Young Artists Celebrate Turner Gallery Milestone

Children at Ramsgate Arts Primary have created a special art project to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Turner Contemporary at Margate.

The school, which enjoys strong educational links and partnership projects with the flagship gallery, wanted to mark the decade since the seafront art centre opened in 2011.

Girls and boys from Year 3 to Year 6 learnt how to make an origami envelope. They hand-painted their envelopes and wrote birthday wishes and anniversary thanks.

Art teacher Karen Vost said: “The card is like a mini art installation in itself - it can be enjoyed as a piece of art and interacted with when reading the children’s messages.

“It was wonderful how much knowledge, thanks and praise for this art gallery the children had and they loved learning new skills while celebrating this important moment at the same time.”

Head of School Nick Budge said: “Turner Contemporary is a marvellous creative centre and our pupils have enjoyed working on many projects with the gallery’s educational team, such as the three-year Pioneering Places public art initiative.

“It has benefitted our development as an arts primary and we have worked with Turner Contemporary since RAPS was opened in 2017.

“The strong sense of community through art is something we celebrate with our children throughout their time with us, and it is this same ethos that is so special at Turner Contemporary.

“For a specialist arts school, the link with such a prestigious gallery is fantastic for our pupils and our staff. It is rightly widely recognised as one of the leading art centres in the UK and we are proud to be working with their team. This is an amazing journey that marries art and education.

“The tenth anniversary is a milestone we wanted to acknowledge and the lovely artwork and installation by our children is thoughtful, colourful and expressive.”

It is currently on show at the school and will be presented to Turner Contemporary as a surprise birthday present.

Ramsgate Arts Primary School is part of the Viking Academy Trust with Upton Junior School at Broadstairs and Chilton Primary School, Ramsgate.