Finding an outlet or a space to express ourselves is a challenge for all of us in different ways. For some it leads to acts of vandalism and criminal damage.
A project with primary school children and Police Community Support Officers in St Ives aimed to give children legal, non-damaging ways to express themselves through a specific visual art project. Groups of pupils aged 8–10 from St Ives Junior School went on a mission to identify and discuss current damage around St Ives before working with the gallery’s artist in residence, Jonty Lees, and the Tate St Ives Learning team to ‘make their mark’ creatively and non-destructively.
One of the outcomes was a radio show, Tag FM. ‘We talked about graffiti as a way of marking your territory,’ said Lees. ‘Radio does that because it provides a platform for expression, but in a non-damaging way.’
Tag FM was created and recorded over a two-day period, and featured a mix of interviews, music, poetry and stories. Tate St Ives’s Marketing Manager visited the school to give the children tips on marketing their show, and our Community Curator got local shops and businesses to tune in for their customers on the day.
It was broadcast during one of Tate St Ives’s family Super Sundays. Evaluation from the project, which was a partnership with the arts agency for Cornwall, Kernow Education Arts Partnership (KEAP), will provide an exemplar in developing future collaborations linking the gallery to schools and the wider community.
