A mobile art school is set to give thousands of school pupils across the North-east the opportunity to experience art and design.
The initiative from Robert Gordon University’s (RGU) Gray’s School of Art hopes to provide children the chance to learn about the opportunities within creative industries.
A custom-built van will travel around delivering art and design workshops to thousands of students , in the hopes of widening access to creative education and careers for young people.
The Mobile Art School will also offer training and mentoring opportunities for students and graduates.
The team hope to develop the next generation of community-engaged artists and designers, attracting and retain creative talent in Aberdeen and the North-east to further benefit the region in years to come.
Head of Gray’s, Libby Curtis, said: “The mobile art school exists, essentially, to get the word out about the opportunities in the creative industries – it’s a fantastic industry to work in, and I’m not sure everyone understands what those opportunities are.
“So many people will benefit from this fantastic new project. We are going to be having a huge programme of events, workshops and activities, aimed at schools and colleges.
“We want to get out there and talk to young individuals, those individuals that are thinking about, or are interested in, art and design, and the Mobile Art School provides us with a great platform to do so.
“We really hope that the Mobile Art School acts as a catalyst for people to start talking about the creative opportunities that exist.”
One of the first destinations for the Mobile Art School was Aberdeen Grammar School, where the team delivered VR and Sensory Sculpture workshops
Elaine Forrest, Principal Teacher for Art, Design and Technology at Aberdeen Grammar School, said: “We are delighted to have been part of this exciting opportunity; a platform that allows a greater understanding of the creative industries, directed specifically for students at a pivotal time in their lives.
“Aberdeen’s creative scene is becoming much more vibrant with the Art Gallery re-opening and large scale projects such as Look Again and Nuart, along with smaller galleries, exhibitions and craft fairs growing in numbers.
“It is an ideal time to experience the Mobile Art School, to engage pupils with how varied a future they could have should they follow a career in Art.
Craig Barrowman, Mobile Art School Coordinator at Gray’s, added: “The Mobile Art School is going to give people a chance to try some of the amazing range of skills and techniques that students here learn.
“We will be offering traditional skills, such as drawing, sculpture, and stone carving. We will also be doing more high-tech workshops, such as sculpting in VR, where people can use VR headsets and cutting edge technology to create forms of infinite scale in a virtual space.
“I’m really excited about is taking the amazing range of kit that we have and sharing the experience of how amazing it is to be an artist and designer and how much fun it can be.”
