Customs House in South Shields bids for younger generation

South Tyneside's premier arts venue is launching a visual arts project aimed at young people.
Lesley Guy with members of Customs Reels in the Port of Tyne gallery.Lesley Guy with members of Customs Reels in the Port of Tyne gallery.
Lesley Guy with members of Customs Reels in the Port of Tyne gallery.

The Customs House wants to recruit a team of youngsters to form a Young Interpreters team which will engage and participate in visual arts and act as ambassadors for the venue’s galleries.

Lesley Guy, gallery learning officer at the Mill Dam venue in South Shields, said: “This will be a great opportunity for people aged between 14 and 19 to join our ‘Cultural Interpretation Team’ and act as advocates for the gallery, enabling themselves and their peers to participate in contemporary visual arts in and around South Tyneside and beyond.

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“The group will curate, organise and deliver its own exhibitions in our galleries. They’ll also engage in interviewing artists, making films and other interpretative material, transforming and managing a new Interpretation Space within the main gallery, and leading workshops. And of course there will be the opportunity to create their own art.

“Activity will take place at weekends and evenings with visits to studios, workshops and venues such as the VANE in Newcastle, the Baltic and the Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art in Sunderland.

“All projects will be Arts Award focused and will be devised by the group with the help of staff and visiting artists.

“We think Young Interpreters is a good way of introducing a wider audience to our galleries, and although there will be plenty of opportunities for young people to create their own art, we’ll also be spending time interpreting and exploring the art we have on show here, and at other venues.”

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As well as visiting large regional venues, the team will also meet with local artists, such as Muddy Fingers Pottery in Jarrow.

All Young Interpreters’ projects will be Arts Award focused – Arts Award is on the qualification credit framework and can help young people get UCAS points to help them get into university.

The taster workshops will be held at the Customs House on Tuesday, May 31, between 2-3pm and 3-4pm when there will be an opportunity to ask questions as well as the chance to create your a guided iPad tour of the venue’s galleries.

For more details email Lesley on [email protected] or ring her on 4273731.