The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN), Portsmouth, is leading the way with an exciting community project, which will see local organisations take to the road for the Sea Life Roadshow at Buckland Community Centre, Portsmouth, on Thursday 18th February 2010.
Buckland Community Centre will be transformed with mini-museums, a special soft ‘under the sea’ play environment, object handling, arts, crafts and storytelling, making for a fun filled family day.
The NMRN has teamed up with HMS Victory, HMS Warrior 1860, the Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth Chat, Portsmouth City Museum, Portsmouth Library Service and the Royal Navy Submarine Museum to give local residents a real taste of the culture that is right on their doorsteps.
The Roadshow will also be the first opportunity for some very talented local children to view the amazing artwork they created as part of the Sea Life project. Funded by Find your Talent-PUSH the project has seen 3 local schools working with the National Museum of the Royal Navy and local artist Debbie Dodsworth to explore Portsmouth’s important maritime links. Ninety pupils from Flying Bull Primary, Charles Dickens Junior School and Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School used buildings, silhouettes, letters and objects they saw in the Historic Dockyard as inspiration to create their own ‘Soul Sails’.
Debbie Dodsworth, the artist who has been working on the project commented: “All the students who took part had a successful outcome regardless of their age…it was a really positive, energetic few days in school producing work which they would never normally get the chance to take part in, using techniques and materials used by professional artists. I hope I get the opportunity to work with more of the children of Portsmouth-they truly are an inspiration.”
The Roadshow will not only be a celebration of the project, but will also be a great day out! All the attractions involved at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard are happy to have the opportunity to get out and about and visit the people who can’t make the trip to the site.
Listings
Date: Thursday 18th February 2009
Time: 11am-4pm (drop-in style attendance)
Location: Buckland Community Centre, PO2 7BL
Notes for Editors
Find Your Talent PUSH
Find Your Talent PUSH is being delivered through a partnership of Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council in the south east region, called the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH)*.
With children and young people at the heart of the programme, the Find your Talent Initiative will – over its three-year life - be bringing some Ł2.1 million pounds to the PUSH area, enhancing and building on the fantastic cultural work that is already taking place. Find your Talent-PUSH will deliver a programme of work to ensure children, young people and their families have access in out of school time, to the best quality of arts and cultural activities and programmes as part of their entitlement. We are passionate about reaching hard to reach children and young people – aged 0-19 years and in certain priority areas - who would not normally access these kinds of programmes.
*PUSH is a partnership of local authorities in South Hampshire dedicated to improving the quality of life for everyone who lives, works and spends their leisure time in South Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton
The Sea Life Project
The Sea Life project has offered local school children aged between 5 and 11 an opportunity to visit the Historic Dockyard, including the Royal Naval Museum and HMS Victory, and given them a chance to go behind the scenes in the museum’s atmospheric attic stores. Each school worked for 3 days with the artist. During the sessions children learnt new art techniques and discovered more about silhouettes, shadows and other cultural beliefs about the soul. The Soul Sails which have been created will be on display during the roadshow, then at the museum and will finally be returned to the schools taking part.
To find out more about the project please contact Claire Jordan (Learning Officer) by email- claire.jordan@royalnavalmuseum.org or by phone- 023 9272 7584.
