And it’s very beautiful!
Year 8 do abstract painting
Launch of Crafts Council Manifesto
Last week the Crafts Council invited 150 guests to the House of Commons for the launch of their manifesto for art craft education. Research showed that students had less opportunity to experience learning through making with their hands, using clay or textiles or other such materials. More and more universities are shutting down their ceramics or textiles courses.
This is a huge campaign by the crafts council to turn this around… The Head of Policy and research came to St Marylebone to talk to our Art Textiles students about why they felt these subjects were important to them. One student made such an impression that she was invited to help launch the manifesto at the House of Commons. She wrote a superb speech and spoke to an audience of ministers, MPs, Arts
funders, Makers and Galleries. She presented with confidence and spoke so eloquently!
The Rectors’ Prize
At the start of term, one of our talented Year 13 painters was invited to paint her own version of Benjamin West’s ‘Nativity’ (1818) – to fill the space in the church, during the restoration of this masterly painting. A curved frame and board was carefully fashioned to provide a support for her image. The finished painting was installed in the church prior to the Prize Giving award evening, during which, she received the Rectors’ Prize. A souvenir bookmark, to commemorate the project, was distributed to all the guests at Prize Giving and the painting is still hanging proudly in the church.
Alice in Wonderland
This year’s whole-school play has provided the Art Department with a unique creative challenge and a great number of students are relishing the chance to be involved. The play is in promenade and will take place in four English rooms as well as the theatre. Each of the classroom-based scenes will take place in a made-to-measure calico tent, adorned with hand-painted imagery and fragments of text from the actors’ script. Dozens of students who do not usually attend Art clubs have joined this club and they are doing an excellent job, responding very well to the need for high quality work – produced under great time constraints.
St Marylebone Art & Design 