Emily’s First Month

MEET EMILY

Hello Everyone!

My name is Emily and I have been at Artlink for nearly a month now. I have joined the team following an apprenticeship with Generation Hull and will be here for 18 months. I am so grateful to be able to have a role that allows me to continue to work creatively. Since joining the team a month ago, everyone has been so warm and welcoming and have made me feel part of the team as soon as I walked through the door on my first day.

Before my apprenticeship, I was a student at Ron Dearing UTC for 4 years. I joined the 14-16 college in 2021 and after finishing my GCSEs I stayed to continue my creative passion for a further 2 years at the new STEAM studios to study my A-levels. During year 10 and 11 I studied the main subjects of Maths, English, and Science. For my extra subjects I chose to study Creative I-media and Photography. I have had a passion for Photography since an early age and studying this helped me to further my knowledge of the art. When I moved onto studying further at the new STEAM studios, I decided on studying A-level, Photography, 3D Design and Graphics. Being at the college allowed me to pursue more within the arts and all the teachers helped me to flourish my creativity and pushed me to overcome any obstacles.

Since joining the team, I have already seen an amazing and eye-catching exhibition named Savour this Moment by Isobel Hill, an artist based in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Her works included applying her distinctive, illustrative drawing style, painting, ceramics, and animation skills to produce multiple pieces of amazing artwork. I was able to see the last two weeks of the exhibition and was amazed at the passion and depth of her work. At our community fundraiser event I was able to meet and talk to Isobel and witness her talking so passionately about her work to many people, watching so many of them feel inspired by both Isobel and her work. Our latest exhibition is The Nearness of Elsewhere by Emma Prempeh.

I found the process of setting up the gallery space for the next artist interesting as this was my first time seeing and taking part in getting everything ready for the next exhibition. This included me painting the white walls of the gallery a deep aubergine.

When you arrive, I will be right there at the front desk to greet you with a warm welcome. Whether you are a seasoned art enthusiast or visiting again or if it is for the first time coming to us, I will be here to help, answer your questions, and to ensure your gallery experience is both enjoyable and memorable. I cannot wait to hopefully see you soon at our next exhibition which will be held from 4th October – 19th December.

Amy, from Create to Change, also recently joined us and will be working with our team on a 10 week placement. Of her placement, she said:

"Since I started my placement at Artlink I have already learnt so much! I've always been interested in art, so it's been great to see the behind the scenes of what goes on during an exhibition at a gallery. The team have been very welcoming too; I'm really looking forward to learning more as the weeks go on."

I also recently attended an important event regarding Generation Hull.

The event marked the celebration of the first running start of the apprenticeship programme designed to support young people in maintaining their creative pursuits after leaving college/education.

In total there are four apprentices:

Me - Artlink Hull 87 Gallery

Eli - Back to Ours

Molly - Middle Child

Dylan - Freedom Festival

It was an aspiring gathering where I had the opportunity to talk with BBC Humberside and connect with Trish Dalby, the Chair of Generation Hull, as well as network with key funders involved in the program.

I was also fortunate to have Lindsey accompany me at the event. Lindsey's presence added significant value, allowing us both to witness first hand the beginning of such an important movement to support young people and their creative futures. It was a privilege to share this inspiring experience with her.

A key highlight from the event was participating in a panel discussion in front of a room full of engaged attendees. Each of us on the panel explained our roles within our placement and emphasised the profound importance of this apprenticeship programme. As the four of us are the first trial runners of the programme, it was enlightening to witness the enthusiasm and commitment from all those involved. Talking in front of so many important people gave us the opportunity as young people to share our voice and spread information about the apprenticeship and the vitalness of helping to support young people wanting to have and pursue creative futures. The discussion on and off the panel allowed for us to highlight the critical role that this programme has and how it can shape future opportunities for young people with creative talents.

One of the questions asked was what our favourite thing has been on our placement so far. I decided to talk about the install of Emma Prempeh's artwork and how fascinating it was to not only witness but help with the process and being able to talk with Emma herself.

I was also grateful to see my two favourite supporters. My creative teachers from Ron Dearing UTC Lynn and Kate. It was great to catch up with them and talk about how amazing the apprenticeship has been so far and to tell them what I've been up to this month.

I want to thank everyone @87Gallery and @artlinkhull for making me feel so welcomed to the team from the second I stepped through the door on my first day. You guys really are the best!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I hope to see you here at the Gallery soon!

All the best,

Emily

About Artlink Hull

Artlink @ 87 Gallery Hull is a community arts charity dedicated to bringing the creative arts to everyone, especially people who haven't had the chance to get involved before.
We’re based at our beautiful 87 Gallery in the heart of HU5 in Hull: a hyper local visual art gallery with a national outlook, rooted in the communities we serve, developing world-class talent.
Currently, we’re fundraising for our future, if you can help in anyway, we would be so grateful.

Contribute to our £87k for 87 Gallery Target here

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