ART: THE NEXT GENERATION
YOUNG artists will see their work exhibited amongst rare treasures and the art of Old Masters when Nottinghamshire’s historic Portland Collection reopens on September 14.
After taking part in a unique literacy and art project, children have created an exhibition which will be unveiled in the Harley Gallery on the ducal Welbeck Estate, near Worksop. The project – a collaboration between Nottinghamshire County Council and the gallery – was designed specifically to help vulnerable children and its success was showcased during last month’s UK Literacy Association International Conference.
As part of the project, 26 children, aged between 5 and 11, were given the chance to study miniature portraits that form part of a collection built up over centuries by the Dukes of Portland at Welbeck. Dr Petula Bhojwani and Craig Wilkie, from Nottinghamshire County Council, worked with the children to help them create their own artwork, stories and digital apps inspired by the portraits.
The children were given tasks that would encourage them to read more, while also developing their literacy and creative skills by devising stories. Now their work will be shown in the gallery, and linked with the brand-new exhibition in the Portland Collection. The treasured miniatures, which inspired their work, will form part of the new display of fine and decorative arts within the collection, which will reopen after a transformation following the theft last November of the Portland Diamond Tiara.
The Trustees of the Harley Foundation have been overwhelmed by the extraordinary success of the storytelling project. Chairman William Parente said: “In a long career in the arts and education I don’t think I have come across anything quite so imaginative, so admirable, so successful. The engagement of the children in their stories was quite remarkable, and the creativity and diversity of those stories wonderful to behold.”
Speaking of the success of the project, Dr Bhojwani said: “Carers and teachers reported that the young people soon became absorbed in unknown worlds and created something new from something very old. The outcomes are stunning and the learning that has taken place is remarkable. We are grateful for the Harley Gallery’s support for the project. Access to a museum collection and opportunity for children to exhibit alongside has not been done before and I feel privileged to have shared news of the project with an international audience at the UK Literary Association Conference.”
■ Admission is free, parking is free. Harley Gallery is open daily 10am-5pm (4pm Sundays). For more details visit harleygallery.co.uk.