Press release: art school plus’ launches its first exhibition in partnership with metropolitan workshop 1st november – 30th november 2022

‘Art School Plus are doing two crucial jobs. The first is to allow people to realise that making art to live with is more important than making art to be sold, the second is evolving the support that will help that art be made.’
Antony Gormley, sculptor

‘Art School Plus’ launches its inaugural exhibition in partnership with Metropolitan Workshop, showcasing new ways up-and-coming artists can contribute to the public realm.

After a highly competitive process, ten exceptional and diverse early-career artists were selected by Art School Plus to receive training specific to working in the public realm, resulting in an exhibition in partnership with the award-winning Metropolitan Workshop.

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London, 31 October 2022
In October 2022, ten early-career artists were selected to form the inaugural cohort of Art School Plus. They undertook an intense week of training where they worked with guest experts, including Sir Antony Gormley, to develop their practice and philosophy further. They also put together responses to a public art brief set by Metropolitan Workshop for a high street in Teddington, West London.
This exhibition documents the premise of these ideas, and offers a peek inside the artists’ sketchbooks, showing their journey from conception to testing materials and prototypes. In addition to ten inspiring proposals for new public artworks, the group also forged a collective vision on public art practice. This vision, explained in a manifesto, shows the importance of collaboration, empowerment, and mutual support between artists to build a strong and accountable practice. It shows how Art School Plus was not merely a training week or an artwork brief, but rather the catalyst for a deep and long lasting relationship between ten formidable artists.
The artists are posing important questions around belonging, community cohesion, and environmental issues, as well as being inspired by the buildings, and the historical context of Teddington.

Key information:
The exhibition runs from 1 November 2022 – 30 November 2022. Metropolitan Workshop, 14 – 16 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6DG.
This is the inaugural year of Art School Plus and its first intake of students.
The programme has been funded by the RSA and Birkbeck University

More information about the artists here.

Quotes:
‘The experience for me has really enhanced the potential of my career and sharpened my leadership, communication and practice overall. I believe that it’s a week that should be offered to as many emerging artists as possible and as a programme is deserving of as much funding as it can acquire.’ Art School Plus, 2022 artist

‘The first cohort of Art School Plus artists have exceeded all expectations in terms of their drive and commitment to work sensitively in, and responding meaningfully to, the public realm. We need art to sit alongside us in our lives, and this is what we are building with these artists.’ Ella Snell, Founder and Director

About Art School Plus
Art School Plus exists to support and connect exceptional early-career artists with public realm commissions. As a not-for-profit, its purpose is to support artists.

Contact | Private View
Ella Snell | Founder and Director | ella@artsp.org | +44 (0)7508 753033
Exhibition private view 1 November. Invitation-only. Contact ella@artsp.org for more info