Exhibition showcases young artists from North Cumbrian schools

The Arts Society Cumbria exhibition takes place every summer to promote the achievements of art students in Cumbrian schools.  This year participating schools include the Appleby Grammar School, Austin Friars Independent School, Keswick School and James Rennie School for Special Needs in Carlisle.

At the opening of the Exhibition in Carlisle, Linda Ivison, the Chair of the Arts Society Cumbria welcomed the art historian Dr David A. Cross (pictured below) who had the difficult task of selecting the award-winning artworks.  “I am impressed by the diversity of subjects, media and techniques used by the students – they are all evidence of much talent and inspiring teaching in our schools”, said Dr Cross.  Most of the artworks on show were created in response to the A-level exam papers with themes such as images of home and play providing a starting point to students’ imagination.

After some deliberation Dr Cross chose three artworks:  Exploring Japan by Megan Sowerby of Appleby Grammar School, which is an inventive pencil and mixed media work inspired by Japanese culture and traditions. Next was Clothing by Arianna Boyd of Austin Friars Independent School on Carlisle, which is a vivid, expressionistic rendition of domesticity which suggests that clothes have their own stories to tell.  Finally, a big sparkling collage The Sun (shown below) is a collaborative work by pupils from James Rennie School, who worked together on the theme of A Disco in the Sky using their hands and feet. Also highly commended were the accomplished Portraits by Eve Nicholson of Appleby, digitally-enhanced photographs Golden hour light by Freddie Bloomer and The Sea 3 by Julia Wang, both of Austin Friars.

The Exhibition was organised with the support of a Community Grant from The Arts Society by Fiona Campbell and Stuart McElhinney, who said how much they appreciated their collaboration with Cumbrian schools.  The Exhibition will be held until 17 August in a gallery at Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life in Carlisle, which is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm, at The Castle, Alma Block, Castle Way, Carlisle CA3 8UR.