Rye Art Gallery is a wonderful and valuable resource for our local schools. In these days of shrinking school budgets and the challenges of taking young children to visit London art galleries Rye Art Gallery can offer teachers the chance to use the Permanent Collection and the contemporary Artworks to great effect.
The Stormont Awards, (named after Mary Stormont who bequeathed the property to Rye Art Gallery) were the brain child of Michael Miller, past chairman of Rye Art Gallery Trust. He believed we at the Trust should be doing more to support art education in the community and with the generous help of Kate Sims and the Rye Community Shop the Stormont Awards became a reality, for the first time this year.
Kate Van Der Pump, fellow trustee and former art teacher was delighted to work with five of our local schools, Rye Community Primary, Rye College, St Michael’s Playden, Beckley C of E Primary and Peasmarsh Primary to make the event such a wonderful success.
The Gallery was thrilled to welcome so many children and their families to the Awards ceremony on Saturday November 4. Watching the children, some as young as four so excited to see their work on the Gallery walls made it clear just how important events like this are. The Mayor of Rye, Cllr. Jonathan Breeds kindly attended to hand out the prizes and certificates. Nick Moon, who has the Art-Write shop in Tower Street, also presented a special prize and generously supported the event.
All 125 works are displayed in Gallery 6, the original studio of Mary and Howard Stormont, until November 13 and are well worth a visit. Beautiful, colourful and fun – come and see. (Source: Rye Art Gallery)
Photos: Kenneth Bird