Designed and delivered by our Artist in Residence, Anne Culverhouse Evans, Valleys Kids’ Visual Arts Programme encompasses art classes, residentials and summer schools, international exchanges and collaborative projects with national and international arts institutions such as Artes Mundi, Art & the Environment and the Royal Academy.
Our visual arts programme runs across Valleys Kids. Our art classes for older adults run in Penyrenglyn, Penygraig and Porth. These are fun groups which don’t just focus on art, they also act as a social setting for older and vulnerable adults who could otherwise be quite isolated.
During the covid-19 lockdown, the participants of the art classes were loaned iPads so they could continue to attend art classes virtually. This meant that the group still had contact with the outside world at least once a week.
The Art in the Attic gallery has a fully packed schedule of exhibitions, ranging from Valleys Kids groups to local and national artists.
Recently we have partnered with ACE Arts, to work collaboratively on a project called Explore Collective. It is a two-year project funded by Arts Council Wales ‘Connect & Flourish’ fund, bringing together a range of creative organisations. The aims of the project are to share artistic techniques and processes and to learn new creative skills, along with offering trips and showcasing exhibitions that will help participants to connect and share artwork and achievements with a wider audience.
Wednesday 10am-12pm
Thursday 10am-12pm
Thursday 1pm-3pm
Art In The Attic is pleased to announce the opening of Going Away In Order To Return, an exciting exhibition featuring a new body of work that deals with the artist’s recent journeys, both geographically and mentally. The exhibition will be on view from 5th July to 31st July at Art In The Attic, The Factory.
Join us for the opening reception on 5th July from 6 – 9 pm , where attendees will have the opportunity to meet the artist and enjoy complimentary refreshments.
The exhibition is a development of the artists’ painterly practice, moving on from their collage styles to a more direct aesthetic that addresses the themes of love, loss, rediscovery, and an awakening to a new way of thinking. The artist has taken a new step in their process, forcing themselves to utilise new methods of looking and making. Diving deeper into their relationship with symbolism and colour, each work tells a multi-faceted narrative that reflects the mental and physical journey the artist has embarked upon in recent years. The highs and lows of the artist’s recent experiences are discussed in each work, often seen within recognizable imagery that allows the viewer to attach their own emotions to the pieces.
Going Away In Order To Return is about having the confidence to follow your own path and allowing new ideas, perspectives, and people to fill your life and reward you with a new way of looking at the world.
‘’As an artist, you should be free to explore…this work has been challenging but I needed to delve deep into areas of my life and be more honest about the experiences that have shaped me’.’
’’I think this work in general, there is a confidence to it, it feels like this is me and this is who I am, and this is the way I paint so deal with it…’’
Read the full story here.
Please contact anneculverhousevans@valleyskids.biz for more information about our visual arts programme.
