Futureworks NY – A Visit to York!
A Trip to the Little Apple!
Following over two years of restrictions and limited trips out, we finally managed to arrange a trip to the historic City of York for some of our young people, one of our volunteers and one of our staff members! Hurrah!
Keeping it Green
York is about an hour away from our HQ in Scarborough on the Yorkshire Coast.
Our team took the train from Scarborough to York and walked from the station to York Art Gallery and the Ni Art Studio.
A Bit About York
The city is a stunning place to visit with its incredible Gothic Minster, City Walls and many different attractions, such as the National Railway Museum and the Jorvik Centre.
The purpose of the York visit was for our young people to become more involved in our craft sessions.
One of our amazing volunteers, Richard, has already showed our learners some art techniques and he also helps them to create their own, unique artwork.
The visit to York Art Gallery was to inspire and encourage our young people.
During the visit, Richard was supported by one of our staff members, Dave.
York is host to its own impressive Art Gallery which includes artworks from for some of the world’s best-known artists.
York Art Gallery
York Art Galleryhttps://www.yorkartgallery.org.ukis just a stone’s throw from the Museum Gardens and the River Ouse.
Our group toured the many different exhibits and collections.
One of the interactive artefacts was a typewriter!
Long before computers and smart phones, typewriters were commonplace.
Typing was one the early forms of word processing and some of us are so old we weretaught typewriting skills at school, gaining a qualirication through the Royal Society of Arts.
The Power of the Typewriter
Early typewriters were very heavy and were not powered by electric; they also introduced the idea of the QWERTY keyboard, which most smart phones still use today.
For those of us old enough to remember these contraptions, it is fascinating to see the reaction of a generation that’s maybe never seen or used one!
Hollywood actor Tom Hanks collects them and some of the early models are very valuable.
Ni Art Studio
The team then walked from the Art Gallery through York’s narrow, historic streets to the Ni Art Studio, Swinegate – https://www.nistudios.co.uk
This independent art shop and studio is an immersive experience for anyone with an artistic streak.
It gave our young learners the chance to see different types of art, created by everyday people.
After all, what is art?
Art is something that means different things to different people.
There’s no right or wrong answer and everyone can be creative.
What Did Our Learners Learn?
All our ‘excursions’ are designed to encourage our young people to learn several things.
This trip included using public transport, finding their way from the train station to the art gallery, understanding the importance of social skills and building up confidence outside of the home and their more formal learning spaces.
With the help of Dave and Richard, this trip was very successful in all these aspects.
And the Rest …
York is a lively, busy city yet is smaller than most.
This means visitors can walk between most of the attractions within a few minutes.
Our group were able to walk from the art gallery, around the exterior of the stunning York Minster, and past the stone masons’ area, where skilled artisans are helping restore and create some of the incredible stonework of this amazing building, parts of which are over 800 years old.
Their walk through the city also took them past the Tudor-style buildings near the Minster Yard.
After a busy day, the team returned home safe and sound to Scarborough.
