Written evidence submitted by BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

 

 

  1. BALTIC is a major international centre for contemporary art situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead, England and has welcomed over 7 million people since opening in 2002. With no permanent collection, BALTIC has gained an international reputation for its distinctive and ambitious programme of exhibitions and events and is a world leader in the commissioning of cutting-edge contemporary art.

 

  1. BALTIC aims to create greater understanding of the world through outstanding, experimental and inspiring contemporary art that has power, relevance and meaning for individuals and communities. BALTIC’s Learning and Civic Engagement Team works with a variety of different audiences throughout the region and nationally. We are committed to providing inclusive opportunities that enable individuals and communities to explore and exchange different perspectives and new ideas. We firmly believe that contemporary art provides a lens through which to view the world and that everybody should have the opportunity to access and enjoy it not just for its own sake but for the positive impacts that culture can have on education and social mobility.

 

  1. Over the last two years, BALTIC has worked in partnership with Northumberland Church of England Academy, Northumberland, an all-through school with over 2500 pupils, on a number of different programmes. At NCEA both the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through pupil premium funding and the proportion of pupils with a statement of SEN or education, health and care plan and those supported for their SEN and/or disabilities are well above the national average. Together, we have explored ways to raise literacy and behaviour levels and encourage aspiration and motivation in a community with multi-generational unemployment. 

 

  1. “In a very changing world where the fight for arts grows harder; from ‘I can’t draw’ from the students and ‘What job does art get ya?!’ from parents and carers to’ what is valued added for Progress 8’ from the government.; this project embraced the joys of art but also the powerful impact it has on our young people”  Teacher – NCEA
     
  2. As part of a funded project, BALTIC paired a senior art teacher from NCEA with a creative writer/visual artist. Giving up curriculum lesson time, two classes of Year 7 children worked to explore BALTIC’s exhibition by Canadian artist Rodney Graham through creative writing and literacy.
     
  3. Working before the show opened, students, their teacher and the artist explored narrative and character building, placing themselves in the position of The Gifted Amateur, a photographic installation with Graham as the central figure, and reviewed analytical, doctorate level critique of Graham’s work , creating poetry in response. They analysed, deconstructed and reconstructed language and meaning, exploring art through the medium of words. Throughout the programme, the artist collected ideas, thoughts, discussion and debate in sound bites from the students. This was knitted together as a sound collage that accompanied the Rodney Graham show on opening as an audio guide. It was heard by 105,000 visitors to BALTIC.       
     
  4. “It was amazing for the students’ voices and opinions to be heard by strangers but more so that this world-renowned artist let a group of 11 year olds from an old mining village be the first to experience his work and share it with a new audience.” Teacher – NCEA
     
  5. At the start of the project students were asked to respond to questions about Graham’s The Gifted Amateur using Bloom’s Taxonomy. Pupils were unable to provide responses to 20% of the questions, this reduced to 8% by the end of the project. In baseline data, the most used adjectives were ‘amazing’, ‘unique’ and ‘creative’ although by the end of the project pupils favoured language that included ‘convincing’, ‘detailed’, ‘tonal’, ‘pretend’ and ‘meaningful’ more. 13% more pupils used arts specific language like ‘painter’, ‘amateur’ and ‘triptych’ by the end of the project.
     
  6. 41% of students were graded by teachers as having demonstrated a marked improvement in their behaviour in art lessons and wider school life, whilst 81% were judged to have made improvements in their effort and motivation grades as a result of the project, enabling them to be actively involved in not just their learning but their school’s community too.    
     
  7. Of the students that took part, 56% are eligible for pupil premium funding support and 54% are identified as having a statement of SEN, EHC or additional support. They had not visited or engaged with BALTIC before. The project enabled some of the most challenging students to speak out, have their voice heard and counted by their peers, parents and the wider world and introduced the concept of the arts, and the creativity and furthered imagination it fosters, as routes to an AI-resistant career path.
     
  8. “The message is create what you want, where you want and when you want.” – Student – NCEA
     
  9. “You don’t have to have a studio to be a good artist…this makes me feel like a real artist.” – Student, NCEA
     
  10. This project was made possible through funding from The Max Reinhardt Literacy Award (MRLA). The MRLA is a programme conceived by the Max Reinhardt Charitable Trust in memory of the publisher, Max Reinhardt. It has been developed with the support of Engage, the National Association for Gallery Education, and the National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE) to enable galleries, art museums and visual arts venues to support a dedicated programme of creative writing and literacy work with schools. The Awards are funded by the Max Reinhardt Charitable Trust, with additional support from the Ernest Cook Trust

 

Recommendations for Action

 

 

 

February 2018