Honiton celebrates unveiling of new artwork created by local school children

Honiton Town Council and Thelma Hulbert Gallery (THG) have revealed a new art installation at the Beehive in Honiton

Year 10 students at Honiton Community College created the artworks during THG workshops with graphic artist George Barron this summer.

Honiton Town Council invited the students to showcase the wide range of activities on offer in Honiton from boxing to tennis, archery to pottery, and of course art. There were many more than the students first imagined!

THG commissioned George Barron, an expert printmaker based at Positive Lights in Exeter, to work with the students. George encouraged them to experiment with different print processes. The students learnt new skills including letter press, monoprint and screen printing to produce a set of multi-coloured, graphic collages. 

The installation is part of a reworking of the area in front of the Beehive. Honiton Town Council has spearheaded the removal of unsightly storage containers so the area could be newly landscaped with bedding plants and a restored historic bench. 

As part of its commitment to enhancing public spaces in Honiton, the Town Council allocated funding for street art in its annual budget which has enabled this project to be commissioned and delivered.

Artist George Barron said,

'It was a joy to work with the students of Honiton Community College. Through letterpress, screen printing and monoprinting, they captured the spirit and creativity of Honiton — I am so pleased to see their hard work come to life on the panels.'

Honiton Community College's Art Teacher, Katie Robinson said, 

'The students had a fantastic time experimenting with different techniques and found the whole process really inspiring. '

Honiton Town Councillor and Deputy Mayor, Lucy Wakefield, said,

'It has been a privilege for Honiton Town Council to be able to give purpose to this project that year 10 students have worked so hard to produce.'

We are thrilled to be able to provide a wonderful space to display this artwork, where people can come and sit and enjoy spotting all the different activities within the installation. Who knows, it may inspire people from the local community to participate in some of these activities that Honiton has to offer.

This project is a collaboration between Thelma Hulbert Gallery (THG) and Honiton Town Council and has been partly funded by Arts Council England. It forms part of THG's Create Our Space project, which aims to inspire local young people to engage in creative experiences to build new skills and increase their confidence.