Young Curators - Exhibition Selection Panel

At our last meeting we had both the enjoyable and challenging task of selecting the new work to include in our upcoming exhibition based upon the developed theme of War & Conflict.

Following the success of the initial exhibition, the team developed a more approachable and open theme that could be responded to through a wider variety of potential media. The resultant selection process involved us carefully observing the pieces of work submitted as a group and evaluating it in relation to the criteria set and the artist statements provided. When choosing the art work to be included we felt it was necessary to attempt to select a body of work that would effectively cover all aspects of the theme as developed and specified by the group.

The artwork chosen had to reflect the criteria requested. It had to respond to the theme, it had to be original and unique in its materials and communication and it also had to display intellectual content. Another aspect that had to be taken into account as curators was how the work could potentially be presented in the gallery space; would it fit within the space? Could the work be presented well alongside the other pieces of work?

As this was the second time that the group had undergone this process, the group were much clearer in their priorities and the importance of remaining true to the brief and criteria originally set and the necessity of considering the space as a whole and the manner in which the pieces will interact with each other and establish a response to the theme as a whole.

Following the success of the first exhibition Appearance V Reality and the links that the gallery has since developed within the regional art community, entries were much more significant and a lengthy debate was necessary amongst the team in order to narrow the pieces on offer down to those that were felt to best represent the intended exhibition. After much discussion and several votes the group was able to successfully choose a wide breadth of work across various mediums that accurately reflects the theme across time.

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War & Conflict

Following the official selection process for Evoke’s second exhibition entitled ‘War & Conflict’, we are excited and pleased to announce that a wide range of challenging and thematically experimental work is now on display. We proudly employ exhibiting artist Tony Blood’s photographic piece ‘Riot Helmet’ as the official marketing image of the event, as visible within the promotional flyer developed by the team.

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Post by Lucy Siviter

Guest Artist Workshop – Photograms with Laura Hickman

A small number of GCSE and A Level Art students, along with several members of the Young Curators Project were invited to an exclusive evening workshop with professional guest artist Laura Hickman in which they were to explore alternative artistic techniques.

Laura is a regional artist who specialises in the employment of vintage photographic and exposure techniques, resulting in ghostly and otherworldly x-ray like prints featuring layered objects and items. Her work is currently on display within Evoke Gallery as part of the current Appearance V Reality exhibition as developed by the Young Curators.

During a practical session Laura introduced the students to the background and history of Photogram techniques whilst providing varying demonstrated examples of the differing creative paths and avenues that students may wish to explore with the particular Cyanotype method being employed within the session. This particular technique required the use of a pre-prepared specialist paper, above which a range of oblique and translucent objects and images can be arranged and placed. When this paper is then appropriately secured and latterly exposed to light, these objects and images leave an impression upon the paper much like a print.

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Top row: Students' experiments in cyanotype photograms exposing in the natural light of the classroom.
Bottom: Guest artist, and vintage photograph expert, Laura Hickman checking exposure levels.

Differing thicknesses of paper, levels of light, transparency of objects and speed of exposure along with alternate compositions can produce very different results, meaning a very experimental and creative process for the students.

Students were provided with a range of supplied natural objects, and were able to select their own additional images in order to relate their work to any in class projects. Following exposure outside in the summer sunshine, designs were brought inside, washed and hung to dry in order to finalise the photographic result.

The workshop offered a unique opportunity to explore the experimental effects and processes of photography in and organic manner that did not require the use of a dark room, and many participants hope to use the technique again following the provision of materials to the school.

Post by Mr. G. Weston

The Official Opening of EVOKE

Thursday 1st May marked the official opening of the Appearance Reality exhibition at EVOKE, which marks the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth.

Amongst the many guests invited, were the artists who created the artwork for the exhibition: Steve Evans, Anna Grabowska and Laura Hickman. The Curation Team also invited their families, along with a friend each, to attend the event.

The event, which began at 7.00pm, opened with a group of Highfields' Drama students performing the prologue to ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Afterwards, all of the guests made their way to the gallery, where speeches were given: first by Mr Capel, then by Christos (Head Boy) and lastly, by Beth (Deputy Head Girl). Guests were then given the opportunity to look around the gallery, where they could view the artwork and talk with the Artists, Curators and some staff members.

The Curation Team with Headteacher, Mr Capel, and Project Co-ordinator, Mr Weston.

To ensure that the evening was a success, the Team has spent the last few months organising and planning every last detail. Lewis, Sofie, Christos and Lily were our PR and marketing team, and worked on developing the main event ideas. Lewis also worked with the school catering team to plan a canapé menu, and designed the invitations to send out to guests. Lily and Sofie found a harpist, to perform throughout the event.

We arrived early on in the evening to complete our final preparations. We organised everything: from putting the canapés out, to checking that the gallery was presentable. During the evening we all spent time talking to guests about the exhibition, and made sure they were enjoying the event.

Wolverhampton Today attended the event, and we were featured on their Facebook page!

Now that the gallery is up and running, part of our role, as Young Curators, is to care for the gallery. We are already looking forward to planning the next exhibition!

Post by Amber Jarrett

Gallery Exhibition: Appearance V Reality

The big launch party is slowly closing in and the Curators have been hard at work.  Appearance V Reality is the theme that the group has been tackling to exhibit in the gallery – under the umbrella of the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth.

After much deliberation, the Curators came to the conclusion of choosing ‘Appearance V Reality’, due to the belief that this is a prominent topic addressed within a lot of Shakespeare’s work. It is also notoriously explored in many pieces of literature and has become a general theme that contemporary authors’ choose to discuss.

The theme – in simple terms – is the conflicting nature of what we see to be reality and what reality actually is, both in literature and everyday life. Concealment of identity, hidden agendas and betrayal all play a massive role in Shakespeare’s work, hence why the theme was selected.

The Curators have received many pieces of Art from artists who would like to showcase their work in EVOKE, and in their next meeting they will be selecting the artwork they wish to put up in the gallery for this exhibition.

Everything seems to be going along smoothly and the Curators are very excited for the opening of EVOKE, be sure to return for further updates on what the group are up to and how the gallery is progressing!

Post by Sofie Gill

Young Curators: Design Team - Gallery Branding

Designing the brand of our gallery was a tough, but exciting process.

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Initial Stages

We began by sketching out a few rough drawings of what the shape of ‘EVOKE’ might be; focussing on the letters and shapes it could make – generally brainstorming the first things that came up and manipulating them into usable ideas.

We experimented with the look and combination of word: ‘EVOKE’ in itself has an interesting symmetry, so we played upon this and threw around ideas centring on the ‘O’ to draw focus directly into the centre, pulling an audience directly into the title to hopefully stimulate a response to it – intrigue and a desire to learn more about what could be in the gallery.

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Above and below: Our initial sketches...

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Concept Development

We then judged the designs that we’d created solely on what looked pleasing to each of us – the members of the team all chipping in with ideas to create a collaborative effort – drawing a shortlist of 3 designs so that each member would have one to focus on and develop. Colour and typefaces were the concentration of this stage; considering what certain colours would suggest to our audience and how soft or harsh the font should be were key discussion points, and through trial and error we each saw what would work most effectively for each design – it was then up to the Senior Team!

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Final Concepts and Chosen Design

Logo design by Lucy

Logo design by Ashleigh

With ideas ranging from backwards letters to symbolic centres, the final design that was created and accepted is the most successful as it plays upon all the ideals we wanted to focus on as a group; not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but it retains a simplicity that leaves it open to interpretation...

Finalised logo for the Gallery, designed by Aaliyah

‘EVOKE’ draws the viewer in with a softer edge to the letters but juxtaposes this with a vibrant colour gradient, giving it the unique ability to attach itself to any artworks that will be displayed within the gallery without giving any inclination to a specific genre or style. The red is also a pleasant nod towards the school colours, giving the title another dimension as it will be displayed within Highfields!
Our team worked effectively together – we relied on each other to critique ideas and attempt to create a piece that would represent our teamwork and an ambiguity at what the gallery could contain; hopefully instilling intrigue and almost a sense of wonder for potential audiences – which we believe we achieved successfully.

Design Team: Ashleigh, Charlotte, Aaliyah and Lucy

Post by Ashleigh Millman

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Young Curators: Introducing the Team

The Young Curators Programme was set up at the end of October last year and since then we have been hard at work.
 

We have had fortnightly meetings discussing what we want to do with the gallery space, and have come up with the exhibitions we are going to hold. We have been discussing a name for the gallery since the Programme started and, with much deliberation, we are at a stage where we have a clever, unique gallery name and a professional logo to go with it. Additionally, we have drafted and branded the brief and criteria to send out to artists for submission of their work for the exhibition; therefore we have made great progress since we started.

However, there is still much to be done, there are many elements of the exhibition yet to plan, all of which must be completed to a strict deadline. These objectives include elements such as planning the launch party and finalising the entire brief, then sending it out to a variety of art representatives. Once we have received all of the artwork we will have the task of installing the artwork into the gallery space.
 

Meet the Team...

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Aaliyah, Year 10

My name is Aaliyah and I’m in year 10 and now part of the young curator’s team. I am excited to be part of the team, because I enjoy all forms of art and I find inspiration in art galleries. In addition I think that it will help me in the future as my aspiration is to become a fashion journalist.

The project helps me develop both my team work skills and independence and to meet deadlines. It also allows me to express myself whether that is through art or while writing a piece of fashion journalism.

The project also allows me to develop my confidence and skills in public speaking and expressing myself to a group persuasively, whilst also allowing me to know other students on a better level.

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Amber, Year 11

My name is Amber Jarrett. I am in year 11 and my favourite subject is History because I am interested in the past and how it has affected the present.

I applied to take part in the Young Curators Project because it was something new, it seemed like a new challenge and something that would also be fun. Also it would be a chance to have a say in the things that happened around school and to make a difference in the way the school looks.

In the future I hope to be a Forensic Scientist, and I think that this project will help with this because they both involve analysis and this will help me become better at this. It will also give me an idea of how to solve problems in a practical way and to think outside the box.

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Anna, Year 10

My name is Anna Felton and I am in year 10. My favourite subjects are English and History because I’m interested in how the world works and how cultures develop and interact.  I applied for the curators programme because I have many creative ideas for our new gallery and I want to develop my organisational and marketing skills, and take part in a mature and independent project .

 I think the gallery is a great prospect for Highfields future as it is a unique innovation, one which many other schools do not have the opportunity to have, and I am thrilled to be part of it and to develop the community of the school.

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Ashleigh, Year 13

My name is Ashleigh Millman – I’m in Year 13 and currently take Art and Design, English Literature and Film Studies. I thoroughly enjoy each of these subjects but my favourite is film – the endless different styles and genres of film mean you never see the same thing twice; it never stops being interesting and surprising to study.

I applied to take part in the Young Curators’ Project because I think it’s great that Highfields is promoting creativity and as Head Girl I wanted to support this and take part in a project that would not only challenge me, but open up the world of art to the wider community and students of our school.

Art is something that holds a different meaning to everyone. My aim by taking part in this project is to create a gallery that conveys a message to each and every person that enters it. I’d like everyone to have their own opinion on what they see, and inspire them to think on the subject matter and the world around them.

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Christos, Year 13

I'm Christos Makarounas (18). I am Head Boy at Highfields and currently study English, History and Politics. I saw the Young Curators Project as a brilliant outlet to further my own creativity, to work in a team of individuals as a unit, and to have some active involvement in curating art, expression and design.

 I also see the project as a valuable experience to work in a team; as the art of compromise, whilst conveying personal ideas and beliefs in order to persuade and help a group reach decisions, is a fundamental skill for anyone. Overall, I wanted to bring a thoughtful and diverse aspect to the group, promoting the consideration of a wider range of art forms and mediums that the gallery could operate through.

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Lewis, Year 11

My name is Lewis Francis and I’m in Year 11.

My favourite subject is ICT as I find technology and computing very interesting. I enjoy using computers and creating digital images, posters and presentations.

I applied to take part in the Young Curators Project because I enjoy planning and organizing events. I wanted to get more involved in school events and take part in more clubs and projects. I thought it would be good to make decisions about the school gallery for the school and community to come and enjoy.

In the future I would like to own my own business and open an Adventure Centre therefore this project will allow me to understand more of planning and organising. It will also enable me to see what working professionally in a team would be like and running projects.

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Lucy, Year 11

My name is Lucy Siviter and I am a student in year 11. My favourite subject is art because I find art really interesting and it allows me to be creative and expressive.

I applied to take part in the Young Curators’ Project because not only do I already have a passion for art at school, but I also hope to develop an artistic career in the future. The Young Curators Project provides me with the opportunity to develop an understanding of exhibitions, gallery spaces and how they operate which will be invaluable in the future. I think that being on the young curator’s team will help me discover more areas of art and artistic practise and it will give me an opportunity to learn and develop a variety of different organisational and speaking skills.
 

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Sofie, Year 12

My name is Sofie Gill and I am Year 12 student that is currently studying English Literature, Film, History and Psychology. I am highly passionate about my subjects however, History and English are my most favorable as I have a natural passion and interest for these subjects and enjoy understanding people and cultures.

I applied to take part in the Young Curators’ programme due to it being a fantastic opportunity for me to get involved with the community of the school and to take part in something new and challenging. I enjoy being creative with my work and participating in different projects and I therefore thought that this project was the perfect opportunity to take part in a refreshing and exciting activity.

The project also provides me with an ideal opportunity to develop my skills in terms of organisation and teamwork and to progress my ability in compromising.

The Curation Team in the gallery space at Highfields