Young Arts

Young Arts Programme

Under the umbrella of NADFAS Royal Leamington Spa DFAS aims to promote high quality arts activities for young people, to inspire them with an enthusiasm for the arts and an appreciation of our artistic heritage and its conservation. Our vision is to provide opportunities for all to learn through participation in the arts.

Throughout the country, societies play a vital role in introducing children to the arts. A visit to an art gallery, working with an artist, watching a craftsman at work, being part of an audience at a play, or taking part in a concert can provide the spark for a lifelong interest in the arts.

Royal Leamington Spa DFAS supports a wide range of Young Arts projects aimed at encouraging participation in and appreciation of the arts among young people.

Each year we support the following:

• Playbox Theatre.
  
  This Childrens Theatre Company, based in Warwick at the Dream Factory beside Aylesford School,organises weekly workshops involving hundreds of young people aged from 3 to 25 years. They are taught acting, movement, mime, singing, dancing, improvisation and circus skills. They encourage confidence, self-assurance and poise.
  
  In the Autumn Playbox will have a new initiative focussing on Shakespeare which will be for the 14 plus age group. Anyone who saw the sparkling production of Midsummer Nights Dream recently will be looking forward to seeing more Shakespeare by this group. You can check what is on at the website www.playboxtheatre.com
  
  
• Warwickshire School of Art.
  
  
  
  Naomi Bailey receives
  the RLSDFAS award
  Click the image to see more
  
  We provide an annual award for the best all-round Foundation Studies student in Art and Design at the college which is in Leamington. The winner of the award will continue to receive a small annual bursary for up to three years of degree level study.
  
  
• The winner of our award at the College this year is Naomi Bailey. Naomi is interested in three dimensional work and her final exhibition this year was inspired by memories of her grandmother’s work in lace and her close family feeling expressed in having tea together. She wrapped teapots in various materials, including lace, and the resulting exhibits have a lovely texture.
  
  Naomi is starting on a BA course at Northumbria University in Furniture and Product Design.


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We also support initiatives in local schools. In Autumn 2008 the committee agreed to support the two projects described below which took place in the spring term of 2009.

• St Peter's Catholic Primary School, Leamington.
  
  
  Mural at St Peter's School
  Click the image to see more
  
  
  In the Autumn, following discussion with the school head, the committee agreed to help towards doing a mural on a new partition wall beside the library. Staff were very keen to do this as the partition was quite stark but the space is used all the time by the children. Our support enabled the school to pay an artist to work with both staff and children to create the mural. In preparatory work the children decided to use words from their favourite books as a theme. They then studied various fonts and practiced drawing the large letters to go on the wall. Children from Reception created the background and years 3&4 completed the lettering.
  
  It was amazing to see the confidence with which such young children approached the task and the enjoyment and concentration which they showed, even some children who do not always show such a level of attention. The support which they received from Malcolm Wray, the artist, was crucial in producing such a successful result. Staff commented that the project provided them with some in service training so that they felt they would be able to tackle something similar themselves. The head has written to thank RLSDFAS for making the mural possible.
  
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• Bishops Tachbrook CE Primary School.
  
  
  
  Sculpture at Bishops Tachbrook
  Primary School
  Click the image to see more
  
  
  We have worked with the staff member who teaches art throughout the school and have agreed to support the purchase of materials which will enable the children to explore aspects of the arts and produce finished work which would not otherwise be possible. The children will be studying mosaics (Y3) and sculpture (Y6).
  
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  For further information
  please contact youngarts@rlsdfas.org.uk
  
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