Hi Folks!

Welcome to an extra special edition of Void Comix. This issue we’ll be having a look at the work of Void’s very own Art School! And that means I’ve got loads of brilliant student artists to tell you about.

The Art School started with Void’s Artist in Residence scheme, where students from a number of schools could come along to the artist’s open studios. How cool is that? The students would find out about all sorts of contemporary art techniques that they wouldn’t normally come across. And it was such a success that it ended up turning into the Art School. The Art School is in its second year now. It gives all the lucky students materials to create their pieces of art with, as well as a place where they can make them. And best of all, that place is Void! Whoever thought that going to school could be so brilliant?

And if you still don’t know what Void is all about, then I’ll tell you. It was started by a bunch of Derry’s artists calling themselves “Derry’s Artists for Derry’s Art”, or DADA for short. Which also happens to be the name of an art movement from the early part of the 20th Century. The gallery has been open in the basement of the old City Shirt Factory since January 2005, and you can see loads of exhibitions of fabby contemporary art here!

There are nine brilliant artists in this year’s Art School, all with pieces in the exhibition. And obviously they all live around Derry, which makes them even more brilliant!

Quite a few of the artists are in their last year at school, though not all of them. There are all ages of folk at Void’s Art School, but the one thing they’ve got in common is that they all think that making art is fab! I’ll try to tell you something about them all...

Nadean Downey finished school last year, and is taking a year off full time education. But she’s carrying on making art here, before she goes off to study art in London, at St.Martin’s College.

Paul Ruairi has left school, and at the moment he’s coming along to create art just for the fun of it! And another student who isn’t at school any more is Rosalean O’Callaghan. In fact, she left school years ago - she’s a senior citizen now! But that hasn’t

stopped her learning, and she’ll be off to Belfast to do a Degree in art soon.

Olga Weston originally comes all the way from Russia, and she’s a mum. That hasn’t stopped her from making great art, though - how cool to have a mum like that?

There are five students who are still at smelly old school. That’s Trudie Kee, Patrick McDaid, Amy Murray, Emma Nicholas and Katherine Black. But they won’t be there for much longer because they’re all going to North West College to do a foundation course in art! Fantastic!

As well as the art they usually make, the students also attempted an Art Marathon! They had to make 26 five-minute art pieces with stuff they’d bought in junk shops and the like. That’s them in the photo, dressed as clowns. They didn’t quite finish the marathon, though. They were probably too busy throwing custard pies around. Dad can’t finish a marathon, either, because of pies. Except those pies are the ones he eats, with a portion of extra large chips!

VOID ART SCHOOLTHIS IS yOuR ART...

What fun! I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about Void Art School. And if you’d like to join the Art School here, or are interested in finding out, or getting involved with contemporary art, then just get in touch with the friendly folk here at Void. Even if you’re as old and bald as Dad! You can phone them, email them, or just call in to see them. Brilliant!

Meanwhile, if you’ve got brain strain over the puzzles, then you can find all the answers by visiting: www.voidcomix.co.uk

There’ll be another fantastic exhibition here at Void soon, and I’m just about as excited

as a crocodile at the dentist’s!

See you soon,

Arty