Exhibition is history of art

The Marking Time exhibition will present work drawn from the core collections of the National Arts Education Archive (NAEA), based at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton.

The archive holds collections of work of national and international significance, including artwork created in some of the most radical and progressive educational environments of the 19th and 20th centuries.

“Hosting this exhibition is a real coup for Batley,” said Mark Milnes, exhibitions co-ordinator for the gallery.

“We’re very pleased to be able to show such a significant set of artwork, and to be able to draw attention to the important work carried out at the archive”.

The 100-plus drawings on show will be accompanied by a range of publications and sketchbooks illustrating the development of teaching and learning in art.

The NAEA was established in 1985 to provide a documentary trace of the development of arts education in the UK and worldwide, by collecting children’s and student’s work and the papers, letters and work of key educators and artists in the visual arts, music and language.

To tie in with October’s Big Draw festival and the Marking Time exhibition the gallery will be running four free drawing workshops with artists Karen Stansfield, Damian Clark and Steve McGrath.

Suitable for all ages, family groups are welcome to take part – all of the workshops run from 1pm-4pm, on four consecutive Saturdays from September 29 to October 20, teaching a range of skills including abstract drawing, drawing with colour and light and shade, and drawing in three dimensions.

In addition the gallery will hold workshops for school groups, and some of the work created during these sessions will be displayed in the gallery alongside the exhibition.

The preview night, open to the public, is on Friday September 14, from 6pm-9pm. The exhibition will be officially opened by Eileen Adams, a consultant for art, design, environment and education and Tony Chisholm, education advisor to the NEAU, at 6.30pm, with a string quartet playing between 7pm-8pm.