Draw Me In: Eastbourne schoolchildren exhibit work inspired by female artists at the Towner until June 7

Draw Me In: exhibition of work by young people inspired by Towner Art Gallery’s collection is being exhibited in Eastbourne.
Draw Me In at Eastbourne's Towner art gallery SUS-190424-104820001Draw Me In at Eastbourne's Towner art gallery SUS-190424-104820001
Draw Me In at Eastbourne's Towner art gallery SUS-190424-104820001

Draw Me In, has returned to the gallery for the spring, supported by the Williams Charitable Trust.

Groups and individuals have been working - many of them with local artists - to create a range of works that will be exhibited until June 7.

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The Towner has run a schools exhibition for a decade now but this is the first time participants will be between the ages of 0 and 21 and from in and out of school.

Draw Me In at Eastbourne's Towner art gallery SUS-190424-104831001Draw Me In at Eastbourne's Towner art gallery SUS-190424-104831001
Draw Me In at Eastbourne's Towner art gallery SUS-190424-104831001

More than 2,000 young people and almost 50 school and community groups have taken part.

The works in the collection that have been used for inspiration for 2019’s Draw Me In exhibition have all been created by female artists. They include painting and prints of landscapes and portraits, sound installations, photographs and sculptures. The group have taken inspiration from Ursula Mommens, who was the UK’s eldest potter; Canadian photographer Elizabeth McGill, Scottish painter and print maker Dame Elizabeth Violet Blackadder and installation artist Ceal Floyer, among several others. Eastbourne schools and community groups taking part in the exhibition include: St John’s Meads, Roedean Moira House, St Andrews Infant, Willingdon Community, Pevensey and Westham Primary, West Rise Junior, Cavendish, Ratton, Hazelcourt, Tollgate Junior, Eastbourne College, SabdenAcademy, Lindfield and Sussex Downs and community groups: I am Who I am and Eastbourne Woodraft.

For 2019, Towner have focused on working with a steering group of East Sussex teachers and artists who have helped shape the exhibition, including the selection of 12 artworks from the collection. These have provided the starting point for inspiration, alongside a specially designed resource pack, devised by Towner and sent to all schools in East Sussex and also made available for other groups

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The groups of young people then made works supported by over 30 free artist-led workshops in schools, community settings and the gallery. Local artists who have facilitated the workshops include AnnisJoslin, Jenny Staff, Jenny Arran, Claire Shoosmith, Hermione Allsopp, Tom Goulden and Liz Corkhill.

Draw Me In at Eastbourne's Towner art gallery SUS-190424-104842001Draw Me In at Eastbourne's Towner art gallery SUS-190424-104842001
Draw Me In at Eastbourne's Towner art gallery SUS-190424-104842001

Head of Learning at Towner Art Gallery, Marina Castledine, said, “Bringing art and artists into the local community at a time of severe restriction to school budgets and curriculum, is a top priority for any local gallery. It’s been an absolute joy to see children work with local artists and explore the collection gifted to this town.”

One teacher added, “It’s so great and inspiring to introduce children to artists who share their experiences and how they work. It gives the children a sense of aspiration. The artist totally understood my class and their age range and the many different needs they have. We all had an amazing time. There were no negatives. Thank you so much for the time and effort put into our day.”

Another participant said, “We had an amazing workshop where we experimented with mark making in different ways. It was brilliant for the children to have this opportunity. They showed a great development in their confidence and awareness of how mark making is fluid and allows freedom and expression. They used their senses in different ways to explore drawing different objects. A brilliant session was enjoyed by all.”

Visit the Towner Art Gallery website at https://www.townereastbourne.org.uk/

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