westmeathvec.ie. > Midland Arts Education

Midland Arts

Mission Statement

"Midland Arts Education Programmes aim to help all our students and mentors, beginners and professionals, to move into a different space, a space where different rules apply; rules of rhythm, colour, line, form, movement, melody and harmony. In such a space, learners will feel free to 'imagine' what they can 'create' and find new ways of experiencing the Arts in engagement with their communities, neighbours and society."

Since 1980 Westmeath VEC has sponsored a Midland Arts Education Programme. The programme is funded through the Further Education Section of the Department of Education and Science. The Arts Education Officer, Shane Brennan, develops, oversees and monitors a range of Arts Education Programmes throughout the five counties of Westmeath, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon and Laois.

Many of these are projects designed to enhance and enable access to the Arts for people suffering various forms of disadvantage.

Recent Arts Education Projects

Project 'Re-vision' (celebrating diversity through Photography) was funded through the EU Socrates programme and offered a forum for the sharing of images on the web between selected groups in six European Countries, Ireland, Romania, Finland, Turkey and the UK.

Project 'TAPE (Transgenerational Arts/Cultural Platform in Education) helped a group of ex-miners and interested younger people in Co. Roscommon to share life and arts experiences with each other, guided by professional artists and musicians. This project also involved intergenerational groups in Lithuania, Sicily, Estonia, Turkey and Poland.

Visual Arts Provision

The 'Atelier', emerging-artists programme, begun in 2009, uses a work experience model and offers young artists the experience of intensive immersion in the world of the professional artist: Alternating engagement with their own work and the work of the professional host artist, students learn to cope with issues of discipline and loneliness, while exploring the atelier journeyman model of skill acquisition. The teaching sructure involves: a) Elements of making a painting b) Drawing and measurement c) Colour theory/seeing colour/tonal relationships, using the vehicle of still life d) developing compositional relationships between objects e) Developing visual impact and working with oil paint. This week long programme is offered at Midland Arts, Kinnegad and at other Midland Centes.

Visual Arts workshops available for groups on request include:-

Impressionism Weekends: Intensive technical work followed by field work: Voyage into the world of impressionism/practical education in colour mixing /brushwork/visual tension/reviving the impressionist way of seeing
Advanced painting workshop – still life painting – open to very serious painters - composition / colour studies/ oil with acrylic under-painting
Watercolour techniques
Weekend Drawing & Watercolour Course for prospective Architecture Students: Understanding light and shade/perspective/sketching
The photographing of Art work for professional artists
Advanced Life-drawing
Drawing for Architecture

Course/Event Name	Date	Location	Description
Hip Hop Dance	Friday 1600 - 2000	Old National School Now moved to St Finians Hall, Kinnegad	Locking/ popping/ moonwalking, all the techniques of real Hip Hop are brilliantly imparted by Aidean Byrne Contact: 0857040870
Wood Sculpture	Monday Mornings Spring and Autumn	Old National School, Kinnegad	With expert Sculptor, Paradazi Havatitye, this class which specialises in very fine bog-oak sculpture, runs for three hours (1000-1300) and its work is regularly exhibited here and in other settings. Contact 0872905277
Irish Set Dancing	Ongoing every Thursday 7-10	Old National School Kinnegad	A really fun night out for all ages where Jim Monaghan will lead the group.
Life Drawing	Spring and Autumn Full Day Workshops, Every Other Friday	Old National School Kinnegad	A practical introduction to the techniques and aesthetics of drawing the human form. The centre will provide professional male and female models. Contact 0449348887
Lir Youth Orchestra and Group Instrumental Tuition	Orchestras Mon /Thur 1715-1845	Old National School, Kinnegad and other centres	Formed in 2004, this youthful string ensemble goes from strength to strength. Under the direction of Vincent Hunt our head of strings, several concerts are are planned each year. Auditions for new members and for the Midland Youth Orchestra can be easily arranged by contacting Midland Arts or by directly contacting the Director of both orchestras, Vincent Hunt on 086/8264007 Group Tuition (four students per hour) is available at very reasonable rates in Flute/Piano/Guitar/Trumpet and other Brass instruments and in all the orchestral stringed instruments.

Autumn 2012 Painting Courses

5 Week Painting Course

Dates: September Thurs 20^th & 27^th, October Thurs 4^th, 18^th & 25^th.

Time: 11.30a.m - 3.30p.m.

Theme - Flowers & Autumn Gardens

Medium - Acrylic (Oils)

The course will have instruction on drawing flowers and placing the subject effectively on the page to create a compelling composition.

Developing the focal point through the use of strong tonal and colour contrast.

Mixing colours to achieve the subtle variation necessary to render light and shadow on this subject.

The autumn 2012 ‘Atelier’ Course Kinnegad

Dates: October Tue 30^th, Wed 31^st and November Thurs 1^st

Autumn 2012 Weekend Painting Courses

September Sat 29^th & Sun 30^th - Watercolour
October Sat 13^th & Sun 14^th - Oil/Acrylic

November Sat 24^th & Sun 25^th - Oil/Acrylic

NEW Photography Courses

Digital Photography Autumn Weekend Workshops 2012 (dates to be finalised soon)

Get the most out of your digital camera by learning the basic principles of photography, understanding how to get the correct exposure using manual and automatic controls. Learn about shooting portraits and landscapes and how to edit your digital imagery to show them to their best advantage either online or in print. Students will learn tricks and tips necessary to improve their travel, candid, landscape or action shots. Course will cover: Framing, Lighting, Exposure control, Focus, and basic special effect techniques.

Participants will need to have access to a camera for the course, one that has manual controls is recommended but not essential.

Portfolio Preparation Courses

Summer and Autumn Courses will be available in 2012
Subsidised course
Spaces will be limited to 10 students

Course Tutor
The course tutor will be Geraldine O’Reilly who is a practicing artist as well as an experienced art teacher. For 10 years she worked as course tutor at Ballyfermot College of Further Education on their one year course in Art, Design and Portfolio She has worked as lecturer in Fine Art at the National College of Art and Design and tutor in painting, drawing and printmaking in the Education Dept, National College of Art and Design.

Duration
The course will enable the student to develop drawing and observational skills and to explore creativity and personal expression through a range of creative processes including, painting and drawing and mixed media. Some printmaking will also be included.

Students will be helped to develop a personal project and to explore ideas and make their portfolio suitable for third level requirements. All the projects will be broad enough to allow students to develop a portfolio suitable to their particular interests – Fine Art, Design, Fashion, Animation etc.

Course Content
Drawing and Painting covering colour, texture, tone and form using a variety of media such as paint, pencil, charcoal, ink, pastel.
Developing an ideas notebook
Printmaking – exploring basic printmaking and developing a series of finished prints.
Developing a personal dimension to the artwork.
Apart from the actual teaching the tutor will also advise and mentor each student through individual tutorial sessions.

For further information or to enrol phone 087-9231106

............................................

Music Provision:

Westmeath County Music Scheme, which has been running successfully for 30 years, providing quality instrumental tuition for all age-groups, is now being developed and expanded imaginatively through several new music education initiatives.

One of these is the 'Kindermusik Outreach Programme' which is a collaborative venture between the VECs and County Council Arts Offices of Westmeath and Offaly. This programme aims to introduce adult guardians together with their 'little ones' to the world of music and music literacy. This has been running successfully now for three years in over 12 centres and is set to become an important foundation in the development of future regional and local music education networks

Other music initiatives come collectively under the 'Musicmakers Outreach Programme' where emphasis is placed on 'Group Instrumental Tuition' at various schools and centres in the region. Group tuition (generally from four to eight (beginner)students per hour) is available at Kinnegad and many other schools and centres in Trumpet/Trombone/Flute/Piano/Guitar/Violin/Viola/Cello and Double Bass. The long-term aim is to develop templates for greater community participation in music making and the performing arts and to increase the involvement of young people and adults in accessible Community Music Programmes, as well as choirs, ensembles and orchestras of excellence. A new Orchestra - LIR Youth Orchestra was formed (January 2004) at Midland Arts and 2006 saw the formation of the first Midland Youth Orchestra with an inaugural Summer-school at Mullingar Community College and a debut performance at the Cathedral of Christ the King Mullingar in September 2006. The orchestra has continued to expand its membership and repertoire and has now peformed three times at the NCH, Dublin and the Whitla Hall Belfast, as well as hosting a week long visit of the Jugend Sinfonie Orchester, Bremen in summer 2008. The MYO in turn made a very rewarding return visit to Germany Summer 2009, where the two orchestras once again worked and played together. It is hoped in the future to form a resident professional Midland Chamber Orchestra which will have a teaching remit in addition to providing regular performances in the region.

New Music Technology Workshops

Workshops were held in February and July 2012.

Through practical demonstration and hands on work, participants learn the steps involved in setting up a home studio for recording and producing their own music. Course covers:- equipment and technology used in music production, understanding of the basics of acoustics, introduction to recording and editing audio, sequencing and midi programming, digital effects and how to use them. Participants will also explore the types of equipment needed for producing different styles of music.

Shane Brennan, Arts Education Officer,
Midland Arts,
Old National School,
Kinnegad,
Co. Westmeath
Tel: 044 9379040 Mob: 086 1734626
Fax: 044 9379040
E-Mail: midlandarts@westmeathvec.ie

Ongoing Courses & Workshops available at Midland Arts, Old National School, Kinnegad

Course/Event Name
Date
Location Description

Hip Hop Dance Friday 1600 - 2000
Old National School

Now moved to St Finians Hall, Kinnegad
Locking/ popping/ moonwalking, all the techniques of real Hip Hop are brilliantly imparted by Aidean Byrne Contact: 0857040870

Wood Sculpture
Monday Mornings Spring and Autumn
Old National School, Kinnegad With expert Sculptor, Paradazi Havatitye, this class which specialises in very fine bog-oak sculpture, runs for three hours (1000-1300) and its work is regularly exhibited here and in other settings. Contact 0872905277

Irish Set Dancing Ongoing every Thursday 7-10 Old National School Kinnegad A really fun night out for all ages where Jim Monaghan will lead the group.

Life Drawing
Spring and Autumn Full Day Workshops, Every Other Friday
Old National School Kinnegad A practical introduction to the techniques and aesthetics of drawing the human form. The centre will provide professional male and female models. Contact 0449348887

Lir Youth Orchestra and Group Instrumental Tuition
Orchestras Mon /Thur

1715-1845

Old National School, Kinnegad

and other centres

Formed in 2004, this youthful string ensemble goes from strength to strength. Under the direction of Vincent Hunt our head of strings, several concerts are are planned each year. Auditions for new members and for the Midland Youth Orchestra can be easily arranged by contacting Midland Arts or by directly contacting the Director of both orchestras, Vincent Hunt on 086/8264007

Group Tuition (four students per hour) is available at very reasonable rates in Flute/Piano/Guitar/Trumpet and other Brass instruments and in all the orchestral stringed instruments.