Newham’s young artists shine in special exhibition

Move over Damien Hirst - the next generation of young British artists are on your tail.

Budding artists from schools across the borough celebrated their artwork at a special exhibition at Sarah Bonnell school in Stratford yesterday.

Parents, classmates and teaching staff wandered around eleven stands set up in the school’s piazza admiring the children’s sculptures, photographs and pictures.

The result of a joint project between education charity Bow Arts and six schools, the exhibition celebrated the artistic endeavours of pupils from schools in Plaistow, Forest Gate and Stratford who had been preparing for the show for a year.

Working alongside professional artists, the children and their teachers experimented with a range of different materials including the trunk and branches of a cherry tree which had once stood in the playground of Sandringham school.

Project manager Lydia Ashman of Bow Arts, who organises the annual arts project, said: “It’s always lovely when you bring together the artists, teachers and children to celebrate their achievements.

“The project is about strengthening contacts between schools.

“What’s really important is that parents can get an understanding of the benefits and enjoyment young people gain doing art.”