Last Saturday we returned for our second Youth Advisory Group for 2024!  Our associate artists, Mary Branley,  Andy Parsons  and Sarah O’Keeffe led the group of young people in a fun filled and engaging sculpture workshop. We created the Youth Advisory Group, as part of our mission to include children and young people’s voices in every aspect of our work and decision-making. Read the artist’s reflections of the session below.

“Bamboo coffee stirrers and rolls of masking tape are, at first glance, not the most promising sculptural materials. But with the young people’s  imagination and creativity they were transformed into a vast range of forms, including the Eiffel tower, a wooden boat and even a fully wearable hat!

Alongside the fun elements this session was a crash course in the basic grammar of sculpture; balance, symmetry, form, weight distribution and the endless battle against gravity.” Andy Parsons

“What do you get when you mix up, bamboo stirrers, tape and 12 very creative young people? Serious fun!  Add cartwheels, crisps, blackcurrant drinks and it’s a party.  I can’t wait to see what happens next.” Mary Branley

“For our second session we got a crash course in sculpture lead by artist Andy Parsons. However, this sculpture didn’t take the form of clay or steel, we used bamboo sticks and tape. Everyone had the joy (and challenge!) of building a variety of projects ranging from world famous towers, cubist shapes, boats, “The Leaning Tower of Strandhill”, and even a hat any celebrity at the MET Gala would be honored to wear. One can only imagine how they will build on these projects!” Sarah O’Keeffe

We’re looking forward to the next session with the YAG, so keep your eyes peeled for our updates!

This project was kindly funded by The Arts Council Ireland.

Read more about the Youth Advisory Project here: https://kidsown.ie/projects/kids-own-youth-advisory-group/