Free art clubs for children are opening in Beaumont Leys and Thurnby Lodge as De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)’s successful Saturday Art Club expands across Leicester.
Beaumont Leys’ first Saturday Art Club starts at Home Farm Square today (October 14) from 10am to noon, while the first Thurnby Lodge Art Club is due to open on November 18.
Parents can bring children of any age along for the two hour sessions where they can try a different craft every week, including painting, mosaic making and printing.
Some of the children’s work is being selected for a special exhibition at DMU’s The Gallery, Leicester’s largest public gallery space.
It follows the success of the first Saturday Art Club at
StudionAme in Brougham Street in St Matthews. The studio, which is home to a mix of artists, regularly attracts around 25 youngsters and their parents.
Artist Jonjo Elliott of #DMUlocal - which runs projects to support communities across Leicester - is the driving force behind the Saturday Art Clubs. He said: “The kids just love coming here, they really get into it. And so do the parents! We had one session where the children were eating biscuits and all the parents were on the floor making a giant picture.
“It’s been great seeing it build up through word of mouth from 10 in the first week to regularly 25 now. They get really into it and there’s no boundaries here – you can make as much mess as you like and it’s fine, because it’s an art studio.”
Mum Amina Garda of St Matthews brought youngsters Naeemah, 11, and Unaysah, 10, along. She said: “They love it. This is perfect because you can come here and make as much mess as you like! One week they made bird masks and wore them all the way home.”
Shereen Tailor, who lives near Fosse Park, was watching youngsters Khadejah and Aaminah do silk printing. She said: “I love the fact it is so family orientated, you can bring babies in pushchairs along and the children too, everyone is welcome.
“The children get to make new friends with children they would not normally meet because they don’t go to the same schools.”
* Want to find our more about Saturday Art Club? Contact
Jonjo or email
#DMUlocal
Posted on Saturday 14 October 2017