Dolfor Prints & Books

These colourful A4 accordion-fold albums were made by Key Stage 2 pupils from Dolfor Primary School, to conclude an intensive two-day workshop with Helen Kozich at Oriel Davies in May. The children began by making their own small sketchbooks, then using them to record responses in word and image to some of the artworks in the Oriel Davies Open 2012. This led on to relief printmaking, using inscribed polystyrene plates as well as cardboard collagraphs, printed with lo-tech wooden spoons and our etching press, then presented together in their own artist books.

Making Stop Motion Animations

Artists Chris Oakley and Carolina Vasquez are helping young people from six Powys schools to make their own animated short films. Between March and June 2012, Key Stage 2 & 3 pupils have been working in teams to devise storylines, employ drawing and collage to create scenes and characters, use a rostrum camera and learn about stop motion techniques. Each group spent a whole day with one of the two artists. In one school, teachers also combined these sessions with a lively cross-curricular programme of activities that brought together P.E., art and maths on an Olympics theme.

Everyone taking part first visited Oriel Davies to see film, installation and animation works by Pia Borg, Sybil Montague and Sean Vicary.  Their own very short films will be on show to the public in Oriel Davies' education space this July. Taking part are pupils from Newtown High School and Maesyrhandir, Hafren, Dafydd Llwyd, Churchstoke and Gladestry primary schools.

Based near Wrexham, artist Chris Oakley is currently exhibiting in a major group exhibition at Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Germany. Carolina Vasquez is based in South Wales and has worked on art and film projects with young people as far afield as Florida and Colombia. These 23 days of Oriel Davies outreach workshops have been made possible through grant funding from The Prince’s Foundation for Children & Arts Start Programme, which enables school children from across the U.K. to engage with artists and galleries, often for the very first time.