Art impacts on everyone’s lives. It includes everything we see, hear and touch. Our reactions to these senses affect our mental health, confidence, pleasure and the desire to express ourselves.
Many of our schools are focused on maths, English and the sciences while the opportunity of expression through creative artwork is at risk of being sidelined.
The Arts Society Huntingdonshire has three young arts programmes.
- It runs an annual exhibition and competition for local schools to celebrate the talents of young artists.
- It works with Hinchingbrooke hospital to fill its corridors with artwork from children of all ages.
- It facilitates entries by local A-level students to the Arts Society’s national art exhibition.
The schools competition (ASHYAC)![]()
The schools competition is now known as Arts Society Huntingdonshire Young Artists Competition (ASHYAC). It was formerly called Cambridgeshire Area Young Artists Competition (CAYAC). The new name reflects the fact that it is organised by the Huntingdonshire branch of the Arts Society. Around 40 schools take part each year, mostly in Huntingdonshire district, along with schools from further afield in Cambridgeshire.
The Arts Society organises the exhibition in collaboration with local schools. The society administers the event and provides prizes for the best work. Each entry receives a certificate for the artist, while the school receives a recognition of their participation.
Each spring a local school hosts the exhibition.
The hospital corridors
We invite schools to loan artwork once a term for us to fill the hospital corridors. Arts Society volunteers collect and return the work from schools and put up the displays.
The displays are labelled with the name of the school, year group and sometimes a few lines on what prompted the work.
An example of the importance of this work for the givers and receivers can be seen in the actual pieces of work that are on the walls. These show the imagination and skill of young people. In some cases the work displayed has been produced in after-school clubs rather than the classroom. Ofsted and the hospital inspectors praise the displays as an example of Work in the Community, both by the hospital and the schools.
The A-level art competition
Full details of the Arts Society A-level Art Competition are on their website, https://theartssociety.org. The exhibition is held online. Entries are shortlisted before final selections in a national poll by Arts Society members.
This event is a successor to the Royal Society of British Artists annual competition.
In the past work from Swavesey, Kimbolton and Hinchingbrooke has been chosen for exhibition at the Mall Gallery in London alongside the RBA annual exhibition.
In 2024 St Peter’s, St Ivo and Sawtry have entered the competition.
Volunteering
Members of the Arts Society kindly volunteer with the running of these three events.
Young Arts Exhibition and Competition
On Saturday 1st March, 1,000 visitors attended this year’s exhibition at Sawtry Village Academy, at which 278 art works from 41 schools were displayed. The day was a great success; our thanks to Rosemary Huckle, our Young Arts Secretary, Kevin Terry, the Subject Lead for Art at Sawtry Academy, and those HuntsArts members who contributed on the day.
The winners in the Peoples’ Vote were as follows: Zachary M. (Crosshall Junior School) in the Primary category, and Emelina P. (St. Ivo School) in the Secondary.
Contacts
If you would like to volunteer or would like more information please contact Rosemary Huckle at ashyoungartists@gmail.com
The Arts Society, Huntingdonshire 