Clifton College Website

Millennium Exhibition

The purpose of our exhibition was to bring artists into school, and in contact with children. We wished to draw attention to one of the best facilities the school has in its possession, and to raise the profile of the arts in school by creating a notable event for the year of the millennium.

The means of doing this was to coordinate the efforts of nine artists in order to produce an art exhibition within our studio space that would rival any commercial gallery in Bristol.

We were fortunate to gain sponsorship from Dyson, and the art rooms were duly converted over the half term holiday, (this took six hours each day for six days!). A very successful Preview held on 26th February was followed by two further days when the art studios were open to the general public. Over 200 visitors came to see 99 works of art.

We handled over £35,000 worth of art, and sold painting, sculpture and ceramics to the value of £1,450; 10% of this fed back into the department in the form of gallery commission. Local papers published articles on the exhibition, broadcasts were made on local radio, and two artists received further openings on the strength of their showing with us.

The exhibition was seen by every pupil in the preparatory school, and by many in the senior school. Groups of pupils visited from two other schools.

Pupils were able to meet the artists, and were able to respond to the work in terms of discussion, image-making and writing, gaining clear insights into issues like motivation, working method and presentation. There was a general feeling among the pupils, and among a good few colleagues, of being hugely privileged to have had a major art event come to them. In terms of shaping learning opportunities within schools for children focusing on critical studies, this kind of event is probably unrivalled.

The artists who exhibited in our art studios were as follows: Jeremy Baines, Rupert Blamire, Tony Eastman, John Grice, Annie Metcalfe, Sally Nuttall, Pete O'Sullivan, Clive Pates, and Judith Renfrew.

© 2006-8 Clifton College