ARTIST ROOMS: Young People’s Projects

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.

Photographed by David P Scott. All rights reserved. http://www.davidpscott.com

Photographed by David P Scott. All rights reserved. http://www.davidpscott.com

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.

Still from video filmed by David P Scott. All rights reserved. http://www.davidpscott.com

Still from video filmed by David P Scott. All rights reserved. http://www.davidpscott.com

Still from video filmed by David P Scott. All rights reserved. http://www.davidpscott.com

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.

ARTIST ROOMS: Young People’s Projects

We’re back on the blog train here in Creative Learning. This week’s post will focus on giving you an update on our ARTIST ROOMS Young People’s Projects.

As part of our learning programme, McManus Youth Action Group (YAG) have been inspired by the recent exhibition ARTIST ROOMS: Lawrence Weiner and developed their own creative learning project. The group have worked with text generation, language and screen printing to create text-based work, and this is being further developed for an Artists Book publication, created in partnership with Dundee Print Collective.

 

I learned how to look at an artwork differently and describe it in a whole new way.

I learnt new skills like screen printing and speaking more about my art.

We welcomed The Wednesday Writers back to the museum for their ARTIST ROOM creative learning project with the team. The Wednesday Writers are a group of creative writers who have a learning and/or a physical disability and are supported by the NHS Tayside Occupational Health team. The group explored ARTIST ROOMS: Lawrence Weiner through creative writing and created a series of creative writing work that was shared through a creative writing recital with the public and museum staff in February. The Wednesday Writers work will also be presented in the Artist Book publication, created by Dundee Print Collective. Both groups will be celebrating their project work with family and friends later on in March.

I’m really proud of myself.

Refreshing to have different people to work with, it’s good for creativity.

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.

 

As well as working with the two goups above, we have developed and delivered three school sessions that have explored ARTIST ROOMS: Lawrence Weiner with secondary pupils from the High School of Dundee and Craigie High School. Both classes had a talk and tour with the team that discussed the artist, his work and ideas, before creating their own text-based art works inspired by the exhibition and the art concepts of Lawrence Weiner. These were then taken back to school, with the final idea to think about where in their school each pupil would install them; creating an ‘art-intervention’ similar to that created by Lawrence Weiner for the museum.

I liked the creative part (collage) the most.

I learned that multiple things can be art.

Guest Blogger – Meet Our Creative Learning Young Volunteer

This week our blog has been written by our Creative Learning Young Volunteer Amy. Amy joined us in November 2018 after working with the team on two creative projects with her Creative Writing Group and our blog is a great opportunity for her to share her volunteering journey with you.

I wanted to volunteer at The McManus because I like to help, give ideas and learn about The McManus’s Creative Learning activities. I was interested in learning and how being creative can be used in a job.  I have a small learning disability that effects my focus and sometimes I wish I didn’t have my disability.  Volunteering at The McManus has brought me out of my shell and it’s taught me how to be myself around other people. It’s opened a door and I’ve met some fantastic people like the Creative Learning Team, Curators, Visitor Assistants, Freelance Artists and Retail Staff.  Nicky Welch who is my support worker came with me to The McManus a few times until I felt confident to go on my own.

I enjoyed painting and observing tasks that were going on. I learned a lot from like using the guillotine to slice paper for The Wednesday Writers coming in the afternoon. I observed a school from Blairgowrie and they made theumatrope toys inspired by the Victorians. I got a behind the scenes look at some of the administration that The Creative Learning team does which support’s their work with young people, communities, schools and families. I got a shock at how much The Creative Learning Team have to do!  In the future I would like to work here because it’s a great atmosphere and I enjoy being creative.  

ARTIST ROOMS: Lawrence Weiner – Young People’s Projects

As we welcomed the month of November, we also welcomed our newest temporary exhibition ARTIST ROOMS: Lawrence Weiner to the McManus. Influential conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner uses language as his medium and his text work can take many forms, including written word, spoken word, songs and his work has even been tattooed! Although Weiner’s work has been translated into other languages around the world, for the McManus, the artists’ work has been translated into Scots for the very first time by Scottish author James Robertson.

ARTIST ROOMS was established in 2008 and is a touring collection of over 1,600 works of modern and contemporary art, jointly owned by the National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. It’s collections have toured to museums and galleries throughout the UK, through a programme of solo exhibitions that have showcased the work of over 40 major international artists.

As part of our learning programme between November 2018 and February 2019, our McManus Youth Action Group (YAG) are taking their inspiration from ARTIST ROOMS: Lawrence Weiner as they develop their own creative learning project. The group are working with text, language and printmaking to write, develop and produce their creative project as they respond and take inspiration from the work of one of the world’s most influential conceptual artists.

Lili Bartholomew intorducing our Youth Action Group to the ARTIST ROOMS: Lawrence Weiner.

Contemplating text work in the Landscapes & Lives 2 gallery.

As well as working with our Youth Action Group, we’re delighted to welcome The Wednesday Writers back to the museum for their own creative learning project with the team. The Wednesday Writers are a group of creative writers who have a learning and/or a physical disability and are supported by the NHS Tayside Occupational Health team. The group will be exploring ARTIST ROOMS: Lawrence Weiner through creative writing and will be working towards developing a series of written pieces that will be shared through a poetry and creative writing recital early next year.

Preparing our Learning Studio for an afternoon of creative writing!

Exploring text and different wiring shapes with our Youth Action Group.

Over the next few months, we will be writing and reflecting on both of our projects through our Creative Learning blog so keep reading to find out how the work of YAG and The Wednesday Writers develops as both groups explore ARTIST ROOMS: Lawrence Weiner.