STATE OF ART: a free art course based in the city

State of Art: igniting imagination, empowering lives and reducing isolation in the city

Mondays (Term time) 4:30-6:00pm

Starting Monday 29th April 2024 for 11 weeks

Based at The Sustainable Studio, 59-61 Tudor Street, Cardiff. CF11 6AD

There is no cost for this course. No previous creative experience or qualifications are needed. You must be aged 16-25 and committed to being part of the group every week and live in the city

Cyflwr Celf : State of Art: The project offers alternative and imaginative education opportunities for young people who want to improve their skills, build confidence and meet new people in a creative, safe space, The Sustainable Studio in Riverside.

Diversity, and equity are at the forefront of our programme. While we work with everyone, we hold primary space for those facing barriers to the arts, education, and employment.

Our first theme is ‘Identity,’ and over 11 weekly workshops and a field trip, we will help young people come together to express, share, coproduce, and co-design art pieces, exploring street culture and fashion, fabric design, expressive writing and illustration. This will culminate in a mini exhibition and event including music, styling, and a film in support of mental well-being.

As a team, we’ll encourage sustainable arts opportunities and will welcome four local inspirational guest creatives to inspire the group. They will share their stories of identity and skills so the STATE OF ART group can develop their own.

We’ll create bold expressive fabrics using selfie illustrations taught by Disney and Warner Brothers artist Thom Botwood. We’ll also add the words you discover from workshops with Talk To CoCo (a multidisciplinary ADHD artist and mental health advocate) branding from Insanely Sane’s founder Caleb Valentin, and identity musings from Willow Pugh, a young aspiring writer. When the fabric is ready you’ll work with the Dati design team to create an outfit that speaks to the community. We’ll style it all up, illustrate and photograph your creations ready to make a full impact and share our State of Art Identity with the world! (Well with your friends and family at least - and a showcase celebration at TSS otherwise known as a bit of a party!)

Words from Beth: ‘Identity is a set of physical, mental, emotional, social and interpersonal characteristics that are unique to you. This project aims to give you a sense of self through creative tasks, learning from others in the industry and collaboration with your peers. We want to provide direction and motivation, foster community participation and encourage grounding and self awareness for all who join State of Art. Your identity is the future of this project! We really hope you can join us’

This project is organised and facilitated by Beth Morris of Beth Morris Workshops and Sarah and Julia of The Sustainable Studios. It is fully funded by The Arts Council of Wales and supported by the Arts for Health and Wellbeing team at CAVUHB.

So, if all this sounds like your thing, and you are aged 16-25 and live in the city, please ‘add to cart’ if you would like to join us ASAP. You will not be charged but will have expressed your interest. Beth will contact you further at the email address you provide. Spaces are limited, so please keep in touch once we’ve made contact.