Artes Mundi and Fairbridge

Our Exhibition!

2010-07-15T13:06:00.009+01:00

Our exhibition will be on show at the Cardiff School of Optometry and Vision Sciences,

Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cathays ,Cardiff CF24 4LU for the next 3 weeks.

Acrylic Prints processed by http://www.fourblankwalls.co.uk

Setting up our exhibition

2010-07-15T12:42:00.000+01:00

G39 Cardiff

2010-07-15T12:27:00.001+01:00

We went on a trip to see an exhibition at G39 in Cardiff.

Lomo Photography

2010-07-15T11:37:00.000+01:00

We used special lomo cameras to take weird photos!

Under 16's Making Sessions

2010-06-19T12:36:00.005+01:00

We created a range of work using silhouettes and shapes that we made and painted onto fabric and canvas.

We made pictures by melting coloured wax with an iron...

....and made resin hanging pieces on glass eye lenses

Under 16's Finished Pieces

2010-06-19T12:36:00.004+01:00

More images coming soon!

Under 16's Beach Trip

2010-06-19T12:35:00.002+01:00

We went to Penarth Beach to look at shapes and textures in nature.

We looked at lots of stones....

And made sculptural forms

We took rubbings, photographs, drew pictures and drew directly onto stones.

Under 16's Park Trip

2010-06-19T12:35:00.000+01:00

We went to the park to look at shapes in nature!

There was a no entry 'Bod' Fairbridge sign!

We tried fishing... and saw a Goldfish!

We made silhouettes and took photos of them.

Under 16's Taster Sessions

2010-06-19T12:33:00.006+01:00

We got to try out lots of materials and techniques including...

Clays and Friendly Plastic

Resin and Polystyrene Plastics

Painting onto fabrics

Making pop art images on the computers

And Magic Eye Pictures

Splatting paint on Cheri to make a silhouette on canvas!

Making our canvas into stretched canvas frames and drawing our images on them using a projector.

And using the projector to make silhouettes of us that we painted.

Over 16's Finished Pieces

2010-06-19T12:32:00.000+01:00

Images coming soon!

Over 16's Montages

2010-05-27T09:20:00.000+01:00

Here are some montages showing some of the work we made.

Over 16's Making Sessions

2010-05-01T19:16:00.001+01:00

The Making Sessions were fun. We got to chose our favorite media from the Taster Session and make lots of work and lots of mess!

We did lots of drawings and collage to express our ideas and the thought inside our minds.

We made small sculptures and illustrations depicting what was in our minds and encapsulated them in resin head sculptures.

Over 16's Cardiff Trip

2010-05-01T19:12:00.005+01:00

We went to Chapter Arts Center and saw an exhibition by Delaine Le Bas called Witch Hunt, which looks at the UK Romany community. Delaine Le Bas explored many of the experiences of intolerance, misrepresentation, transitional displacement and homelessness that the community continues to face. Witch Hunt was a multimedia project comprising installation, performance and new music.

Next we went to the Cardiff National Museum to see the Artes Mundi exhibition that we are viewing to inspire our work.

We made collages inspired by what we saw during the day.

Over 16's Bristol Trip

2010-05-01T19:12:00.003+01:00

We went to Bristol and this is what we saw....

We went to the Bristol City Museum and saw lots of different types of art including Old Masters; French School painters; a collection of British art; modern art and the Bristol School of Art.

and Banksy!

We also saw a temporary exhibition by textile artist Alinah Azadeh and ceramic artist Rosa Nguyen. Both artists have used traditional techniques to create extraordinary pieces that challenge perceptions of what craft is.

Next we went to the Arnolfini

We saw an exhibition by Imogen Stidworthy which looked at Dialect.

Next we made our way to the Bristol Gallery

were we saw street art in a gallery setting.

Over 16's Taster Sessions

2010-05-01T19:12:00.001+01:00

We tried out lots of different materials and techniques including...

Polymer Clay

Resin and Friendly Plastic

Collage

Lino and Print Making

The Team

2010-05-01T19:11:00.004+01:00

Lead Artist - Kim Thomson

I make jewellery in many different materials from sterling silver to reclaimed plastics and sweetie wrappers. Many of the pieces I make are one of a kind or made to order.

My favorite medium to work with is plastic, I love the fact it is light weight and can be formed in many different ways.
My favorite Artists are Bill Brandt and his amazing photography, Gustav Klimt because his paintings are so luminous and jewel like (although they are much duller in real life) and David Hockney because when I was young I saw his painting ‘Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy’ which had a coffee mug ring mark on the coffee table but the perspective looked all wrong. When I bought a postcard of the painting in the gallery shop it did not have the ring on the table. This still intrigues me to this day!

I feel really privileged to have worked with the group at Fairbridge as they showed so much creativity and passion. They were always keen to try new things and become involved and as a result have made some really lovely pieces of work.

You can see my work and what I've been getting up to recently at www.kimthomsondesign.com

Support Artist (16+ Group) - Clare Ferguson - Walker

My favorite medium to work with is clay, I love the feel of it, I love how
malleable it is and I still find it exciting having a big lump of clay in
front of me knowing that it will soon, after much care and patience be
something very different!

My favorite Artists currently working are Giles Penny, Carole Peace, Anthony
Gormley and Gorge Martin, all of whom are figurative sculptors.
I also love Dali's paintings, I find them amazing from both a technical
perspective and from an imaginative one.

My work is about the human condition and I choose to communicate my many
takes on what it is to be alive via the human figure. I also use different
objects and creatures within my work to represent different feelings and

concepts. I often take characters from folklore and fairytales and render
them within my work as I believe they can also be relevant symbolically. I
tend to favor working as a sculptor but do sometimes get my paintbrushes out
too!

I loved working with the group at Fairbridge, I think we took on some very
ambitious work, and pushed ourselves as far as we could in the time that we
had, it was a pleasure to meet so many enthusiastic young people, and I felt
privileged to share my skills with such willing learners. I really think we
managed to convey how art can be therapeutic when it is used as a channel
for our inner thoughts and feelings.

You can see my work and what I've been getting up to recently at www.cfwdesigns.co.uk

Support Artist (Under 16's Group) - Ruth McLees

I’m a painter with a fascination for painting people. My favorite medium is acrylic paint and I also love experimenting with painting using unusual materials such as resins, varnish and vintage textiles. I show my work in exhibitions and also paint commissioned portraits of people. My favorite artist at the moment is Chris Ofili. His works are patterned, colourful and vibrant, and many use layering of resins with oil and acrylic paint to give real depth to the images. I recently saw an exhibition of his work at the Tate Modern in London and was completely amazed...http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/Ofili/. Fairbridge is doing such an amazing job working with and supporting these young people. I have been so impressed at their hidden talents and seeing what they can create when they set their minds to it! I hope that art is something they will continue to enjoy long after this project is over.

You can see my work and what I've been getting up to recently at www.ruthmclees.co.uk

Artes Mundi Education Co-ordinator and Assistant Curator - Ffion Rhys

What's this all about?

2010-05-01T19:11:00.001+01:00

Offering disengaged young people a creative voice.(Features)
Article from:Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales) Article date:March 9, 2010

Fairbridge De Cymru is a national charity that works with vulnerable young people aged 13-25 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), or who are at risk of exclusion, aiming to give them the support, confidence and opportunity they need to make positive changes in their lives.
Together Artes Mundi and Fairbridge offer young people the chance to engage in art and creative projects.
The Fairbridge philosophy is simple. They believe that many young people become disengaged and disaffected not because they are 'bad' but because they lack the personal and social skills and confidence that allow most people to cope with and get on in daily life. They know that these young people can turn their lives around and cope independently if they are given the right opportunity to develop the skills they need, and the support and encouragement to do so.
Through their extensive experience of working with this client group they see firsthand that it is often easier for these young people to express feelings in non-verbal channels. The young people are able to increase their skills in goal setting, working towards deadlines, communication, team work etc, but also learn how to effectively express themselves - to talk of aspirations, feelings and ideas that helps in the emotional development of a young person.
A Fairbridge young person who completed an Artes Mundi project said: "I really liked the idea of taking lots of pictures to show what I think about my life - it really made me think about things I am doing now."
John Dyer, Operations Manager at Fairbridge De Cymru, commented: "Very often young people lack the confidence, ability and opportunity to effectively engage in mainstream art and creative activities, yet time and time again we find that many of our young people excel within art and creative environments. By their very nature the young people we work with often lead chaotic and difficult lives and the inability to express themselves can be one of the most frustrating issues for them.
"Through Artes Mundi partnership projects, Fairbridge can offer these young people the chance to express themselves creatively. The sense of achievement in creating art and acquiring practical skills can have a powerful and lasting impact, contributing to their creative, personal and social development."
Through a shared belief and passion to help disengaged and disadvantaged young people, Fairbridge De Cymru and Artes Mundi continue to deliver engaging creative projects that have long-lasting impact on young people.