YAG Workshop, Saturday 07 September 2013

Today we welcomed new members to Youth Advisory Group from Threads Summer School. Summer School student, Posola shares what happened...

At the end of the Threads Summer School, all the participants were invited to join the Youth Advisory Group held at the National Maritime Museum. I went to my first YAG session today and learnt a bit of what being a Youth Advisor is all about. Shortly after, we devoured some pizzas then headed off to the Visions of the Universe exhibition (we got to go in for free!) where I spent the next couple of hours marvelling at the beautiful photographs of our Universe. I'll be coming back for the next session ready to plan some activities for Recruitment Day :)

Youth Advisors with certificates for designing and leading workshops in August

Youth Advisors with their tickets for Visions of the Universe

International Slavery Remembrance Day, Friday 23 August 2013

After so much practice and preparation, International Slavery Remembrance Day had arrived. The Youth Advisors had practiced, prepped and prepared and welcomed 40 young people to the Museum to take part in two creative workshops, teaching wax resist and block printing skills inspired by Ghanaian fabrics.

Threads Summer School

During August, National Maritime Museum hosted a seven day programme for young people to gain a Bronze Arts Award. Threads Summer School welcomed 17 young people to take part in creative and historical workshops. Here are some highlights...

Threads Summer School students with Youth Advisors

Youth Advisors and Summer School Students

During August summer holidays, National Maritime Museum welcomed 17 young people to take part in Threads Summer School, a seven day programme inspired by African textiles and Yinka Shonibare's Nelson's Ship in a Bottle. They signed up through Futureversity and took part in creative and skills based workshops, from bookmaking to object handling, meeting curators and visiting exhibitions, researching artists, writers and musicians they love and leading a workshop to share skills they had learnt.

 

YAG Workshop, Sunday 11 August 2013

Today was the final practice before the Youth Advisors' first workshop for summer school students on Tuesday! They will teach half the students how to make Adinkra fabric using the block printing technique they have developed, and the other half how to make Dutch Wax inspired fabric using the wax resist technique they've have been practicing, using melted crayons and paint.

The Youth Advisors practiced the Dutch Wax as there are lots of steps to remember.

 

YAG Workshop,Monday 05 and Tuesday 06 August 2013

In these workshops, the Youth Advisors practiced their Dutch Wax workshop for their summer programmes. They ran through the whole thing start to finish. They taught Formal Learning officer Lucie Trottman what to do and were amazing! They also planned out all their workshops, including the roles, the timings and thinking about health & safety with the Museum's Health & Safety Advisor Karen Haden. We then met with Steve Martin, who is curating this year's International Slavery Remembrance Day commemoration at National Maritime Museum. The Youth Advisors are running a workshop for young people, so it is important they understand the history and what else is happening on the day.

We learnt a new game today - Fishes!



Planning with Anisa

Setting up the room for the workshop

YAG Workshop, Thursday 25 July 2013

Today the Youth Advisors worked with artist Seiwa Cunningham to plan for their own workshops. They will be running a workshop for summer school students in August and also a public workshop for International Slavery Remembrance Day on Friday 23 August. They will share two of the creative techniques they have learnt and the history of the textiles they are inspired by.

We began the day by thinking about how the workshops would happen - where will they be? Why are we doing it? Who is our audience? What do we need to do to prepare? We had a group discussion

YAG Workshop, Saturday 20 July 2013

Today the Youth Advisors worked with Seiwa Cunningham again to produce their own batik artwork. These pieces were inspired by Dutch Wax, the type of fabric used by Yinka Shonibare in his artwork, including Nelson's Ship in a Bottle.

The Youth Advisors with Nelson's Ship in a Bottle earlier this year

YAG Workshop, Sunday 07 July 2013

In today's workshop, the Youth Advisors worked with artist Seiwa Cunningham to learn more about Adinkra fabrics. Adinkra is traditionally worn at funerals and commemorations in Ghana. There are hundreds of symbols all with different meanings referring to stories. The Youth Advisors learnt about the history of the fabric as well as how to make their own.

Seiwa showed us some fabric and some of the stamps, which are carved from gourd (a bit like a butternut squash!). The Youth Advisors made their own non-vegetable stamps from foam!

Seiwa showing the Youth Advisors the fabric we would be recreating

The Youth Advisors then introduced themselves and their names, as we would see if there was an Adinkra symbol that related to our names.

Isobel, Jennifer, Nicole and Adrian sharing the meaning of their names

Adinkra fabric and some of Seiwa's artwork

YAG Workshop, Saturday 08 June 2013

Today the Youth Advisors worked with artist Rose Sinclair to learn about Ndebele art, originating in South Africa and Zimbabwe and often used for painting houses. The Youth Advisors will be learning about different types of African textile art over the next few weeks to run their own workshops in the summer holidays.

Firstly the Youth Advisors made their own sketchbooks...

Isobel and Rachel making books

Rose teaching the Youth Advisors how to fold the book

Rose introduced the Youth Advisors to visual language and colour theory.

Jennifer decorating her book

Thu decorating her book