UCLan Saturday club exhibition gets visit from Turner Prize winner

The Saturday Club, a free weekly class for 13-16 year-olds, has had its exhibition praised by a Turner Prize winner.

The club is run by the University of Central Lancashire and offers free classes in art and design or fashion and business as part of the national Saturday Club initiative.

The Saturday Club is designed to give teenagers a taste of what it is like to study art-related subjects after leaving school.

This term, the teenagers taking classes in art and design were invited to take inspiration from the work of Lubaina Himid CBE and make their own large scale cut out characters.

Fashion and business pupils developed ideas for a sustainable denim campaign.

To complete the project, an exhibition was held which Lubiana attended in UCLan’s PR1 Gallery.

Lubaina said: “This exhibition is really amazing. As creative students you will know that hard work, concentration and imagination are all essential skills you need to be successful.

“Taking part in Saturday Club has given you the best start possible. You have shown that you are capable of making decisions and doing unimaginable things. This is just the beginning. Keep going.”

Penwortham Girls High School pupil Grace Halsey,16, from the art and design cohort, has created a large-scale colourful painting cut out of a girl. She said: “It’s exciting to take inspiration from Lubaina and then for her to see our work. I wanted my piece to include lots of bright colours and be really expressive.”

Monica Dean, aged 14 and attends Corpus Christi Catholic High School and Esmee Backhouse, also aged 14 and attends All Hallows Catholic High School, worked on a group project to upcycle a denim jacket and jeans.

Monica said: “We’ve never done anything like this before and I really enjoyed it. I’ve learned so much from taking part in Saturday Club. Not only in terms of sewing techniques, but also where ideas, designs and trends come from.”

Fellow fashion group member 16-year-old Freddie Wright, from Hutton Grammar School, said: “Saturday Club has been so much fun. I’ve enjoyed having the freedom to be creative without any restrictions. It’s also been good to work with other like-minded people on a group project.”

The Saturday Club is the only one of its kind in Lancashire. It’s been running since 2019 and has welcomed hundreds of local schoolchildren who are keen to develop their creative skills across a range of disciplines. Attendees also take part in two annual national events; a masterclass with an industry professional and the Summer Show, where all Club members from around the country exhibit their work at Somerset House in London.

UCLan Saturday Club art and design tutor Andrew McDonald added: “The show has been a brilliant conclusion to a fantastic year, we now start recruiting for next year.”

More information about the UCLan Saturday Club is available on the university’s website.

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