14th December 2015
Barking & Dagenham College is now running a National Art&Design Saturday Club from September 2015 until summer 2016, as part of the national network run by the Sorrell Foundation.
One of 50 Clubs across the countryInspired by the Saturday art classes that they both attended as teenagers in the early 1960s, founders Sir John and Lady Frances Sorrell piloted the clubs at 4 colleges in 2009. There are now over 50 clubs running all across the country, from Derry to Canterbury and from Falmouth to Sunderland.
Sir John Sorrell said:
“Frances and I were lucky that we could start our careers in a Saturday morning art and design class when we were 14 years old. Our aim is to offer young people today a 21st century version of that opportunity. Together we can inspire the UK’s next creative generation”.
First taste of creative careersThe Saturday Club at Barking & Dagenham College’s main Rush Green campus gives young people in east London 100 hours of free tuition over 30 weeks. The unique Saturday Club model gives 14-16 year olds access to expertise and facilities that are rarely available in schools, as well as a first taste of the exciting range of careers in the UK’s thriving creative industries, which are worth £80 billion to the economy annually and provide 2 million jobs.
On Saturday 22 November, members of the Saturday Club at the College met their counterparts from across the UK as part of the London Visit and enjoyed a specially arranged tour at the Courtauld Gallery.
In the spring term, each club is treated to a Masterclass from a leading creative professional. Past Masterclasses have been given by Turner Prize winners Anthony Gormley and Jeremy Deller and routemaster bus designer Thomas Heatherwick.
The Saturday Club year culminates with the Summer Show when all club members’ work is displayed at London’s prestigious Somerset House in an exhibition that attracts over 3,000 visitors every year.
The Rt Hon. Lord Adonis said “the National Art&Design Saturday Club is an important national movement”.
Darren Henley OBE, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said
“The Clubs are inspirational, exiting and vibrant, they are all about creating the next generation of creative talent right across the UK for years to come”.
Keen to find out more?To find out more or to apply to join the National Art&Design Saturday Club at Barking & Dagenham College contact Ana Guimaraes on 020 3667 0015.
You can follow the Club on Instagram at BDC.Saturday.club15
