The Visual Arts department have organised a series of unique enrichment workshops together with Inspiring Futures, the local authority’s Cultural Education Partnership, and Iniva, the Institute of International Visual Arts. Iniva is an evolving, radical visual arts organisation dedicated to developing an artistic programme that reflects on the social and political impact of globalisation.

Selected Year 9 students are creatively explore themes of identity and its relationship with mental health and wellbeing. Students are working with artist Holly Graham and Nathalie Roset from the therapeutic support service A Space, to artistically respond to the provocation of identity and wellbeing. They are creating a piece of work that will be shared at the Inspiring Futures conference and contribute to empowering and amplifying youth voice within Barking and Dagenham’s Race and Social Justice programme.

Students will also be sharing their workshop outcomes and leading on the creative activities taking place at the upcoming Young Creatives Makerspace event, to be held at Barking and Dagenham College.

Here you can see our students hard at work, exploring the themes through mind maps and print. We are so excited to see the final outcomes!