Letters & Articles
"Dear Michele,
Wow! Thank you so much for awarding the prize to King's! The school is a buzz with excitement and we are absolutely delighted as you can imagine. To say that the students are pleased would be an understatement! The children have been so inspired by the competition and the work has attracted lots of positive attention from other departments in school wanting to use our sculptures for cross-curricular projects and displays. We also loved taking part in the peoples choice award - I thought that was a great touch and also in line with what the turner prize etc have started doing - people like to have their say and our pupils and staff thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the vote.
On behalf of the 40 pupils whose work we sent to you and the other 300+ who also built sculptures and, of course, the staff of the Art Department at King's...A HUGE THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM!!!
I know that the pupils will already be excited about next year's competition...."
- Debbie Inman (King’s School in Macclesfield)
"...we, as a staff, were overwhelmed by the variety and depth of research and the greater understanding of environmental issues that this year's theme raised. The work was vibrant and of an exceptionally high standard. The individuality and inventive use of materials were quite staggering...it shows the high level of hard work, depth of research and huge benefits to the children's learning. Make I take this opportunity to thank you for inspiring so many of our children..."
- Maria Chambers (Art Co-ordinator Warminster School)
"...I just want to let you know how much we have enjoyed doing the sculpture competition again this year. Earlier in the term I invited a working sculptor [...] in to talk about her work...I held our own internal competition on the back of your competition and the sculptor returned after half term to judge our masterpieces which meant more children had a chance of winning and receiving commendations." - Amanda Burnyeat (Art and DT Dept Northcote Lodge)
Think in 3-D for real success
says Alexandra Buxton in the Telegraph Weekend, Saturday June 4 2005
- read more or click here to view the article. (134 Kb gif)
"Nine-year-old Zac Fox celebrated one of the "happiest days" of his life when he won a national sculpture competition...Headteacher Ruth Brock said: "We were all chuffed for Zac and it's thanks to him we are confident of nuturing our pupils' creative talent. It's the biggest amount of money we've won and it will fund a project which the children have wanted for ages." - Zac's grand design, Essex Chronicle 24 June, by Chris Li-In-On - read more, or click here to view the article. (70 Kb jpeg)
"...the RBG Trust has greatly contributed to this new confidence and high self esteem within the school...I have received extremely positive feedback from Governors, Parents and Teachers who feel confident during this period of change within the school and this is largely due to our success in the competition." - Mike Fairclough (Headteacher West Rise Junior School) - read more
"...the location, prestigious nature of the judges and the very useful and realistic prize, all added to a day that was a truly memorable occasion and one that the whole school could celebrate...such has been the imapct on the school, that commemorative work being organised for our VE Day celebration in 2005 combined with the school's own 100th birthday, is being based around the possibility of a sculpture commission, embodying freedom and youth." - Janet Hutsby (Harrogate Grammar School) - read more
"...[Zac's] sculpture, as a medium, has given him much needed confidence - it is a boost I could never have prayed for. It's helped him in too many ways to express...So big a thank you...the impact on one little boy will live with him forever." - Cathryn Fox (Mother of Zac, winner of age group 9-11) - read more
"My parents and my sister were excited to hear of my success and all my teachers and friends at Harrogate Grammar School are also very pleased. My Headteacher Dr. Limbert is really thrilled and is hoping that the local newspapers will carry the story about my Sculpture." - Anna Mackay (Winner of age group 12-13) - read more
"Your competition inspired us to invite experts from the local Nature in Art Museum to visit the school. The Museum staff first led a twilight session with staff to broaden teachers' experiences. Then during our focused sculpture day, the children enjoyed handling, exploring and drawing the wide range of examples brought into the school. Workshops were then held to produce armatures and withy sculptures. The armatures were developed to produce play sculptures for your competition and the withies were made into fish sculptures for our seaside garden. All in all the children had a productive and exciting time, where new skills were encouraged and confidence in working with a new media was developed." - Mrs L. Dineen (Headteacher Shurdington C. of E. Primary School)
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Think in 3-D for real success
...Pupils who do not shine academically can be winners in the sculpture stakes, says Alexandra Buxton in the Telegraph Weekend, Saturday June 4 2005
Thirteen-year-old Charlie Pickering spends most of his spare time climbing trees, scrambling up roofs and delving in skips. Diagnosed as hyperactive and dyslexic, he needs medication to sleep and struggles with basic writing. Life with Charlie, says his mother, Debbie, is "never dull, but always exhausting".
Last week, Charlie won first prize for his age group in a nationwide sculpture competition called Sculpture 4 Kids (S4K). Now in its second year, S4K was set up by Michele Bowman, whose husband, Robert, owns a London gallery specialising in late-19th- and early-20th-century sculpture.
"It sounds corny, but I wanted to put something back into education and I believe strongly that art - particularly three-dimensional work - should play a bigger part in chidren's lives," she says. "We decided to run a competition to encourage schools to devote more time to exploring sculpture."
The Competition, which is funded by the Betterware Foundation, attracted entries from 40 schools in its first year. This year, 70 schools and about 800 pupils submitted work. "We give schools a theme to work within and invite entries from three age categories," says Bowman. "Schools send in photos from which a jury draws up a short list."
The finalists' work was sent to the Royal British Society of Sculptors (RBS) in London to be judged by a panel of art experts at an event attended by children, families and teachers.
This year's theme of the rainforest inspired work that ranged from portrayals of hairy spiders and black panthers to scenes of bulldozers felling trees and abstract statements about environmental destruction.
One of the most striking images, by nine-year-old Tina Mander of Peatmoor School in Swindon, was a tiny monkey in a wooden cage, titled "Tragic Ending".
Bowman hopes that the competition will provide opportunities for children who do not shine academically. Four of the nine finalists in the 11-13 age group attend SUnnydown School in Surrey. "It was only when I contacted the school to give them the news that I discovered it was for boys with special needs," she says. "The pupils' work speaks volumes about children with so-called disabilities - it i so individual and thought provoking."
Helen Hayibor, the art teacher at Sunnydown, says:" For many of our pupils, subjects such as maths, English and science are unattainable at GCSE. Yet in art, about a third of our pupils get an A-grade. Art provides a release from all the emphasis on written work and allows pupils to excel. Being part of this competition is an amazing boost for students and teachers."
Charlie Pickering had spent eight weeks working on his sculptur. "The base is a plaster cast of my face and the rest is made with bits found in bins," he says. "I used all the paint in the school to show that the rainforest is made from thousands of different colours all densely twining together. There is so much in the forest and so little known about it."
With similar attention to detail, Millie Peckham-Cooper, the winner of the seven-to-10 age group, adapted an umbrella to create a symbol of the dripping-wet nature of rainforests. She built up layers of papier-mache to make the stand and stem, lacquered the surfaces and coiled a snake around the base.
"It was difficult," she says. "I learned that you have to try different ways of doing things."
Johannes van Stumm, one of the RBS members involved in selecting the winners, described the children's art as an eye-opener. "It's no exaggeration to say that, in terms of ideas and ingenuity, some of the children's work is better than that of some professional sculptors," he says. "We have a lot to learn from them."
"Looking at the photos sent in by schools, it is immediately apparent which children have teachers who give them the confidence to express themselves and which have teachers that are constraining. Every primary school should have a teacher trained in art who is bold enough to allow children to develop their own ideas."
Caleb Selman, the winner of the four-to-six age category with his sculpture of a poisonous frog, is lucky enough to have just such a teacher at his primary school in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. He says that he looked at books to find a creature he liked and made his bold, red and blue frog from a "shoe box, bent and squashed loo rolls, plastic straws, bottle tops and lollipop sticks".
Nicola Rowsell, his teacher, who trained as an illustrator, says: "Organising an art session for 30 six-year-olds can seem daunting. You have to be able to tolerate a high level of noise and chaos - something that took me some time to be relaxed about. But, in my experience, all children love art and flourish through being creative. Something truly magical and inspirational comes out of all the mess."
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Dear Michele
Just a note from a proud Mum. Zac was amazed to be chosen. Overwhelmed to win.
Unlike his sisters, Zac has never been interested in drawing, colouring or anything that involves a pen/pencil/crayon. His handwriting is under special needs supervision at his school. To be considered artistic when he so obviously has an extremely immature ability in drawing has been fantastic for him. His sculpture, as a medium, has given him much needed confidence - it is a boost I could never have prayed for. It's helped him in too many ways to express.
Aside from this I have to tell you that on the journey home not a single person we passed escaped Zac's big cheque or a chance to see/feel the weight of the Gold Sculpture award. We met some "old" people at the memorial outside the gallery, the hotdog man from whom we bought some water, passing taxi drivers who waved, gave the thumbs up on seeing the cheque, those near (and not so near) us on the tube and train etc. And, getting through the ticket barriers with the cheque...you can imagine! Too wide and when he put it upright he couldn't see where he was going but he wasn't going to let it go however awkward.
The school had put balloons up on a whiteboard with "Well Done Zac!" when he went to school the next morning. The teachers were all overjoyed. Fellow pupils, even those who didn't like him, queued to see the winnings. And, now the cheque, the sculpture and certificate are all pride of place in his bedroom.
I am seeing the headmistress on Friday, but hear that they have invited a local sculptor to create a playground sculpture of Zac's sculpture with part of the money which is generating much interest as you can imagine.
So big a thank you...the impact on one little boy will live with him forever.
Yours
Cathryn Fox
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Dear Michele Bowman
Having recently enjoyed such a successful day in London, I wished to write on behalf of Anna and Harrogate Grammar School, to thank you and the Robert Bowman Gallery Trust for organizing and finding funding for such an exciting competition. The location, prestigious nature of the judges and the very useful and realistic prize, all added to a day that was a truly memorable occasion and one that was a truly memorable occasion and one that the whole school could celebrate.
The Art department staff and in particular the lower school pupils were delighted for Anna. Having been part of the competition process and therefore having an understanding the work involved, meant that many of the students could share in the sense of winning. The Headmaster spoke to the pupils enthusiastically during an assembly and shared his pride and excitement at Anna's success. Furthermore the local paper was keen to feature Anna and her sculpture and her success was also acknowledged in a letter by our local MP Mr Phil Willis.
Such has been the impact on the school, that commemorative work being organized for our VE Day celebration in 2005 combined with the School's own 100th birthday, is being based around the possibility of a sculpture commission, embodying freedom and youth.
As a large comprehensive school funding is always an issue, particularly when the aim of an Art department is to promote exam success through the production of creative and original work, as well as preparing most of our students for higher education. This involves working confidently in a variety of media and in a variety of scales. The holy grail is always how to fund new and stimulating projects within the confines of a budget. The prize money generated by the competition has generated much discussion and we are now looking at the best way of using the fund to maintain the current momentum and promote future interest in sculpture. Ideas such as having practicing artists working across the age ranges, to buying unusual materials are already motivating the department to think of ways of raising the profile of sculpture within the school and community.
Carrying such a large cheque through London was an experience neither Anna or I will forget. Thank you once again for your time in organizing the competition and for giving us such a splendid day.
Yours sincerely
Janet Hutsby
(Harrogate Grammar School)
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Dear Ms Hammersley
Thank you so much for the pictures which you sent me on Wednesday. It was lovely to meet you and Lady Buscombe and thank you both for your congratulations and good wishes. It was also very kind of you to wish me good luck before they announced the winners and I think that this must have helped!! I am pleased that you liked my statue, it was based on my interest and enjoyment of many different sports. I also am studying classical guitar playing and hope to take my Grade 4 exam later this year.
Miss Hutsby (Art teacher) and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to London to Tuesday and were able to fit in going to the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben and went on the London eye which has been one of my ambitions since I first read about it.
My parents and my sister were excited to hear of my success and all my teachers and friends at Harrogate Grammar School are also very pleased. My Headteacher Dr. Limbert is really thrilled and is hoping that the local newspapers will carry the story about my Sculpture. I hope to come again to London with my family so they can see my sculpture in the Mall Galleries and thanks again to you and Lady Buscombe for your encouragement.
Best Wishes
Anna Mackay
(Harrogate Grammar School)
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Dear Michele Bowman
I am writing to thank you and your Sponsors for giving West Rise Junior School the opportunity to participate in the Robert Bowman Gallery Trust School Sculpture Competition.
Participating in this exciting event has generated great interest in the Arts across the whole School Community and inspired both Pupils and Teachers to develop their skills further. An example of this includes a teacher who has successfully secured sponsorship from a local jeweller to develop our 3-D work. We have also attracted a record number of applicants who are Art specialists, for a teaching vacancy within the school. Several applicants have said that they applied following the media coverage on local radio and in the newspaper about the RBG Trust Competition. The pupils have also developed a new passion for Art and where it can lead them.
West Rise Junior School is situated in an area of high unemployment and social deprivation. Inspiration and motivation for a vocational and creative discipline such as Art, is a gift to our children and their communities. The RBG Trust has greatly contributed to this new confidence and high self esteem within the School. In addition to this, being a major financial prize winner, has had a dramatic impact on the school in a number of ways. Firstly, our meagre budget for Art of £125 per annum has been increased by 1500%. This means that we can now buy much needed resources for high quality work. Due to the increased budget we are also in a position to pay for training for teachers, to improve their Art and Design skills. As a new Headteacher I have received extremely positive feedback from Governors, Parents and Teachers who feel confident during this period of change within the school and this is largely due to our success in the Competition. Finally, the prize winner Tharek Ali has dramatically grown in confidence which has had a positive effect on all of his work across the curriculum.
I firmly believe that the RBG Trust is a powerful force within art education at a time when the Government and Local Education Authorities are promoting creativity, Schools do need support and goals as well as financial assistance in order to carry forward these creative initiatives. It is in light of this that I offer my deep gratitude and full support for the RBG Trust at this exciting time in Art Education.
I look forward to hearing from you with details of next year's competition.
Yours sincerely
Mike Fairclough
(Headteacher West Rise Junior School)
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Zac's grand design (Essex Chronicle June 24)
by Chris Li-In-On
Nine-year-old Zac Fox celebrated one of the "happiest days" of his life when he won a national sculpture competition.
Zac's creation was picked out of 24 sculptures at the Robert Bowman Gallery Trust First National School Sculpture Competition, winning the nine-to-11 category.
He won £3,333 for his school, a certificate and a hand crafted gold trophy at the awards ceremony in The Mall Galleries in London.
Zac's sculpture, a climbing frame made out of colourful lollipop sticks and a Dairylea cheese carton, will be on display in exhibitions across the UK along with the other sculptures.
The Beehive Lane Community Primary School pupil said: "I was amazed when I was picked as a finalist and even more when I won. The other sculptures were really good. Along with going to Disneyland, this was the happiest day of my life."
His mother Cath added: "Zac has dyslexic handwriting problems and is not very artistic. He never expected to win and was so gobsmacked he told me: 'It's only a pile of sticks'. It has given Zac so much confidence."
One of the competition's judges, Derek Morris, said Zac's sculpture was impressive as it showed a maturity beyond his years. Mr Morris, the former President of the Royal British Society of Sculptors, said: "I thought it was a very inventive use of materials as sculptures are not often colourful. He developed his own idea."
The school will use the money to build a sculpture garden and erect a larger model of Zac's grand design.
Headteacher Ruth Brock said: "We were all chuffed for Zac and it's thanks to him we are confident of nuturing our pupils' creative talent. It's the biggest amount of money we've won and it will fund a project which the children have wanted for ages." |
