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And the winner is… Art Rebels Portfolio prize giving evening

Joe Jackson, winner in the Primary School, 5-7 Years Award (Year 1-2) and his teacher, Miss Collings from Miers Court Primary School.

We are so proud to be involved with the Turner Contemporary Portfolio competition. Last night all the short-listed entrants and their guests were invited to the prize ceremony in Augustine Hall to see an exhibition of their work and find out if they had won. Winning artwork will be displayed in an exhibition at the Turner Contemporary ahead of the Turner Prize 2019.

Jean-Paul Zeevaart, entrant, Ages 7-11

Entries opened in January with children, young people, teachers, FE students and community groups from across Kent and Medway invited to respond to the theme ‘Art Rebels’.  This year a new category of  ‘Community Groups’ from Kent and Medway were invited to enter the competition including Alternative Provision, NHS Support Services and in patients, Youth Offending Services, Support Groups, Pupil Referral Units, Health and Wellbeing.

The event in Augustine House kicked off with the much-anticipated announcement of the Turner Prize nominated artists by Victoria Pomery, the Director of the Turner Contemporary Gallery followed by the award presentation by the panel of judges including BBC1 broadcaster, Gemma Cairney, and representatives from Canterbury Cathedral, Go Vicinity and the Lilford Gallery.

Peter Gregory, principal lecturer on the BA (Hons) Arts in Education said of the competition: “The Portfolio award evening is one of my highlights each year. To see the exhibition of shortlisted artworks and talk to so many proud and excited families – many of whom have never been to an art exhibition or university before – is a huge privilege. We have no idea what will result in their futures as a consequence of their involvement!”

The winners in all categories were:

  • Students with Additional Needs Award – Nessie Bigg No Words, Sandra Art4All
  • Primary School, Ages 4 -5 Award, Reception & Foundation – Luke Rogers School for Monsters, Wittersham CEP Primary School
  • Primary School, 5-7 Years Award (Year 1-2) – Joe Jackson, Blurb 3, Miers Court Primary School
  • Primary School, 7-11 Years Award (Year 3 – 6) – Abigail Vincent, The dark and delirious mind of a girl, St Peters-In-Thanet Junior School
  • Secondary School, 11 – 14 Years Award (Year 7- 9) – Nicole Shephard, Effects of Social Media, Trinity School Sevenoaks
  • Secondary School, 14 – 16 Years Award (Year 10 – 11) – Toby Woodgate, Strong and Stable, St Laurence College
  • Secondary School, 16 – 19 Years Award (Year 12 – 13) – Ella Plumb, Time, Langley Park School for Boys
  • Further Education Award – Hannah Bell, Mrs Bob without Ian the Dog, Canterbury Christ Church University
  • Staff Award – Andy Howe, Undressing in front of the whole school, Simon Langton Boys School
  • Community Group Award – Dominic Harper, Boxing Day Swim, SEAS (South East Artists) Community Group
  • David Lilford’s Most Promising Artist Award – Bethan Isaacs, Generations, Barton Court Grammar School
  • Turner Contemporary Award for Bold Conceptual Approach (Primary) – Bethany Brown, Ruined Resources, Drapers Mills
  • Turner Contemporary Award for Bold Conceptual Approach (Secondary) – Ellie Springs, By-product of Art as Art, Herne Bay High School

 

Kerry Jordan-Daus, Peter Gregory and Claire March from Canterbury Christ Church University with Alice Ross, Jennifer Scott and Karen Eslea from the Turner Contemporary Gallery.  

Congratulations to the all the winners and runners up!  It was brilliant to see such hard work and creativity from our local community.

Making a difference in children’s lives : We can all be dream makers

We have planned a number of events to celebrate the United Nations Universal Children’s Day tomorrow.  We are kicking off a series of blog posts reflecting on childhood and children with this post by Kerry Jordan-Daus, our Head of School of Childhood and Education Science in the Faculty of Education:

In my role as Head of the School, I feel it is very important that we join in and contribute to the most important debate; Children and Childhood.

Over the course of the next few days, colleagues will join me in sharing their reflections on Childhood. November 20th is the Universal Children’s Day, a day that has been marked since 1954 by the UN.

I am going to start by thinking and reflecting on my own childhood, growing up in a very small rural hamlet in rural Lincolnshire, an area known as the Fens.  Looking back at the small, rural, close knit community, I recall spending a lot of time outside playing. I read books from the mobile library which came fortnightly, grew strawberries and peas and looked after chickens. Most importantly, I spent time with my grandmother who taught me to knit and to cook.  My grandmother was my dream maker.

The bus picked us up to take us to school, 30 minutes or so to the small primary school, over an hour to my secondary school. There was very limited public transport so I cycled loads: to go to Guides, to play hockey, to see my friends. School was really special for me. I loved it. That’s not to say there weren’t unhappy times but overall I knew by doing well I could realise my dream – to be a school teacher.

Being one of five children, I now think about how hard it was for my parents. They worked long hours to ensure we were fed, we had a roof over our heads and I know that at times it was a real struggle. When my trainers fell apart, there was no money to replace them. I remember the kindness of my teachers, who made me believe I could achieve my dream through their actions. I remember Miss Lucas, my PE teacher, finding me a pair in lost property.  I remember Miss Deung, my English teacher, giving me a bag of books to read.  They were my dream makers.

Every child should have a dream and every child should be encouraged to dream and encouraged to believe that they can. As I reflect on the importance of Universal Children’s Day, it makes me both happy and sad. Sad, angry and determined: because I know that for too many children, their experiences are not joyful, but full of pain, hardship, hunger, violence, fear, loneliness and despair.

But I can make a difference and so can you. My work as a teacher, as an educator, has made a difference and will continue to make a difference. Thank you to all those who helped me achieve my dream. I have tried to do this for others.  Through that gift of belief and hope, through our words and our actions, we can all be dream makers.