high light

Interpretation text and exhibition images below from last nights celebration event at The Hepworth Wakefield, an amazing finale to our Unitas Summer Arts College. All young people achieved their Bronze Arts Award, all are going onto further education, all have improved their social skills and 7 out of the 8 have improved their literacy and numeracy skills. I'm very proud of their achievements.

Thank you to Gillian, Reuben, Andrew, Joe, Siobhan, Vikki, April, Nat, Vic, Kate and everyone else at The Hepworth Wakefield and Wakefield YOT who supported this project. Thank you to the young peoples friends and families who crowded the learning studios last night and took a keen interest in the learning and achievements of the young people. It was the most celebratory celebration I've ever attended!

High Light

bright   exciting   awesome   fantastic   absolutely amazing

dark and funny   geometric shapes   massive big commitment

An exhibition created and curated by eight young people from the Wakefield District. The artworks are inspired by the artist Haroon Mirza, whose work is on display in Galleries 1 and 10.

We invite you to explore the space and expereince some of the sights and sounds of the Summer Arts College, captured by the young people using a variety of media during an intensive three weeks of creative activities.

The young people visited:

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

The balls of gas burned bright as televisions, the stars

were as bright as the moon

Chantry Chapel

The shadows of darkness are like caves

no longer feeling down as we bring music

Emley Moor Transmitting Station (with a special ascent of 330 meters to the top)

We traveled the sky, we squeezed up tight to see the light

The lift going down sounded like a marching band

They also visited an artist's studio in Sheffield where they made steel sculpture.

The young people have worked with sculptor Gillian Brent, visual artist Karen Logan, DJ and producer Reuben Griffiths and poet Andrew McMillan. Each young person has achieved a bronze level Arts Award qualification.

Stay in the light   Keep it right   Stomp my buildings

 Film - sound -  structure - light

Showcasing the young peoples achievements

Our journey in pictures

 Intervention in Haroon Mirza's exhibition

Another viewpoint...

welding + words

Its hard to believe that the Unitas Summer Arts College at The Hepworth Wakefield is almost over. The third week has passed in a flash with the young people welding steel structures in Sculptor Gillian Brent's Sheffield studio and forming interpretation and poetic responses with the positive energy and nurture of Andrew McMillan.

This week has been challenging in terms of behaviour and testing boundaries. The SAC is an intensive process requiring high levels of attendance, commitment and participation for young people who may not have engaged in education for some time and have added challenges around literacy and numeracy. It was hard to judge what the group were thinking as frequent comments of 'this is shit' were accompanied by daily attendance. I've since learnt that their attendance is a great achievement and at a basic level 'this is shit' is a response, which is no bad thing...

The group have all passed their Bronze Arts Awards this week, a fantastic achievement and for some their first qualification. We are also striving for improvements in literacy, numeracy and social skills and will find out the results of their tests next week.

So now to hang and stage the work for the groups celebration event on Wednesday 4th September. The groups exhibition, High Light is showing at The Hepworth Wakefield from Tuesday 3rd to Friday 6th September in the learning studios.  

Camera skills

 Projected poems

Body outline/post-it note - sharing positive attributes

Structures made by the young people

 Steel and light