Art Room Launches New Ladbroke Grove Studio With Patron Grayson Perry

The Art Room has celebrated the opening of their 9th Art studio at Barlby Primary School in Ladboke Grove, West London. A special reception for supporters including the charity’s Patron, Grayson Perry and Dame Vivien Duffield. Together, Grayson and Dame Vivien met students of Barlby Primary School and Oxford Gardens Primary School and enjoyed time reading books that go on to inspire the art projects the children engage in. Sadly the Duchess of Cambridge declined to attend due to her ongoing morning sickness. The day celebrated the unveiling of the 50th Clore Learning Space and the Foundation’s first within a school and marks the announcement of the Foundation’s 10 new Clore Learning Spaces celebrating their 50th anniversary.

The Clore Art Room at Barlby Primary School represents the culmination of sustained support from the Clore Duffield Foundation. Founded in 1964, the Foundation has focused on funding education spaces within cultural organisations including museums, heritage organisations and galleries. Since 2005, the Foundation has made donations to The Art Room and to celebrate its 50th year chose to fund the opening and running costs for three years of this new Art Room studio in Barlby Primary School.

The Clore Art Room offers therapeutic support to pupils of Barlby School and Oxford Gardens School. Over a 5-day week, the highly trained practitioners will work with small groups of children aged between 5 and 11 years-old in 1 hour 45 minute sessions. After a year, the Clore Art Room will offer this unique intervention to other Primary and Secondary Schools in the Borough.

The Clore Art Room at Barlby Primary School is one of a number of therapeutic interventions offered at the School which also hosts The Orchard, a specialist provision for children with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). Anthony Mannix, Head Teacher says on the opening of the new Art Room ‘We are absolutely delighted to be working with The Art Room as it further promotes our policy of inclusion and the nurture of life-long learning for every child.“

The opening of the new Art Room represents the successful working partnership between a philanthropic organisation, a host school and The Art Room charity. Juli Beattie, Founder Director said of the occasion “The Clore Art Room highlights the impact of The Clore Duffield Foundation’s sustained and loyal support of our work. Through their generous provision, we have been hugely fortunate to establish a relationship with Barlby and Oxford Garden Schools which are inspirational primary schools. The vision of both Head Teachers in welcoming The Art Room as a support to their students is crucial to our aim to provide therapeutic intervention to children who need support in mainstream education.”

The new studio takes the total number of Art Rooms based in schools to nine and is the third in London. In addition to the host school, children from neighboring schools can be referred for sessions which takes the total number of schools we currently support in London to ten. During September, a team of volunteers from Christies spent a day helping set up the room in preparation for the opening.

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