Inclusion Projects

St Ives School of Painting run inclusion projects to engage specific young people that would not normally be able to engage in our youth arts projects. These vary from cultural camps for targeted young people, to working onsite at secondary schools. We seek to reach out beyond the studio walls and welcome those who would otherwise be unable to access visual arts and culture.  Young People gain skills, confidence, improved aspiration and a Nationally recognised qualification: Bronze Arts Award.

Culture Camp

Culture Camp is an innovative cultural programme for local young people. It is a set of five artist-led sessions including artist studio visits, talks, visual arts workshops and trips to cultural institutions.

Recent Culture Camps featured

  • Painting and drawing at Porthmeor Studios overlooking the sea,
  • A tour of Leach Pottery museum, a throwing demo and making a clay bowl using slump moulds,
  • A visit to Tate St Ives to see the St Ives collection and current exhibitions,
  • Q&A session with a contemporary artist and tour of their studio,
  • A visit to Porthmeor Beach and a walk on St Ives Island to gather inspiration,
  • Bronze Arts Award accreditation.

Who do we work with?

Youth partners, alternative provisions and we take referrals from secondary schools.

Since 2019, we have worked in partnership with 10 different schools and educational partners across Cornwall, reaching those most in need.

Culture Camp supports young people to re-engage in learning. All of the young people chosen have low cultural engagement, and having the Culture Camp experience, with Bronze Arts Award embedded, brings huge benefits to such at risk groups.

We work with local secondary schools as well as pupil referral units and the Community and Hospital Education Service (CHES).  All referred students from secondary schools are chosen because they are pupil premium and live in low income families. The young people attending the pupil referral units are excluded from education, while others in the CHES are too ill to go to school. We feel it’s important that local young people feel invited to arts spaces that often feel out of reach or exclusive to them. Breaking those barriers to engagement transforms young peoples aspirations. We want to help create the artists of the future!

St Ives School of Painting recognises how art and creativity can transform lives and change perspectives. We continue to support local young people with our resources, experience, artists and passion.

Create Room

This inclusion project, was piloted in Summer term last year, and was delivered onsite at Pool Academy. It is another way of engaging with young people who would otherwise not access the arts. The artist Emma Saffy Wilson supported by an art technician from School of Painting took over an area of the art department and worked with two sets of young people from low income backgrounds. All the art activities surrounded mindfulness and wellbeing and young people were given 1 hour out of their school day to take part. We are looking to expand this in 2025.

Colour Your Summer

Last summer, we worked in partnership with the Salvation Army in St Ives. This was to deliver a targeted arts project for the local young people who access their Friday night Youth Club. The project took place in their building and a set of 5 art workshops took place on Tuesday afternoons, after a lunch which was provided. Three different artists alongside a technician, delivered varied sessions, from painting on wood and monoprint drawings to throwing clay cups. This will be developed in 2024, starting with a taster session in February.

Young people visiting an artists studio at Porthmeor Studios.
Clay bowl made and decorated by young person at Leach Pottery.
Young people showing their artwork to each other and discussing techniques they used.
3D artworks created during activity ‘drawing with scissors.’

Funding

Culture Camp is a grant funded programme and from 2019 to 2022, was supported by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust. Her legacy supports young people and other individuals to fulfil their potential in the visual arts. Since then, it has been funded by personal donations and Taylor Money.

Create Room is funded by the monthly donations made by Taylor Money, a wealth management business in Falmouth. They are family-owned and care about the local young people, aiming for their donations to help make a difference in young peoples futures.

Colour Your Summer was funded by St Ives Town Council and St Ives Community chest, helping to engage those most in need in our community. Little Parc Owles generously funded the February 2024 taster session featuring Coach Frank.

“I loved just being creative for a week. I loved the peace of being at the studios.”

Quote by excluded young person

I enjoyed meeting new people this week. I rarely leave the house as I am an introvert so I have surprised myself by how I have been this week.

Quote by referred young person

I get art now, it’s really clicked!

Quote by referred young person

The cultural capital that Culture Camp has given our students is immeasurable. It gave our students cultural opportunities they would never otherwise get and the quality of them felt so exclusive.

Quote by PRU staff

Culture Camp is made possible by the generous support Taylor Money,
St Ives Rotary, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust, and in 2022 HeadStart Kernow

Taylor Money

Taylor Money Wealth Management is a boutique family-owned business who have been working with high-net-worth clients for more than three decades. We help people make good decisions with their money.

St Ives Rotary St Ives

Rotary offer generous support to the Schools’ work with local young people. Part of the proceeds raised by the annual artist postcard sale held during the September Festival is donated to the School. This supports our Sunday Art Club as well as other creative programmes for local young people.

See here how we keep your children safe with our Safeguarding Policy.