St Mary's Calne
On a beautiful autumn morning, the LIV (our Year 7), selected St Margaret’s pupils, and our Art Scholars set off to the bucolic idyll of the New Art Centre, Roche Court, Salisbury, to engage with a ‘Narratives of Sculpture’ Workshop.
The LIV and St Margaret’s pupils worked with Roche experts to learn of the narratives on key pieces of the current collection that included Anthony Caro’s Double Tent, Barry Flanagan’s Large Left-Handed Drummer, and Peter Newman’s Skystation to create imaginative Zines and stories, through illustrations.
“This trip was so fun, and I really enjoyed seeing all the Statues and drawing a few. I especially liked the two-disc horse with the cows around it in the landscape.” Beatrix, LIV
“To see sculptures in real life and to be able to walk around them and look at different angles and notice the impact of the natural light and the resources around it, how that impacts it, I can get a feel of the environment and how the sculptor might have felt themselves and why they chose to put it there.”
UV Art Scholars
Our talented Art Scholars worked in greater depth to explore themes of materiality, site-specific contexts in addition to equestrian subject matter to best prepare them for the White Horse Sculpture Project as part of the school’s 150th Anniversary celebrations. The project will include them working with Judy Boyt, Sculptress, to create their own maquette in clay inspired by our own White Horse at Cherhill. This workshop will then be delivered by our Scholars to local primary students, followed by an exhibition of works in our Library. A piece will be selected from our Scholars for a series of casts which will be auctioned as part of our Chrysalis Campaign, raising money for funded places at St Mary’s. In addition, a piece will be selected from the primary schools for casting in bronze resin and donated back to the relevant student's primary school as a celebration of our collaboration. We are proud to working with Roche Court, The RSA and The Art Society Wessex on this significant project at this key time in our school's history.
“To see a sculpture outside works a lot better than it just being in a room like a white canvas, because you get more surroundings, and more ideas of what the sculpture can say. It becomes more powerful.” LV Art Scholars
Selected Sixth Form Artists prepare for a podcast with Royal Academician, Alison Wilding RA.
A Podcast Workshop also took place at Roche Court with selected Sixth Formers from St Mary’s and Hardenhuish School, Chippenham. This was the first in a series of events to support these students in researching, planning, and conducting an effective podcast with the Artist in the Spring Term. In association with Roche Court and The Art Society, Wessex, we hope that this podcast will illuminate creative industry careers and enable the participants to great aspirations in the field of Art Curation and Journalism.
“The workshop was really helpful as they helped us to understand the meanings behind the sculptures and so we can make it real for ourselves. Sculpture doesn't have to be in a museum or a gallery or anything like that, does it? It can be everywhere.”
“I found the different ways people made the pieces so interesting.”
“I didn't know that you could have pottery outside because I was always taught to keep it inside... ceramics can be sculpture.”
“I'd love to be an artist.”