Throughout January and March this year, students from Donnington Class at the Castle School took part in a creative project with the Corn Exchange focusing on their transition through the School and on to College, which aimed to help them plan future pathways.
Find out about the latest art installation in our Balcony Bar
Working with a Corn Exchange practitioner, students explored how they felt about future challenges through practical activities, and met with students at the Castle’s Post-16 Centre based at Newbury College to find out more about College life and help them think of ways of managing the challenges they had previously identified. 'Talking to the College students was good because I learnt new things about College and what work they do. This has helped me because it has made me feel more confident' one student told us.
They then worked with local professional artist Sally Haynes, who specialises in Experimental Drawing, to create the piece of artwork displayed here. Taking the theme of journeys, Sally guided students through different ways of thinking about moving forward, and how to represent these through art.
Students were encouraged to explore their personal targets and hopes for the future, and represent them through texture, line and colour. They also used words from targets identified with school staff to contribute to the final piece of artwork. Reflecting on the art sessions, one student told us 'something new I have learnt is different ways to draw. It has helped me to think about what I want to do when I am older.'
The exhibition will be up for public viewing until 20 April.
This project is funded by West Berkshire Public Health Department, and the Corn Exchange would like to thank Castle School staff, Post-16 Centre staff and Sally Haynes for their support in delivering this project.