GCS cultivates cultural roots with youth summer workshops

By Neve Clinton

Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS) has commenced its summer workshops for kids, forming part of the Summer Sports and Leisure Programme’s culture and arts activities, designed to inspire and entertain children through culturally enriching activities.

The schedule offers four weekly sessions at the GEMA Gallery every Thursday throughout July from 11am, including Fun Creative Yoga with Kationa Matto; Moving Stories, Masks, Mime and Magic with Emma Macdonald; Paper Craft with Shane Dalmedo, and Neon Painting with Lizanne Figueras.

Children’s Storytelling sessions, for ages 3 to 7, will also be on tour over the summer, popping up in Commonwealth Park on July 15, GEMA Gallery on the 22nd, Campion Park on July 29, and the Mario Finlayson National Art Gallery on August 5, all at 10am.

Davina Barbara from GCS told the Chronicle that these venues are significant and purposefully chosen to encourage people to engage with the abundance of culture and art that exists around them in Gibraltar, alongside attending focused cultural activities.

“We use the outdoor usable spaces that we have, like Campion Park and Commonwealth Park, and then we also come to the galleries, because that way we capitalise on a storytelling experience and you get people to visit the galleries, young people will immerse themselves in art and learn about our local artists,” she said.

She added: “We would like to have the visit to the gallery as something you would do, like when you go into town and have churros.”

“ultimately that is one of the aims, and that doesn’t exist, unless you are going to see someone’s work specifically”.

Ms Barbara explained that the purpose of the summer programme is to provide opportunities for promoting culture and the arts.

“It’s an opportunity for young people to try out activities that are not normally on offer during the year-long programme, and to also have something different to the usual sports and leisure,” she said.

“So that's kind of what it's about. Promotion, inclusion, accessibility and fun as well.”

GCS also aims to give opportunities to those skilled in the field of arts and culture, and tries to offer varied activities from year to year, from performance art activities with Zoe Bishop or Emma Macdonald, to more crafty activities with Kitchen Studios or Shane Dalmedo.

Ms Barbara added that Shane Dalmedo is a gallery attendant at GEMA who sets up hands-on, interactive activities alongside the exhibitions, that children can enjoy whether they are attending the workshops or not, such as origami and giant Lego building.

“We've got the big activity sheet there, that's actually one of Gustavo Bacarisas’ lunettes. So it's about joining the dots all the time,” she said.

“The lunettes are part of our street art, they link back to our biggest heritage artists, to the National Gallery, so it's kind of creating that awareness.”

With regards to the inclusion of more embodied cultural experiences, such as yoga and performance art, which tie GCS’ agenda into the wider GSLA programme, she said “physical activity is very important to children's growth and development, and it's when they're moving that sometimes they can learn the most,” she said.

On the topic of yoga, she added: “we do like to also focus on mindfulness, and mental well-being, and have that instilled at a young age as well.”

“I think it's important to dip into the awareness that exists locally and the trends and popularity”.

One message that Ms Barbara wants to push through these workshops is that creativity can be expressed in many different ways, and does not necessarily mean being skilled at drawing or painting, a preconception which can put barriers up for young people, and which needs to be dismantled.

She added that, at the gallery: “We don't only have fine art, we've got sculptures, installations, photography and digital prints, and young people can see sculptures being made from everyday objects, and creativity really taken to another level.”

“I think that's great because it gives them that kind of awareness, understanding and appreciation, and might even push them to try things out themselves, which is what you usually find when we bring a school group here.”

“They leave with a sense of excitement, inspiration and motivation to try something new.”

For more information email: development@culture.gov.gi