TAS Wessex Area and TAS Kington Langley celebrate Art Bytes 2024

Art Bytes, The Arts Society Wessex Area, The Arts Society Kington Langley

& Chippenham Museum

Chippenham Art Bytes Celebration & Exhibition Event 2024

In 2022, TAS Wessex Area wanted to celebrate the creativity in our schools and was fortunate to find Art Bytes who could turn our ‘dreams into reality’. Funding was made available to support schools with their registrations so that they could upload their work to a digital art gallery. An exhibition of selected work was held at The Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol. However, we wanted to have a more comprehensive exhibition in Wessex and to display all the work submitted

In 2023, funding was provided for a collaborative digital exhibition project between Art Bytes and The Arts Society Wessex Area, and this Celebration Event was unique as it went above and beyond the Art Bytes Regional Celebration Events with a physical exhibition of all artworks entered into Art Bytes, art activities and participation certificates presented.

Once registered the schools entered up to 30 pieces of year 5 or year 9 artwork into their digital gallery. This was normal art coursework, so new themes to contend with in a busy curriculum. There was a selection of the best three pieces from each school made by a professional panel of artists. Once this selection was made families, friends, teachers etc. could then vote for their favourite piece.

Regional and national winners were then selected and announced at regional events. The experience of seeing their work online with all the other schools was an encouraging and uplifting experience for the students, knowing that their work was valued by others in a national format.

Art Bytes and TAS Wessex Area wanted to encourage all the students from the Wessex Area to see their work in a physical exhibition as well as digitally so worked with the Neeld Hall to create a pop-up exhibition.  All the pieces entered from the Wessex Area were sent in, mounted, labelled and displayed as a school. TAS Wessex Area funding gave us the opportunity to have workshops and this increased the value of the day as the students were able to work with Rae Melody in a variety of art activities. 

We were very fortunate to have co- sponsors in 2023. Wiltshire Area Board provided funding for registration fees and Chippenham Borough Lands Charity paid for the venue. Chippenham Council provided funding for the Neeld Hall.Dryad Education provided art packs for each participating school.

              2023 was a great success and so this year we have thought larger still!

Again, in 2024, there was funding from TAS Wessex Area but Emma from Art Bytes has worked magic to gain even more support from Wiltshire Area Board, Chippenham Borough Lands Charity and Chippenham Council. The Chippenham Art Gallery and Museum are now our Cultural Partners and they are providing all the students with guided tours around their new galleries and funding a selection of workshops.

Artway in Melksham have provided two art students packs as prizes for the two winning schools and The Arts Society Kington Langley are providing another set of workshops, setting up the exhibition and providing refreshments throughout the day. Four members of TASKL and two Art Byte interns created a brilliant exhibition to do the students proud.

TAS Wessex Area are providing a sketchbook as a prize for each student who has entered and a workshop for the school who wins the Community Engagement award. The Arts Society HQ are so enthusiastic about the event they are paying for a photographer to record the whole days activities.

We thank all the 12 schools that are participating this year and there is a great selection of work for families and friends to enjoy and celebrate. Our thanks to Beth, Chris and all the staff at the Neeld Hall who have been brilliant in facilitating the event and managing the IT. This is a great space for the event and gives a professional feel to the exhibition which is wonderful for the students sense of achievement.

Thanks also to Jess Bigwood, Faculty Lead for Art, Photography and DT, at Hardenhuish School, for the loan of their table easels and the managing of all the artwork from the different schools

We thank the deputy mayor for presenting the certificates and the chair of TAS Wessex Area for presenting the sketchbooks as this adds a great sense of importance to the event and demonstrates the importance that creativity plays in young person's development.

We also thank Ross Henning, Liz Alstrom and Laura Graham-May and their vision to make Chippenham a creativity hub and showcase the creativity of young people.

As we all are aware, the arts in education have been sorely hit. The Arts Society (TAS) Wessex Area and TAS Kington Langley wish to do all they can to support arts education both in the classroom, through exhibitions, visits and workshops.

We hope this will be another joyful celebration of the power of art to encourage, explore and build confidence through creativity and that all of the students are thrilled to see the outcome of their efforts being celebrated.

The event was brilliant with over 187 students receiving their certificates and prizes. The SW Regional primary and secondary winners were so excited as they celebrated their success.

See the photographs of happy artists and their parents and teachers and next year support a school in your area to celebrate their success.

For more details on participating in Art Bytes please contact:

Heather Leach

Chair, The Arts Society Kington Langley    

AVAC TAS Wessex Area  

heather.artssociety@gmail.com