2000

6 Schools took part and exhibited at Llanidloes Library.
Projects included 67 pupils participating in screenprinting on the theme of “Tales from the Mabinogion”.

2001

Celebrating Children’s Creativity is a project which allows children the chance to work with professional artists on a variety of themes – the Celebration of Children’s Creativity has been steadily growing over the last four or five years, and this year 13 schools and over 500 children are taking part.

Activities range from tile mosaics or ceramics to screenprinting, or textile work. This year for the first time a creative writing/ drama option has also been added.

As well as four, two hour long practical sessions for every group of fifteen children (great ratios), making anything from individual T-shirts to large scale permanent decorations for the school, the project funds a presentation on Art or art History from the artists, in order to fulfil curriculum requirements. The tutors are all local artists whose enthusiasm for their work and love of creativity filters through to the children they work with.

The project is funded through Arts Connections, ACW Arts For All Lottery Grant, and also supported by local businesses who make donations of materials and give discounts - notably O’Hanlon’s Of Newtown, Boys and Boden of Welshpool and Tile and Architectural Supplies of Oswestry. Everyone involved is looking forward to it getting even bigger in the future.

2002

Arts Connection, the community arts organisation that runs Arts workshops across the whole of North Powys, is delighted that Andrew Logan, the international sculptor whose work can be found in the collections of everyone from HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother to Elton John, has found time in his busy timetable to spend 2 days working with the children in Forden Church in Wales School, Near Montgomery.

He will be in the school on Monday and Tuesday, May 14th and 15th. The children have already visited the museum to sketch and to gain ideas (photos available of this visit) and the sculptures they produce with Andrew will brighten up their classrooms.

Some of Andrew’s work can be seen on his website: visit www.andrewlogan.com

Forden School, right in the middle of Foot & Mouth afflicted Powys, has a reputation for offering arts opportunities to its 60 children and has collected several top prizes in Western Mail Creative writing competitions.

The workshops which Andrew is doing are part of the Celebration of Children’s Creativity project run by Arts Connection in 17 schools across the whole of Montgomeryshire, mostly during June. The project is made possible by an Arts For All Lottery grant.

This schools outreach project was designed to reach rurally isolated communities, working in partnership with artists and primary schools.

Every school worked with an artist to create a unique arts project. Each group (of up to 15 pupils) had four, half-day practical sessions, attended by a teacher and classroom assistant.

Schools had any number of groups working with each artist, doing visual arts and crafts. Artists met with their schools before the project, then returned to schools after the project to mount or display the work.

There was a full evaluation process carried out by Hilary Roberts, which will feed into the development of the project.

2003

The Celebration of Children’s Creativity project is one of the core projects run by Arts Connection / Cyswllt Celf. It offers a diverse and specialist range of arts and crafts activities to children between the ages of 4 and 11 years.

The project usually consists of four half-day practical workshops, which culminates in the production of a piece of artwork / craftwork by the children and the artist involved. Approximately 750 children took part in this year’s workshops, gaining valuable practical experience as well as many other benefits from the project that they participated in. Arts connection / Cyswllt Celf are also flexible as to the running of the project, and can often work around the schools involved and their requirements.

The project employed 7 professional artists, many of who served several schools with their particular field of expertise. Both members of the Arts Connection / Cyswllt Celf office staff assisted in organising, administrating and running the project from start to finish. The Celebration also used at least 19 teachers (one from each of the participating schools), who gave their time ‘In Kind’. Workshops took place in and around the participating schools, and the school’s grounds were used in a few of the end results.

Funding for the project came partly from the Arts Connection / Cyswllt Celf ‘Arts for All’ budget (which is awarded by the Arts Council of Wales), and a generous grant of £2,000 from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation to run a portion of the project.

GENERAL COMMENTS

The schools were asked to suggest any comments / ideas about how to improve the project in the future. Here are their comments.

"An excellent project - we would be looking for similar projects in the future"
Oldford Infants School

"Continue to offer a variety of arts projects to schools, so that children have an opportunity to work with a variety of mediums"
Llanrhaeadr Ym Mochnant C. P. School

"To continue to developing children's skills in both new areas and areas already known to them"
Ysgol Gynradd Llanwddyn

"Carry on the good work - my experiences of working with the various artists has been very good - include a variety of skills in the future. Thank you"
Llanfihangel C in W School

"Working on still varied projects"
Pontrobert C. P. School

"It was, yet again, an excellent project - Hilary Roberts was brilliant! The timing was good this time too"
Trefnanney C. P. School

"It's an effective project - well worth being part of it. Thank you very much. Excellent"
Dyffryn Banw C. P. School

"This was a brilliant project - 3D full size model of mother and child - wire & papier maché. Difficult to see how it could be improved upon - unless free! Would love more of this in the future, but cost is always a problem. Many thanks"
Llanidloes C. P. School

"We have been involved every year since it expanded outside of the Llanfyllin area and we are extremely satisfied with our experience and involvement. Continue as you are…"
Ysgol Dyffryn Tranno