Kids’ University at firstsite

Essex University and firstsite gallery in Colchester are running an event together.

Come and visit the Kids’ Uni!

Come along to an exciting day of lectures and activities for 7 to 11 year olds and find out what happens at the University of Essex!

The day of lectures and activities will run from 10am until 4pm on Saturday 26th May 2012 at the firstsite gallery in Colchester. And the best bit is, the whole day is absolutely free!

What’s happening?

Eight exciting and interactive mini lectures, between 20 and 30 minutes long. Loads of activities including seeing your brain waves on a computer, looking at live sea creatures through a microscope, having a go at acting and filming and being on a mock jury, plus quizzes and colouring. The chance to get a Kids’ Uni certificate and have your graduation photo taken.

The event will be taking place in the fantastic new firstsite gallery in the heart of Colchester. You will get to experience what a real University lecture may be like in the 190 seater auditorium, plus get to wander round the exciting selection of stalls in this stunning art gallery building.

The event will be taking place in the fantastic new firstsite gallery in the heart of Colchester. You will get to experience what a real University lecture may be like in the 190 seater auditorium, plus get to wander round an exciting selection of stalls in this stunning art gallery building.

Children’s University

The event has been validated by the Children’s University, which is a national organisation that enhances young children’s lives with exciting and innovative activities and experiences. If your child is already involved in the Children’s University, you can bring along your passport to be stamped on the day.

The event has been organised by seven members of staff through the University’s Essex Futures programme. For more information on the day, or if you would like to know more about the University or Essex Futures visit the Kids Uni website.

Although this event is free you do need to book a place.

Posted by Clare Kersey

Brand new CBeebies character showcased at firstsite!

Firstsite are delighted to host artist Steve Roberts and Ragdoll Producer Chris Wood to showcase their brand new CBeebies character Dipdap, from the hit show for toddlers.

Dipdap is a three-minute comic animation featuring a simple drawn line that creates endless challenges and surprises for the unsuspecting little character, Dipdap.

This half term at firstsite, families can watch the animation, see the artist draw live – and try their hand at drawing with Dipdap.

The Dipdap event takes place on Tuesday 25 October. There are four sessions at 10am, 11am, 12 noon and 2pm. Each session lasts around 45 minutes.

Throughout half term, firstsite is also offering FREE drop-in sessions for families and children as part of The Big Draw month.

These sessions take place 10am – 4pm, Monday 24 to Friday 28 October, and 12 noon – 4pm on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October. All sessions are free and no booking is required but children must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information go to http://www.firstsite.uk.net/

Posted by Emily Richardson

Firstsite Opens Its Doors!

On Sunday 25th September 2011, the iconic and sometimes controversial new firstsite building in Colchester opened its doors to the public. An incredible 3002 visitors came through the doors following the cutting of the ribbon by the Mayor and pupils from St Helena school.

Firstsite is a visual arts organisation based in Colchester, Essex and is led by founding director Katherine Wood. It is committed to commissioning and showing new art from around the world and is part of the Plus Tate group of UK regional galleries. The new building is the product of a partnership between Arts Council England, East of England Development Agency, Essex County Council, Colchester Borough Council, the University of Essex and Firstsite.

As an organisation, Firstsite is dedicated to supporting the creative community, growing local talent and enhancing Colchester as cultural destination. This has lead to the development of the firstsite Learning Programme. The Learning Programme is designed to develop critical and reflective practice among participants and to support creativity and engagement with contemporary art. It covers techniques such as drawing, painting, sculpture, printing, performance, live art, craft and design. The team also curates talks, discussions and critical debate on contemporary art and culture. On top of this, they also organise family film screenings in firstsite’s state of the art auditorium. The programme for schools, colleges and teachers, includes regular weekly sessions and after school, holiday and drop-in sessions for children, young people and families. Last year 9,514 children, young people, adults and families attending more than 300 Firstsite Learning events in Colchester and throughout Essex and the Learning team with more than 3000 pupils and college students at 25 educational institutions.

Firstsite prides itself in involving itself with the community. The organisation has consistently presented 25-30% of its work outside the gallery, working with challenging audiences to improve social cohesion in Colchester. The community programmes are devised in collaboration with Colchester Garrison, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Essex Children’s Services and Mercury Theatre.

The new firstsite building offers space for the organisation to expand while providing a much needed ‘living room’ for Colchester and a focus for the region’s contemporary cultural life.

The physical aspect of the building is equally impressive. The building plan is a modifed crescent that wraps around a D-shaped eighteenth century garden. It is built on a steel frame and is wrapped in TECU Gold which gives for an original and striking look. The various spaces within the building, provide individual sections for the work and projects to be displayed. These include the impressive auditorium, the Entrance space and the main galleries which are defined by an oak floor and curving plasterboard walls. There is also a learning space which can be used by schools, conference and administration facilities and a cafe/restaurant called MUSA.

Firstsite’s opening exhibition, Camulodunum (the Roman name for Colchester, after the Celtic war god Camulos), celebrates the cultural and artistic heritage of the town and the region which has become eastablished as the capital of Roman Britain. The exhibition shows important local historic artefacts alongside works by Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Grayson Perry JMW Turner, Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei. There are also four commissions by international contemporary artists which are Michaela Eichwald, Aleksandra Mir, Karin Ruggaber and Danh Vo.

Firstsite has something for everyone and the opening of the building offers a practical art space as well as programmes and information that are integral to using art as a postive social and educational tool within the local and national community.

For more information go to www.firstsite.uk.net

Posted by Emily Richardson