This Summer at The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum, the Creative Learning team worked in partnership with Comics Youth SCIO to deliver a free comic summer school targeted at age groups 8-13yrs and 14-18 yrs.
The project' Building Stories' has been subsidised by the National Lottery Fund and provided 16 young people with the opportunity to create, design, and publish original comics and zines themed around their lived experiences, using the museum's extensive collection as a creative stimulus for their ideas and artwork.
The participants engaged in a range of high-quality workshops to develop their creativity whilst developing new transferrable skills. Each workshop consisted of digital presentations, collaborative exercises, illustration, graphic design, panelling, inking, guided tours of the galleries, and creative writing.
On Saturday, 19th August, the young people were invited to return to The Creative Learning Studio alongside their family and friends to celebrate their achievements and receive copies of their published Comics.
Sharron Phin, Learning and Engagement Assistant, The McManus Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum, said
"It has been very rewarding to watch the young people find their voices and flourish throughout this project. School holidays can be a financial strain for many families, so it was important for us to provide a free and educational opportunity during a cost of living crisis. We wanted to target these age groups as they have expressed they can feel overwhelmed and isolated post pandemic. It has been exciting to watch the young people engage with the museum's collection in new creative ways."
Rebecca Horner, Comics Youth SCIO, said
"We are very pleased to present the young peoples' work in Building Stories: A Summer of Comics Volumes 1 & 2! All of the participants produced fantastic work during the summer school, and they should be all be very proud of what they've achieved."
To find out more about Creative Learning activities at The McManus, visit About Creative Learning | the mcmanus
