Hull’s Art And Design Students To Exhibit Work At Somerset House

Year ten students from Hull are set to have their artwork showcased at the world-famous Somerset House in London.

A group of 24 talented art and design students will travel to the capital on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 June as the culmination of a year of weekly sessions held at Hull School of Art and Design (HSAD), funded by Hull UK City of Culture 2017.

The students from across Hull were handpicked by their art teachers to take part in the Saturday Club, a national initiative giving 13-16 year olds a unique opportunity to study subjects they love at their local college or university and providing invaluable experience to help them with their coursework.

Every Saturday over the last academic year, these students have worked with a range of guest artists who have shared their knowledge and expertise in a fun, creative setting, allowing the students to explore their creativity across the arts and embrace the spirit of Hull 2017 by throwing themselves into cultural activities.

The students were also thrilled to attend a masterclass from two architects from the Architectural Association School of Architecture, one of the world’s most prestigious schools of architecture which the incomparable Zaha Hadid attended and taught at.

The exhibition will showcase the students’ work in one of the capital’s most recognisable settings. It will be open for a week and will be opened by Sir Nicholas Serota, outgoing Director of TATE.

The HSAD club is run by Andi Dakin, an artist himself whose work spans a wide range of media and disciplines. The students attend for thirty Saturdays across the academic year, with Andi leading an enthusiastic team of artists enabling students to discover new and exciting ways to explore a breadth of visual language and realise ideas, helping them to express their full artistic potential. Andi was also accompanied by HSAD students as assistants in the class working alongside the inspirational local artists and designers sharing their specific knowledge and skills across a range of specialist disciplines.

Andi said: “The Saturday Club has been an excellent project to be involved in and the students have gained much from it. It’s a really big commitment for people of their age to give up half of their weekend every week, but they have all really thrown themselves into it and truly excelled. I am impressed with their commitment and achievement, each individual member has produced a portfolio of excellent art and design work.”

“The exhibition at Somerset House is something they are all looking forward to, and I’m sure seeing their own work on display in a world famous venue will stay with them for years to come.”

Martin Green, Director of Hull 2017, said: “Ensuring that young people and schools have access to the arts is a cornerstone of our programme and it is so encouraging to see the success that has been achieved through the Saturday Club.

“Not only has this been a fun activity that has led to the extraordinary experience of exhibiting their work at such a young age, something I’m sure they will never forget, but it has complemented the GCSE art curriculum and helped support them with their studies.

“It has also introduced them to Hull School of Art and Design, a relationship I hope will continue.”

The Saturday Club Trust provides the infrastructure to the programme. The Trust is a new charity that has taken over the development of the Saturday Clubs from the Sorrel Foundation. They also facilitate the club and provide support and advice for tutors on how to structure it.

As part of the Saturday Club the students also had the opportunity to take part in masterclasses with renowned artists in addition to exhibiting their work at Central St. Martins Art School, London, during November.

As the programme comes to a close, its success will be evaluated with the potential for it to be repeated in the next academic year.