Our Society Supported The Breakthrough Transformation Trust in 2024
In 2024 we sponsored The Breakthrough Transformation Trust, based in South Brent.
This is a charity that provides alternative provision for school age children as well as being a specialist post 16 college.
Many of their children and young people have found mainstream education difficult because of their special educational needs and disabilities such as autism and ADHD.
We helped fund a garden based arts project. They came up with two ideas : project one was to design and build a totem pole and project two was to restyle the summerhouse which is used as a therapy centre. It was felt that the summerhouse project was a little easier to begin with, so they started to pool ideas.
Using the Finnish Design House Marimekko as inspiration, they worked on simple two tone colour designs based on the flowers that they grew in their garden.
The students planned the project, working out what they would need and how to involve students of all different abilities.
They painted the summerhouse and then applied the designs to the outside walls.
The money we gave the project bought sketchbooks, pencils, inks and paint. It has increased the amount of art resources available so they can now have a dedicated art area. The Trust's aim is to encourage students to see art in a different light, to break down barriers that exist and allow students to enjoy art as a therapeutic tool as well as being fun and experimental.
Their long term aim is to encourage students to take an art based qualification.
We hope to fund them again next year. Maybe they will feel more confident and make the totem pole !
Our Society's Young Arts Support in 2023:
In 2023 we sponsored soprano Molly O'Toole at Dartington Summer School. We were sent the attached 2023 bursary report.
We are very grateful to The Arts Society Totnes for your grant that supported our bursary programme during the 2023 Dartington Music Summer School and Festival.
The student supported by your grant was Molly O’Toole.
Molly is a young soprano from Sheffield. She held a Music Scholarship while studying History at Birmingham University. She has sung with many ensembles in England, Scotland and Sweden. Molly is about to begin studying for a Masters in Solo Voice Ensemble Singing at York University.
At the Dartington Summer School in July, Molly attended the Vocal Masterclass with Mhairi Lawson (studying two pieces from Monteverdi’s “Orfeo”) and sang in Dartington’s Big Choir, directed by John Butt. The students worked together on interpretation, communication, and performance during the week.
This year’s Festival was the busiest since the pandemic, with the largest number of course participants since 2019 and audiences across our concert series up by 17%.
The Festival’s artistic director, Sara Mohr-Pietsch says, “Dartington Summer School has always been known for offering unrivalled opportunities to emerging artists, and we were able to continue that tradition in 2023 thanks to the generosity of our funding partners. For all involved, it was a transformative summer of music, and a fitting way to celebrate our 75th birthday by nurturing the musicians of the future.”
Here is a personal message from Molly O’Toole:
“I really enjoyed working with Mhairi Lawson to develop my technique and expression of such an exciting new repertoire during the Vocal Master Class. I also loved singing in the Great Hall, Dartington whilst being accompanied by a harpsicord and a theorbo – this was a totally new and exciting opportunity”.
“Thank you so much to everyone at The Arts Society Totnes for funding my bursary at Dartington this year! I am so grateful for your generosity in providing the bursary and ensuring that I had such an enriching experience during the Vocal Masterclass. Thank you!”
Thank you once again to the Arts Society Totnes for the £600 grant that helped make this wonderful experience at the Summer School possible for this student
Our Society’s Young Arts Support in 2022:
With a £500 bursary, The Arts Society Totnes supported a young soprano for a week of tuition (with accommodation) and performance at the Dartington Music Summer School and Festival in July 2022.
With assistance of a bursary from The Arts Society Totnes, HéloÏse Bernard, a highly talented soprano and a thoroughly delightful young lady, was able to attend a personalised vocal course that included masterclasses given by the notable tenor, James Gilchrist, and performance in a number of evening concerts.
HéloÏse is a French-American singer based in Glasgow. She graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2018 and, in a varied repertoire, is noted for her Early and Baroque performances.
Two TAST committee members were invited to attend Heloise’s masterclass and were enchanted by her beautiful voice and engaging musical expression.
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TAST continued to financially support a one-day Nature & Sculpture workshop run by The Apricot Centre, Dartington during the October 2022 half-term holiday.
This workshop, held in the open around a wood fire, aimed to engage a group of vulnerable, adopted and disadvantaged children to use the creative arts within a nature-based setting to improve wellbeing. Looking at Antony Gormley for inspiration of how to place sculptures of people in the natural environment, the group foraged for inspirational natural materials that they then incorporate into their own clay figures. The group were encouraged to feel the clay, create interesting shapes and explore what happened when they added water and imprints from nature itself. This workshop was a mindful activity using hands and connecting with the outdoors - and thoroughly enjoyed by the whole group.
Quotes from participants:
I like thinking about being in nature and how it makes me feel better.
I loved this. Wish we could do more art work outdoors.