Burberry Inspire: Year 1
During the first year of Burberry Inspire The Hepworth Wakefield worked with over 1200 students from Airedale Academy and Castleford Academy to develop their creativity in a range of artist workshops both at the gallery and in school during Artist-in-Residence projects.
900 students visited The Hepworth Wakefield over 10 days, each taking part in three creative workshops with specialist artists. Students explored the artworks and exhibitions before creating work in response to the themes, materials and processes on display, including prints, ink drawings, collaborative sculptures and figurative clay pots.
During six creative projects in school, students worked with our Artists-in-Residence to explore different artistic processes and mediums including textiles, print, sculpture and clay. Students particularly enjoyed working with artists from the gallery to learn new skills and take risks. They developed their resilience by overcoming challenges through creative problem solving and persistence, creating outcomes that they were proud of.
In after-school clubs students worked closely with artists to create a series of work to share at the Cultural Runway celebration. In response to the creative brief ‘Inspired Heritage’, the young people explored their own personal heritage printing large textile banners to express their identity. Inspired by the shapes and forms in the local landscape that influenced artists Hepworth and Moore, they created wire and fabric sculptures to wear during an amazing ‘sculptural runway’. Exploring the local textiles heritage of Castleford, students also created a movement piece, weaving hundreds of meters of coloured ribbon in a live performance. An exhibition of student’s artwork framed the space and celebrated the creative output from students during the first year of the project.
Burberry Inspire: Year 2
In Year 2 of Burberry Inspire, The Hepworth Wakefield worked with students from Dixons Unity Academy and Leeds East Academy. Exploring the theme of ‘Inspired Journeys’, students worked with our Artist-in-Residence across a series of gallery visits, in-school projects and after-school clubs to experiment with new materials and processes.
During nine cultural experience days at the gallery, students participated in three artist-led workshops exploring and responding to different exhibitions. For nearly three quarters of the students it was their first visit to an art gallery. The students embraced new experiences as we introduced them to different types of art and experimented with new techniques during creative workshops including printmaking, willow weaving, mixed media, sculpture, experimental painting and felt making.
Artists from The Hepworth Wakefield were based in both schools, working with students over a series of artist-led workshops, focussing on the creative journey from 2D to 3D. These workshops gave students new experiences with materials and processes not explored regularly in school. Students experimented in playful mark making and printmaking sessions, building confidence in their skills and creativity. They also developed their sculptural understanding, using materials like plaster, alginate, wire, card, fabric and clay for the first time to create 3D work. In Dixons Unity, we also worked with their Hub students (part of their internal exclusion unit) delivering 16 tailored artist-led workshops. These students thrived in the creative atmosphere and enjoyed the opportunity to try new things and work extensively with the artists.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, students were supported to engage in art and creativity while learning from home. Students continued to connect with practising artists through weekly artist-led films and activity sheets that explored a range of accessible, creative activities using materials from around their home. They developed their mark making techniques and sculptural understanding, culminating in a mini-exhibition in their home showcasing their creative outcomes.
To find out more about The Hepworth Wakefield’s work on Burberry Inspire visit our website - https://hepworthwakefield.org/burberry-inspire-introduction/
