North East Education & Library Board
Title: Ballymena Residencies
Artform: Visual Art
Organisation(s): Ballymena Academy & Dunclug College
Creative Partners: Lucy Turner & Martin McClure
Participants: 100 12 -18 yrs

Synopsis: Two visual artists were placed in two post-primary schools to work along-side the art teachers, the A-level students and the year 9 and 10 classes for 14 weeks. The artists introduced themselves as working, practicing artists, showing their own work as well as facilitating workshops.

Background: Both schools identified areas in art that they would like to develop within the department, Ballymena Academy looking toward printing and textiles and Dunclug College focusing on ceramics. The schools already had a working relationship, even though they are grammar/controlled but fully cherished the idea of offering the pupils an opportunity to work with an artist. The artists would bring in a different style of delivery along with techniques and skills.

Mr Davies, who has a background in commercial print, was keen for his A-level pupils to explore the potential of photographic screen printing and its applications, not just on paper, but a variety of materials. Lucy Turner, the artists in residence in the Academy is a printer who is trying to stretch the boundaries of printing and mixed media.
Martin McClure a young ceramicist, worked closely with both art teachers in Dunclug, introducing them and the pupils to techniques, glazes and the kiln.

Artist in Residence: Lucy and Martin started their residencies in Oct 06, coming in as an artist with their own work to set the ground for the rest of the residency. The formed a good rapor with all the pupils they worked with, fitting into each departments themes, The Sea and Carnivals, with very different outcomes.

Exhibition: TBC, Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart, April 06.