The Art Café Receives Award From Clubs and Societies Fund
This year, we have seen exponential growth in our Lower School Art Club, known as The Art Café. There truly seems to be a burgeoning creative force within the school, which is wonderful to witness.
It is also heartwarming to see boys in the Fourths, who (for various reasons) have not chosen to take Art GCSE, still coming to learn and create in a fun yet focused environment. Here is what Emerson in Fourths had to say about the club:
"I would describe Art Cafe as a place where I can go to practice and improve my art abilities by being taught and then trying new techniques I have never used before. I think that The Art Cafe is really useful and it has a friendly atmosphere."
Up to this point, all resources had been provided from the Art Department's budget. However, this year, thanks to an extremely generous award from the Clubs and Societies Fund, supported by gifts from OMTs and parents to the Headmaster’s Discretionary Fund, The Art Café will be self-funded.
This award has initially allowed the club to purchase a substantial foundation of essential materials, including pencils, brushes, paints, and other more extravagant supplies. These resources will serve us well for years to come. Additionally, we have been able to acquire a storage unit and folders for each student to collect their masterpieces throughout the year.
The fund has also enabled us to plan more ambitious collaborative projects, which will hopefully see our work displayed more publicly around the school.
The boys are currently working on a collaborative project to create a group portrait of all the staff at Merchant Taylors’, an idea based on the work of Daumier. A big thank you to all the brave staff who have agreed to take part!
