Art students and scholars inspired by leading designers

Over 30 Stamford Endowed Schools art students and scholars have visited Warwick University Arts Centre, to attend a series of lectures led by professional artists and designers.Miss Helen Kenworthy, Head of Art at Stamford High School, reported:Pilkington RA, who first spoke to the students, is a figurative sculptor known for making increasingly ambivalent forms which are often presented as elements in sprawling site specific installations. In this talk, she reflected on the development of her complex practice and reconsidered the exciting and anxious problems that sculpture faces if it is to find its place in a world of objects. Year 12 student Bianca Bordiga was very inspired by her, and she asked the artist some pertinent questions around the challenges and obstacles around trying to make a living as a professional artist.Ingrid Murphy is an award-winning Irish ceramic artist who exhibits internationally. She discussed her creative process, what inspires her, and how she merges traditional craft skills with emerging digital design and fabrication processes. She wowed us all with her incredible interactive creations that merged ceramics, sound, electronics with her passion for travel. Her humour and love for her father really inspired students to think differently about their own artwork.Piers Atkinson is a cutting-edge milliner who grew up in a household of hats, soon forging a link between art and fashion. His designs are now celebrated across the globe. His work appears regularly in the pages of leading fashion magazines and broadsheets, as well as being exhibited in galleries and museums as works of art. His creations were startling and original, each with an extraordinary attention to detail and a unique personality. He discussed his work, the techniques, the materials, how he manages to be original with each design and what inspires him. He also explained his design process and issues around ethics. He has worked with Zandra Rhodes, Lady Gaga, Paloma Faith, Rhianna and Miley Cyrus, to name but a few. He wants to give models a voice and character. He’s had work on the cover of Vogue, Bazaar and I-D as a result of meeting deadlines, being reliable and hard working. He champions inclusion, tolerance and kindness and gave students the opportunity to take selfies while wearing his creations!David Montgomery is an international photographer whose subjects have included many high-profile personalities, including the Rolling Stones, Margaret Thatcher, Andy Warhol, the British Royal Family, Jimi Hendrix and David Hockney.  He was commissioned to photograph a special edition stamp for the millennium which won a silver award at the Design & Art Direction Awards.  He has also worked for major retailers, newspapers and style-makers, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and the New York Times. David talked about his approach as a photographer and his view that photography should promote the positive and the beautiful rather than the gloomy and the destitute.The day was an invaluable opportunity to experience a snapshot of potential career choices within the art and design industry which really did enthuse SES students and encourage them to research further an extensive range of potential creative careers.