SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER

…AN UPDATE FROM OUR ENGAGEMENT PRODUCER, MATT

Hello Artlink Community,

We’ve enjoyed a dynamite start to the learning programme for the summer here at 87 Gallery, with Gallery Explorers having worked with our new exhibiting artist Isobel Hill to explore ‘Savour This Moment’, and getting stuck in to developing their own symbolist painting with the guidance of local artist Ian Hinley. Be sure to follow Gallery Explorers’ journey over instagram at @87explorers.

A huge congratulations to Ian and to Layla Jabbari - both are members of our Streams artist development community - on their recent success at the Scotts Foundation Emerging Artist Award where they placed second and third respectively, and to first place awardee, Lou Hazelwood, a long-time friend of us here at Artlink.

Streams begins tonight (there’s still time to register if you’d like to come along), and I’m looking forward to building on the momentum we’ve gathered as a group critically responding to themes and concepts beginning here at the gallery, and growing out to each of our wider creative practices. This term, session 2 will be led by lecturers from the University of Hull and new Critical Fish team members Beth Lettington and Izzy Daltry, and session 3 will be led by our most recent Streams Bursary recipient, local artist, musician and outdoor learning specialist Onyx Ocean.

Meanwhile on Tuesday 15th July, we were joined at the gallery by 34 pupils and their teacher Mrs Butcher from Year 3 at Thoresby Primary School, to celebrate the launch of our brand new Our Children’s Gallery. 

This new gallery will showcase the amazing artwork made by young artists across the city, working with our freelance artist team at Artlink Hull in partnership with schools and community settings, as well as outcomes from our popular learning programme at 87 Gallery.

Every year, Thoresby presents Kaleidoscope Festival – a unique and jam-packed fortnight of exploration and discovery through visual art, music, dance and drama. Pupils from every year group welcome visitors and new collaborators from different backgrounds, from performance arts to the sciences.

This year their theme was Agents of Change, and working with Artlink and local artists Lauren Saunders and Joe Foster, pupils in Year 1 and Year 3 got to grips with how we can affect, protect, and create positive change in the environments around us through creativity. The artwork presented in this first exhibition in Our Children’s Gallery was made using a range of different media in those workshops, with a focus on sustainability, and reusing materials – including ‘wild clay’ sourced from the River Humber. A wonderful podcast that pupils recorded on the day with BBC Radio Humberside is available to listen to here.

I’m really excited about developing our relationship with Thorseby and their outstanding approach to creative engagement, with conversations continuing about the shape of this in the near-future.

As always, we are open Thursday to Saturday 10-4.30 and I can always be found here at the gallery on a Friday - if you’d like to chat about our learning programme and opportunities for children and young people, or artist development, it would be lovely to meet you so please come over to find me - we can grab a coffee and have a chat in our beautiful studio space.

Best regards,

Matt, Engagement Producer

Savour This Moment will run from 5 July - 20 September 2025.

Thursday - Saturday | 10am - 4.30pm.

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