Blessington Community College
Glenart College Students
BLESSINGTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
The “Thinking Visual” Artist in Residence programme is now in its third year in Blessington Community College. This residency, which is funded by Wicklow County Council Arts Office, was awarded to Artist/ Curator Jennie Guy in 2014. Each year Jennie Guy has placed 2 contemporary artists in the school to work with transition year students. The artists work with a Transition Year class over a six week period. The students are introduced to the artists’ practice and during the placement, the group explores the processes used by the artist in their work and gradually an artwork is created.
Contemporary art can often be challenging and these residencies have provided a way for students to gain an insight into the possibilities that art can offer as a means of personal expression and as a way to address social issues. All of the artists that have come to the school have a national profile within the Irish art scene and they include; John Beattie and Sven Anderson in 2014; Sarah Pierce and Elaine Leader in 2015; and Rhona Byrne and Maria McKinney in 2016. artists are supported within the classroom by the art teachers