30-08-2011
Photocall with artist Emily Speed and Towngate Primary School:
Wednesday 7 September 2011, 11am
A new, inspirational Learning Centre opens at Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s (YSP) historic Kennel Block site this September. The development of this important and transformational new Learning Centre has been made possible through the support of Wakefield Council and Rushbond plc, who helped to acquire the building, and funding from Arts Council England’s Sustain Programme, the Audrey and Stanley Burton Charitable Trust and Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement who made the refurbisment possible. The new facility provides two high quality workshop and teaching spaces, an artist workspace and indoor lunch facilities, and sends a strong signal to young people that their learning experience at YSP continues to be valued.
Education and learning has been central to the work of YSP since opening to the public in 1977. Its innovative education and community work evolved from the educational ethos pioneered at Bretton Hall College from Sir Alec Clegg’s work throughout the 1940s and 1950s. YSP’s education programmes now reach over 40,000 children and young people every year.
Over the past 34 years, YSP has enabled access, understanding and enjoyment of art, landscape and nature for everyone by dismantling barriers between the public and contemporary art, creating a ‘gallery without walls’ situated in 500 acres, and helping to make art and creativity a part of people’s lives. YSP’s incomparable combination of art, nature and powerful spirit of place provide a cultural experience of the highest quality, visited by 300,000 people every year.
The YSP programme is underpinned by creative education and events which ensure that YSP is an immensely important venue for local schools and community groups, who take part in over 250 workshops and tours each year. Outreach work is an important element of YSP’s learning offer and is undertaken in many settings including artist residencies in primary, secondary and specialist schools and in many under-served communities. The new Learning Centre will be the hub for education at YSP, enhancing the offer provided to thousands of participants each year.
The impressive Kennel Block was built in the 1840s by the architect George Basevi and was originally used as a hayshed store and then later as kennels by Viscount Allendale who used Bretton Estate for shooting parties and race meetings. Its most recent use was as a student union bar for Bretton Hall College which was affiliated to the University of Leeds until 2007. The creation of this major new Learning Centre breathes new life into the historic building and will for the first time offer access to quality indoor surroundings, including two new workshop spaces, indoor lunch room facilities and the new YSP Café.
The new Learning Centre will be opened on Wednesday 7 September by Councillor Peter Box, Leader of Wakefield Council and Jonathan Maud, Managing Director of Rushbond plc, whilst artist Emily Speed, whose exhibition MAKE SHIFT is currently on show in YSP’s Bothy Gallery will lead a workshop with children from Towngate Primary School.
Peter Murray CBE, Executive Director of YSP said: “We are delighted with the new YSP Learning Centre which comes at a vital and exciting time following the restoration of the Park’s Historic Lakes and Woodland; it is a tremendous achievement for all involved. Learning and education is absolutely core to the work that YSP delivers, and our passion for inspiring young people to get involved with and express themselves through art and nature is as strong as ever”.
Councillor Peter Box, Leader of Wakefield Council and a member of the YSP’s board of trustees, said: “Yorkshire Sculpture Park is one of our most prestigious cultural attractions and, in conjunction with The Hepworth Wakefield, establishes the district as the home of contemporary sculpture, boosting the district’s cultural offer and bringing it international recognition.
“The new Learning Centre will give schools and local communities more exciting opportunities to learn about and be inspired by some of the great art on display and we are extremely pleased to be able to support YSP in this important development.”
Jonathan Maud, Managing Director of Rushbond Plc said: “Rushbond is thrilled in its Silver Jubilee Year to be able to continue to support education and the arts within this ambitious project. The world class quality of YSP, their skillful team and the commitment of Wakefield Council working with Rushbond is an impressive example of a successful public; private relationship”.
Cluny Macpherson, Regional Director, Arts Council England said “We are delighted to support YSP in their continued pursuit of artistic excellence and innovation in this tough economic environment. The new Learning Centre will help many more people to experience great art - including the local schools and communities that YSP consistently embraces in its work”.
Jeremy Burton of the Audrey and Stanley Burton Charitable Trust said: “The Trustees are delighted to support the conversion of this historic building into a new learning centre. It will be a fitting tribute to the memory of Audrey and Stanley Burton, both of whom were passionate about modern art, and who would have been so pleased to see this new facility which will help young people share in this passion".
Alyn Davies, former Principal, Bretton College said: “Around 40,000 children visit Yorkshire Sculpture Park every year. They come to look, touch, think and to make and do; every child brings an imagination and most go away with a new nugget gleaming quietly in a corner of the mind.”
YSP offers a vibrant combination of formal and informal learning for all ages including self-guided or tailor made visits, artist led workshops, academic research, community and outreach projects and a range of events and activities for families. Two new projects also launching in September are the Spark Project and a new annual artist in schools initiative, the Ignite Programme. Both projects are possible due to generous investment by the Liz and Terry Bramall Charitable Trust into YSP’s community outreach. The Spark Project will work directly with up to 15 schools in Wakefield, offering a free 3-day introduction to Sculpture and the Environment whilst the Ignite Programme will work with children of all ages from infants up to GCSE and A level students by giving them the the opportunity to work directly with artists both inside and outside the classroom. Other new learning initiatives will launch throughout 2012 making full use of the new facilities but also draw on the newly opened 150 acres of Historic Lakes and Woodland.
To celebrate the official opening of the new YSP Learning Centre, a weekend of events will take place over the 10 and 11 September including family friendly foraging days and Edible Landscapes with artist Rebecca Beinart along with live music on the Formal Terrace. All made possible by the Co-operative whose chef will be demonstrating seasonal recipes. Find out more and book online at ysp.co.uk/events
Notes to editors
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, near Wakefield, is an independent art gallery, accredited museum and registered charity, number 1067908. YSP attracts 300,000 visitors each year, including over 40,000 learning visits.
Wakefield Council and Bretton Hall
Wakefield Council acquired the Bretton Hall campus from the University of Leeds in 2006 to ensure that any development was not detrimental to Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
YSP has taken over the management of the estate grounds, nature reserve area and lakes to integrate them into the wider Park to allow for public access and benefit.
Wakefield Council are working with Rushbond plc, a Leeds-based property company to transform the Bretton Hall into a high quality hotel and spa and the old Bretton Hall College campus buildings into a creative business park. As part of this process Rushbond plc have generously gifted the historic Kennel Block building to YSP which has been transformed into the new Learning Centre.
Arts Council England Sustain
In September 2009, Arts Council England announced a £1.4 million allocation of funds for YSP from its Sustain fund, £350,000 of which was allocated to the development of YSP’s new Learning Centre. Sustain is one of a number of measures Arts Council England made to help artists and arts organisations continue to produce exciting and innovative work during the economic downturn. It is not a fund for failing organisations. All awards from the fund are one-off and made to cover the period 2009-2011. artscouncil.org.uk/funding/sustain
Generous donations to develop the new Learning Centre have been received from The Audrey and Stanley Burton Charitable Trust and Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement.
YSP used Wakefield based DLA Architecture as architects for the project and the main contractors were Morgan Sindall, who are currently undertaking other projects within Wakefield.