continue this most worthwhile and fulfilling relationship with Heathlands School.
Ros Hedges
Young Arts Coordinator 2015 - 2022
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2019-2020 Sewing Machines & Poetry
The sewing club has started again this term under Ms Aylward, using the specialist machines provided through a donation from The Arts Society – Students have been making Christmas bunting and lavender pouches. Twenty students have recently achieved the Bronze Arts Award and 3 students awarded Silver – which is a level 2 award. Students will continue to develop creativity through an Arts Award 'Poetry e-motion’ project combining media art, computing and English to produce and publish an e-book. There was an Arts focus afternoon where KS3 demonstrated the used of the new Apple pens funded through The Arts Society. They used them on i-pads to create stories in Apple ‘keynote’ apps. They drew characters and designed backgrounds and some students used them to animate shapes and pre-set objects. They then further demonstrated their skills by teaching lower school students. This also included film work and editing using the film quality camera again purchased with The Arts Society funding. Year 11 GCSE Media students also used these pens to create storyboards for pre-production coursework. Following a further donation of £500 this year from The St Albans Arts Society, the Art department have linked up with Nugent Education Ltd who are a leading provider of Arts workshops for Children. https://nugenteducation.co.uk This event is currently being planned and will take place in the New Year. A date is yet to be agreed but we are hoping to find a suitable day that will allow a large number of students to be able to take part. There are three themes under discussion: graffiti art, recycled fashion and Japanese anime. As you can see: The Arts Society donations are being used to broaden and to extend the reach of the Arts curriculum for which we are very grateful.
Our support to Heathlands School for the Deaf continued this year with a much needed donation to enable the School to enter the Arts Award competition, where they were previously unsuccessful in sourcing any of the limited funding available. This is a really worthwhile project for the School, giving the students a qualification which will prioritise collaboration, creativity and self-expression through poetry composition. The poetry will be developed first in sign language which is then captured on film to show how the students want their emotions to be portrayed. This is their first time that these students have entered the Arts Award project. it will help them to grow in confidence, enjoy and achieve as well as gaining leadership skills which they can share with each other. Our donation will be used for a MasterClass from a deaf poet, and the whole project would build on a previous TASSA donation, used by the school to purchase a movie camera, to record the process. Another exciting development at the School has sadly been temporarily put on hold, owing to the Covid crisis. As part of the Arts Society national Art@thestation project, we arranged, with Govia Thameslink, for the students' artwork to be shown on special boards in the new booking hall at St Albans station. We'd like to thank Govia Thameslink for their support to this project, which is expected to happen early in 2021.
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2016-2018 VIDEO EQUIPMENT
Early in 2016 our committee was searching for a special recipient for our Young Arts Project donation. A school was considered to be the best idea, but with so many in the area to choose from it proved a difficult decision. However, one very particular school came to mind – Heathlands located in St Albans. Heathlands is a community Special School providing outstanding education for deaf children aged 3 – 16 and maintained by Hertfordshire County Council. It is primarily a day school, but they also have weekly boarding facilities for both primary and secondary aged pupils as students come from all over the country. Their vision is to “become the best you can be” and their aim is to provide a consistently challenging, stimulating and caring learning environment that engages and develops the pupils through personalised learning. A visit was arranged to meet the staff and students and we were overwhelmed not only by their welcome but also their artistic abilities! Art is a major component at Heathlands - from nursery age right through to GCSE classes and examples of the students' work displayed throughout the school. They were already producing some great work even though their resources limited activity to painting and drawing. During our visit we discovered that they were in the process of building a new Arts and Media Centre (AMC) which was completed in time for the summer term.
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With the development of the AMC the school is able offer wider art experiences including media work. Heathlands was therefore thrilled to be invited to participate in “Into Film”, a film making project with film maker Louis Neethling because it fitted so well with their plans. However, they needed equipment, fundamentally a film camera, which they have been helped to purchase with our £500 donation – perfect timing! “Into Film” is a national organisation working with young people to set up film clubs and learn film-making skills. These opportunities will inspire a passion for film and give young people an understanding of careers within the film industry. The head teacher, Deborah Jones-Stevens, said “the project is a phenomenal success!” Through the assignment the children have learnt about script writing, lighting, camera work, make up and film editing. They have also learnt the importance of good planning, team work and communication. This has been a fantastic project and the children were especially proud that it could be showcased at a special screening at the Odyssey, St Albans.
FOR MORE DETAILS & PICTURES PLEASE VISIT THE HEATHLANDS SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE