Section 25 exhibiton mini review.

The first exhibition you will encounter when walking into the Grundy Art Gallery revolves around the post-punk band, Section 25. With a diverse range of media in such a relatively small space it engages the viewer into the band’s world visually and audibly.


The first thing you’ll notice is the large projection of Section 25 playing live. The scale creates an impact perhaps similar of that at time of filming and keeps the exhibition more accessible for those unfamiliar to their work. It also creates a pleasant change from the usually painful silence of other galleries. One of the other sections is work created by the late Larry Cassidy (Section 25 front man), three collage pieces reminiscent of pop artist Richard Hamilton, they are intriguing and well crafted.

But my personal favourite part is the collection of tour posters, leaflets and record sleeves etc, we can see the change of design fashions of the time and links to the post punk culture alongside the band’s actual evolution and rise through billings. The posters are art works in their own right and include designs by the legendary Peter Saville. I have a keen interest in typography and this is a fascinating mix to enjoy and take inspiration from. Other memorabilia is on show such as drumsticks giving a more tangible, 3D element.

Originating from Blackpool the subject brings relevance to visitors and the local area, shown in one snapshot of them in a recognisable part of the town and copy of a local fanzine. It could also provide inspiration to current artists that it does not matter where you are form you can achieve your goals.

Overall the exhibition is an intriguing eclectic mix, which I recommend for anybody interested in the arts, the band or Blackpool’s addition to culture.

By Katie Lock during work experience at the gallery.

Schools Exhibition at Grundy

Blackpool and Fylde schools will be exhibiting their best artwork at the Grundy Art Gallery from the 28th of Jan to the 3rd March. If your school would like to take part, please let the Grundy know before Christmas!!

As part of this exhibition, schools will also get the opportunity to work with artist, Brigitte Jurack on creating playful objects to form a section of the exhibition.

Schools can get involved in workshops in the gallery space led by the artist, creating artwork around the theme of toys and play. These workshops are suitable for all age groups and the artwork created in the workshops will form part of the exhibition in the gallery. There will be more information on this soon.

Jurack has shown her work all over the UK and Internationally, with recent artist residences at Museum of Modern Art Ireland and the British School in Athens and a solo show at Galleri Format in Olso.
 

I wish to explore how youth as a period of uncertainty and unstable identity is represented through sculpture. My own studio practice has increasingly been drawn towards notions of play and youth, both literally and performatively. Brigitte Jurack

Dark room at Mereside and Unity Primary Schools

Visit to the Grundy Art Gallery's exhibition, Mass Photography: Blackpool through the Camera. The groups studied all the photographs of Blackpool, looking at images from archives and by famous photographers. 

The groups then visited Tony Sharkey in the Local and Family History Centre at the Central Library to see some peculiar images of people and events from Blackpool's past.

The groups then took their black and white film cameras on a walk around Blackpool, taking photographs of Blackpool, using techniques they had spotted in the exhibition.

They quickly learnt the difference between digital photography (which they are used to) and using film cameras with only 24 chances to get that perfect shot!

Photomobile, the travelling photography centre brought the dark room experience to both schools in November and eraly December to develop the photographs taken by the children on their walking tour of Blackpool Promenade.

Jason from Photomobile taught groups about newspaper layouts and using a digital camera. They then created their own page.

David was inside the Photomobile demonstrating how to take a photo from it's negative and develop it as an enlarged photograph. This was the science bit, which got a lot of wows and ooohs. All the children got to help develop a photo and learn all the techniques.

Back in the school the rest of the class were busy using small versions of their photographs to create a newspaper, complete with news stories about Blackpool, weather forecast, sports results, house and cars for sale, births, deaths and marraiges. They are a great read!

These are the contact sheets from a roll of film. The developed photographs will be exhibited in the schools exhibition at the Grundy Art Gallery from the 28th of Jan to the 3rd March. Come and have a look.



Exciting photography project at the Grundy

Project: In the Dark

     Opportunity for schools to discover and understand Blackpool’s wide-ranging heritage through learning outside the classroom experiences and first hand experience of developing dark room photography.

     In the Dark, begins with visits to Grundy Art Gallery and Central Library to explore photography of Blackpool over the last 100 years and specifically researching what people did and do in Blackpool.

Alfred Gregory, Blackpool, 1960's
courtesy and copyright the Gregory Archival Trust

Link to the exhibition at Grundy Art Gallery, click here.


    
     This visit includes a walking tour of Blackpool with cameras, capturing images of the seaside town today.
A travelling dark room will come to school and rotating small groups of pupils will learn the process of dark room photography from a professional photographer. Seeing and helping the production of images taken during their walking tour of Blackpool.
     Meanwhile the remainder of the class will be studying material and images from the Local History archives in activities which will stimulate ideas and debates about Blackpool’s past, present and future.
     The dark room, along with the photographs and learning journey will be displayed in the schools exhibition at Grundy Art Gallery in January 2012.

Project phase one – visits
These visits will take place the week beginning the 17th and 31st of Oct.
Project phase two – dark room in school
These workshops will take place the week beginning the 21st and 29th Nov.

If you would like to express your interest in this project please get in touch with Kerry Hunt at Grundy Art Gallery as soon as possible.

Kerry Hunt, Education Officer,

T: 01253 478170

E: kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk

review of nice painting by heather stephenson

Mike Pratt, 'Dark Mirror' 2011.

I found that the paintings by Mike Pratt are very inspiring, as a person that enjoys to make my own art. The paintings helped me to realise that you don't have to be afraid of experimenting with art work or perhaps that you don't always have to achieve perfection. The sculpture by Pratt provokes a lot of thought, although it is a simple piece. All of Pratt's pieces provoke alot of thought, this makes the exhibition exciting and interesting.

At a first glance of the paintings selected by Leo Fitzmaurice it may be unclear why they have been positioned in such a way. These paintings have to be looked at very closely in order to be truly understood and appreciated. i think that it is refreshing to see something that is not instantly clear and needs more thought than perhaps a single painting would.
I found the 'nice paintings' exhibition both inspirational and enjoyable to see, it would be a worthwhile visit for anyone.  Exhibition closes 23rd july
Review by Heather Stephenson on work expirience for Montgomery High School.

Next forum meeting

The next forum meeting has been rearranged to 4-5pm on Thursday the 7th of July 2011.

We will be looking around the Grundy's current exhibition Nice Paintings , Kerry will talk you through the next exhibition at the Grundy, 'Mass Photography: Blackpool through the camera' which will take place from the 5th of August to the 6th of November. We will get an update on the Sketchbook project running in schools and what will happen with it next and get some ideas for the theme of the next school's exhibition planned for Jan 2012. Kerry will also give you lots of examples of art work projects and tasks you can use in class and plenty more.

If you would like to attend the forum, please contact Kerry Hunt, Education Officer on either kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk or 01253 478170.

Creativity Course for Teachers and Head Teachers

Sourced through Engage......

Creativity Conference
15 July 2011
9.30-4.30

Type: One Day Seminar/Conference
Study Mode: One Day Event
Entry Requirements: Booking required
Summary: Shaping the Future is a conference for all concerned about the future of our young people's creative education.
- Transform your curriculum and put creative learning at the centre
- See how creativity can also raise standards
- Teach more creatively so your students can learn more creatively
- Share how creativity can support wellbeing and self-esteem
- Develop creative and reflective learning environments

Shaping the future is aimed at strategy leaders, head teachers, artists, teachers, cultural organisations, parents and others interested in exploring the belief in children's and young people's creative capacities.

Organisation: 5x5x5 Creativity
Contacts: julia@5x5x5creativity.org.uk
Delivery Venue: Bath Spa University, Newton Park, Bath BA2 9BN http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/
Booking Info: Go to http://www.5x5x5creativity.org.uk/?id=129 or or email julia@5x5x5creativity.org.uk

David Whitaker retrospective at Grundy

We just in the middle of hanging these amazing abstract paintings. They huge in scale and breathtaking in intensity and use of colour.

For a preview of the paintings please visit his website, David Whitaker Paintings

Next forum meeting

Our next forum meeting will be on Tuesday the 29th of March 2011, from 4-5pm at the Grundy Art Gallery.

Education Officer, Kerry Hunt, will take you on a tour of the new exhibition of large scale, dazzling, optical paintings by artist, David Whitaker. (This exhibition opens on the 28th of March) Click on this link to see examples of his work. David Whitaker paintings

The forum will talk about what activities are possibel around the subject of painting and mark making in class and also linked to a visit to the exhibition. We will also discuss future Grundy projects. Please bring along any issues or problems with the art curriculum that you are facing and any projects you have done which have been particularly successful and you would like to share with the group.

If you would like to attend please email Kerry Hunt on kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk

Orbitecture and schools

Schools have been visiting our current exhibition at Grundy, called Orbitecture.

The groups have been discussing the artworks and debating about politics, ethics, ecology and coming up with their own alternative ways of living and transport.

The exhibition was easily linked to current affairs and tested their knowledge of the recent uprising in the middle east. It also enabled discussion around the idea of being self-sufficent; living without a car, not using a supermarket and isolating one town's economy.

The images above were created by a group in response to a slideshow of work created by artist, Pim Conradi, from the exhibition. Pim builds large scale spherical structures from wood and metal because he is interested in alternative architectural forms. We had a go at building with cocktail sticks and marshmallows! yummy!

Montgomery Drama group also visited the exhibition and created a performance piece as their response to some of the issues raised in the exhibition. They developed a short, polished improvisation about rules and why they are important but also what can happen when people rebel against them.

Grundy created a special blog for this exhibition where you can find out what we got up to and extra resources click here....... Respond2Orbitecture