Artist in Residence
Tina Dempsey, Artist in Residence
My current focus is to get contemporary visual arts out into public spaces so that more people will engage with art.
I am currently working on a number of collaborative projects that are about getting other peoples voices heard and this is what I would like to do with the group. I feel that working together to produce collaborative art works, that will hopefully be seen around the town, will have real benefits for their confidence & well being.
I also want to show the students that a career as an artist is more than possible and that there is a strong contemporary art scene happening in Blackpool.
My plan for working with the McKee would be to do a series of hour long sessions, once they have seen the show at the Harris, that would cover the following;
Session 1. Brief chat about my work with focus on text pieces and start to document things they want to say using drawing & collage. I would ask them to write down more things ready for next meeting.
Session 2. Look a how to refine text and decide on individual/group text pieces. Discuss colour and select individual/group palettes.
Session 3. Construction and painting of placards.
Planned trips for the students to;
- The Harris in Preston to see Tinas exhibition
- Art B&B in Blackpool for a tour. All the bedrooms have been designed by contemporary artists and they have a hireable space for performances, workshops etc.
- Grundy Gallery, which will be showing the Open Exhibition, Garth Gratrix Solo Show – Shy Girl, Schools Exhibition
- Abingdon Studios, I would show them around and hopefully introduce them to some other local artists.
This would show them that there is a lot happening in the town and that you don’t need to live in Manchester or London to be an artist.
My hope for the work they make is that, with the help of staff, they could negotiate temporary placement of their work around Poulton; train station, library, Hodgson etc. This also opens up the possibility of the group telling other people how the work came about and their experiences on the project.
I am passionate about contemporary art being used to really engage people and encourage legacy and I feel that projects like this are the perfect starting point!
