Students from International School Aberdeen (ISA) are set to collaborate with Aberdeen printmaking workshop and contemporary visual art gallery, Peacock & the Worm, in a new arts exhibition.
Print at the Print Room will be held on Friday, February 2nd, in conjunction with Peacock & the Worm, to showcase over 300 print works from ISA students from kindergarten to Grade 12 (ages 5 – 18).
The exhibition, which will be open to the public, will be held in The Print Room, at 252 Union St. The dedicated arts hub has been home to Peacock & the Worm since September 2022 to host public art exhibitions and workshops thanks to Outer Spaces, a charity collaborating with artists and art collectives to offer access to empty shops, offices and industrial space for artists.
As well as featuring print work by ISA students, selected art pieces from Peacock & the Worm will also be on display. The exhibition will also include a print making workshop for ISA students who will have the opportunity to take part in printing their own tote bags.
ISA’s High School Art Students, studying the IB (International Baccalaureate) Diploma, will show their screenprint artworks which they designed at a recent Peacock printing workshop as part of their annual visit to the studio.
Nicolina Rea, ISA Art Teacher and Print at the Print Room co-ordinator said, “The students are all very excited to take part in a whole weekend dedicated to print. It will also be amazing for them to see their artwork on public display during a dedicated arts showcase which has been organised to celebrate and promote ISA’s varied arts programme.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Peacock & the Worm for this exhibition which will give our students from all ages the chance to experience hands-on screen printing in a studio setting.”
Over the past few months, ISA art students have had the opportunity to learn and take inspiration from a range of local artists during their studies while experimenting with print making techniques to hone their skills.
“Students across the grades have been developing their skills and expanding their knowledge of different styles of print,” continued Nicolina. “To be able to participate in practical workshops in a gallery environment is incredibly exciting for our students and will be a great learning experience to build confidence and explore their creativity in print making.”
Grade 5 students have been exploring the work of Aberdeen-based artist and print maker Claire Roberts, while 6th Grade students have been looking at a suite of prints by Willie Rodgers whose work features prints of Aberdeen buildings. Grade 8 have been exploring Bob Bain’s ‘Hares in Winter’, as well as studying the works of Ade Adesina who makes prints from ideas around ecology and the effects of the human footprint on our planet.
Mandy Goynes, ISA Elementary Art Teacher, said, “The Grade 5 students had an amazing workshop with local printmaking artist Claire Roberts. She brought in several of her prints and the wood and lino blocks that she used to make them. My students were all really excited to learn from a ‘real’ artist as they put it. They even got to experiment with printing one of her lino blocks.”
David McCracken, Peacock & the Worm Arts Business Manager, and Print at the Print Room curator said, “We hugely appreciate opportunities to work alongside the local community to promote the arts and we are delighted to lend our support to this very worthwhile venture to strengthen the collaborative work between Peacock & the Worm and International School Aberdeen.”
Since setting up home in The Print Room, Peacock & the Worm has hosted several successful exhibitions to showcase local and global artists and print makers. The Popcorn Octopus exhibition, which ran for a month last September, attracted over 700 visitors. Comprised entirely of new artworks, Popcorn Octopus was the first solo show of internationally established street artist Craig Fisher.
ISA and Peacock & the Worm will welcome members of the public to Print at the Print Room on Friday, February 2nd, from 12pm-5pm.