An exhibit of artwork from The Blue Kite Academy Trust pupils can be viewed at North Swindon Library.
The Blue Kite Academy Trust has put together a colourful art exhibit in North Swindon Library featuring pieces done by local children from various schools in the Trust, all inspired by the word ‘Journey’.
It opened at 11am on 27 April 2023, and will run throughout the May school holidays, ending on 5 June.
The exhibit is a collection of art projects in varying forms of media, from sculptures and digital art to watercolours and collages.
The event was attended by North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson, children’s author and illustrator duo, Neil Griffiths and Judith Blake, and the young artists themselves, pupils from local schools within the Trust.
The exhibit contains an abundance of artwork inspired by each child’s personal interpretation of the word ‘Journey’, and what it means to them. All 11 schools within the Blue Kite Trust contributed, resulting in a brilliant collection of work spanning five year groups.
Swindon Link spoke to one young individual, Imogen, a Year 3 pupil from Lethbridge Primary School, to ask about her piece, and she commented: “I was inspired by watercolours and oil pastels. We drew the picture with our oil pastels, and then painted it over with water, and just added the watercolours in. I enjoyed doing the bridge part the most.”
A speech was given by Dan Clarke, Executive Headteacher of Brookfield Primary School, where he thanked the staff and children for their work and praised the children for their creativity, before handing over to children’s author Neil Griffiths, who spoke about the inspiration behind the theme of the exhibit, and about his book, ‘The Journey’. He ended his address with a promise to drop a copy of his book to every school in the Trust.
Dan Clarke added: “The personal development of our children within Blue Kite establishments, beyond the individual school’s curriculum, is part of the vision and ethos of the Trust. Looking for opportunities to do that collaboratively, in a way that supports the community is something that we aspire to do.
“This art project is one of those things that we felt would be a good to do together as a Trust, and then display collectively for the community to enjoy.”
Gary Evans, CEO of the Blue Kite Academy Trust, said: “I think there’s many reasons why we have held this event today. First of all it shows all of our schools working together - this exhibition is not just a product of one school. Secondly, our main aim was to give the children a purpose outside of their work in schools.
“All of these children that have worked on the exhibition are now published artists. Their work is displayed here in a public place for people to come and have a look. This not only drives their confidence, but their skill level too. Some of these young artists are five years, old, some are seven, some are eleven, so you’ve got a number of different skill levels. They’ve also used a variety of different mediums to express themselves.
“The last element of this project has been making sure that what we’re doing doesn’t just give them purpose but that it adds to the community and it brings people together. We’ve managed to wrap all of these things together, and we’re looking forward to doing many more things like this.”
North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson enthused: “I’m absolutely thrilled for the Blue Kite Trust students that are so proud that their wonderful creative skills are now on display for local residents to see and enjoy. I think it’s brilliant that the Trust have pulled this event together and it’s a tribute to the wealth of talent that we have across our local primary schools.”
Michelle Drew, Library Manager, said: “I hope we, at North Swindon Library, can host events like this every year. You can see how hard all the children have worked and the artwork is amazing and really varied. I have been most impressed by all the different techniques the young artists have used.
“We would love to see as many people as possible coming into the library to see the exhibition, and we hope to work with Blue Kite Trust again.”
North Swindon Library is located within Orbital Shopping Park just off of Thamesdown Drive. Those wishing to become members simply have to drop in and bring a form of ID and proof of address. Its opening hours are as follows:
- Monday - 2.00pm to 6.00pm
- Tuesday - closed
- Wednesday - 10.00am to 2.00pm
- Thursday - closed
- Friday - 1.00pm to 5.00pm
- Saturday - 10.00am to 2.00pm
- Sunday - 11.00am to 3.00pm
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