Art & Design
The Art and Design department is housed in the Rugg Centre. The department revolves around the large, purpose built, light filled studio on the top floor. Students have access to a ceramics room, printmaking studio, specialist Art library and the U6 enjoy their own studio spaces on the mezzanine level.
Art and Design is integral to a young person’s development. At the Leys we place emphasis on the acquisition of technical skill, drawing from direct observation, investigation and personal expression. Pupils are encouraged to analyse, solve and evaluate visual and intellectual problems. We aim to help pupils be self motivated, gain confidence and develop initiative through working in a stimulating studio environment.
Pupils work in both 2D and 3D, including painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, pottery, ceramics and sculpture. GCSE students follow the OCR syllabus which aims to stimulate imagination, sensitivity, conceptual thinking and powers of observation. In the sixth form students study OCR AS and A2 Art and are given increasing freedom to make choices and to take responsibility for the direction of their learning.
The outstanding achievments of our examination groups are celebrated in June in the Rugg Centre in our annual GCSE, AS and A2 exhibitions. We also have established a successful programme of exhibitions held annually in central Cambridge for our VI Form Artists to celebrate their work in public. Many of our Upper Sixth A level Artists choose to continue their studies in Art and design at major Art schools and Universities in the United kingdom.
In the last few years we have enjoyed wider success with some of our students’ work. The Leys Art Department was shortlisted in the Saatchi Gallery/Sunday Telegraph Art Prize for Schools 2010 prize from an international field of 18000 entries.
Celia Knight’s painting, ‘Ken’ was included in the exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, Kings Road in January 2011.
Following selection by NADFAS for the East Anglian Schools Art Exhibition Lucy Parnell’s ‘Portrait of Sue’ was chosen for the Mall Galleries annual exhibition by the Royal Society of British Artists.
More recent success has been enjoyed, with a number of our students entering a competition run by the Medical Research Council. Edward Parkhouse was joint winner with his 2011 entry, and in 2010 Mu-Chun Chiang’s work was chosen for permanent exhibition. Edward is now working alongside the MRC as an Artist in Residence whilst doing an Art Foundation course.
Artist in Residence
Ulyana Gumeniuk joins the school to become our second Artist in Residence as of October 2011. We are thrilled to be welcoming Ulyana to our department and are very excited to be working alongside her. Ulyana joins us from Trinity College Cambridge, where she has held the post of Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts for two years. This following on from winning the BP Travel Award in 2003 and travelling to St. Petersburg, Russia to carry out her prize.
Ulyana's studio is located in the main art room. It is an open plan space affording students the opportunity to see the developments and working processes of a professional artist. Ulyana will work predominantly, but not exclusively, with sixth form students working on a one to one basis to help them develop their personal projects.
Ceramics and Sculpture
All projects start with drawing, discussion and usually a demonstration; pupils are expected to show how they can explore ideas imaginatively, be inspired by the work of other artists’ and to experiment with materials and techniques. Pupils start learning clay work early on by coiling pots and experimenting with slab building. At GCSE pupils work towards a more sophisticated final piece as part of their unit of work these tend to fall into two categories that become either functional or non-functional and naturally lead into discussions about ceramics or sculpture. At this level techniques become more advanced and pupils experiment with surface texture, pattern and colour. When designing a final piece a student will need to show their understanding of space and form and the materials and its properties. We often have discussions about structure, tension and weight when designing three dimensional works.
Processes are more highly developed at A level and methods include casting, subtractive (when material is removed by carving and cutting) and additive (where materials are added).
Printmaking
Our specialist studio for printmaking houses an etching press, fabric printing table and a range of professional printmaking tools and inks. The Print Studio is used by pupils doing GCSE, AS and A level Art. The print facilities allow a diversity of techniques, including Dry-point etching, Screen printing, Relief printing, Collography, Waterless Lithography and Monotype. Students are encouraged to experiment with new media; digital imaging, glass engraving and printing onto alternative surfaces, such as fine plaster, glass, canvas and various fabrics. Technical help is provided to ensure processes are taught safely and correctly.
Printmaking is encouraged as an avenue of research, experimentation and refinement of ideas for all students. Many of our students translate ideas into print editions and this affords further variety to their achievements in this subject area.
Staff
Julie Stobbart BA : Head of Department
Clare Battison BA
Jane Cooke BA
Ulyana Gumeniuk - Artist in residence
Thomas Robinson BA - Technician