Art on the Line School Exhibition
The Art On The Line project ran in November and December 2019 in association with Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership. It involved 221 students aged 7 to 11 from six village and town schools on the Wherry Lines.
Students were taken out into their local environment to learn about the railway, it’s construction and it’s impact on the landscape and the communities it serves. They learnt how it led to the growth of mass tourism, changed how goods were transported to and from Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft and how it was responsible for the loss of the region’s wherry boats.
While touring their local sites students made sketches which they used back in the classroom to create their artwork. Sketching out in the field, despite the challenges of wind, rain and a lack of a table, proved to be a great way to “rediscover” common buildings and features of the landscape that we no longer notice.
Each student had a month to create their own artwork. These were then set up in an exhibition at the Lowestoft Station Parcel Office in December and a winner and runner up from each year group was chosen.
Every student came to the prize giving ceremonies – there were 3 to accommodate all 221 participants – and they all received a rail related souvenir and nature pack. The prizes, donated by Greater Anglia, were awarded by the Chair of Community Rail Norfolk, Peter Mayne.
The students certainly enjoyed having the chance to see the artwork from the other schools and compare all the different pictures!“The children have enjoyed exploring the local landscapes to inspire their art work. They have been motivated by the real-life purpose for their paintings and having their work on public display.”
Hannah Farman, Teacher North Denes Primary School
Following the prize giving ceremonies, the exhibition remained open to the public for a week at the Parcel Office and then during January the artwork was moved and put on display at each of the school’s local stations.
