We’ve been busy in Creative Learning over February and March as we finished up our recent project ARTIST ROOMS Young People’s Projects. If you’ve been following the blog, you’ll be familiar with our work to support young people from across Dundee to engage with and creatively respond to the work of influential conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner.
McManus Youth Action Group completed their project and last month, collaborated with Dundee Print Collective to develop their final project outcome. The groups text-based work and designs were screen printed as an artists’ book and the group were able to see this process first hand, as well having a go at printing one of the colour layers of the publication in the professional print making studio at the DCA.
I liked learning more about art and gaining confidence in making my own art.
I learned how to look at artwork differently and describe it in a whole new way.
I liked meeting new people.
Since our last blog post, The Wednesday Writers have had a busy few months completing their work for the project. The group presented their creative writing pieces to family, friends, members of the public and museum staff through a public creative writing recital in the ARTIST ROOMS Lawrence Weiner exhibition. The group also prepared their writing work for inclusion in the artists’ book publication alongside McManus Youth Action Group, enabling the writers to have their written work published for the very first time!
I enjoyed learning new things and expressing myself.
I learnt a lot about the artist and the text [work], I found it very interesting and a good opportunity to work with McManus staff.
I have learned a lot of new things about writing and it has helped me gain confidence.
The team, McManus Youth Action Group and The Wednesday Writers came together to celebrate the creative work, skills and achievements of both groups at the end of March in a sharing event hosted for the participants and their family and friends. This was a great day to celebrate together, share experiences and to get the first look at the artists’ book publication which was shared for the first time! We were also able to bid a fond farewell to ARTIST ROOMS Lawrence Weiner in style; here’s a little bit of feedback from our project team to finish off this week’s post.
I felt genuinely challenged by the discussions we had around the work and love that it required less knowledge of art history, than general knowledge or a view of life.
My role in the Youth Action Group has been very rewarding [and] working with such talented young people is inspiring!
…it’s also been wonderful seeing everyone’s confidence grow over the duration of the project, being comfortable expressing themselves creatively.