The Art and Craft course is run by Kate Buirski, a highly experienced teacher and multi-skilled Jewellery/Metalworker. Kate has over 20 years’ experience working in education and has taught GNVQ Jewellery/Metalwork, National Diploma Design Crafts, Agored OCN’s, GCSE Art and a variety of community based courses for specialist schools, units and education providers such as Bryn Tirion Hall School, Dodds Lane Referral Centre, Adult Learning Wales and Coleg Cambria, Wrexham. Kate's extensive experience with students with complex emotional and behavioral needs has helped her to develop a course that not only offers a variety of practical skills, but also aims to help develop the students confidence in their ability to progress further within mainstream education and develop future aims and goals.

 

The Art and Craft course offers students a range of 2 and 3 dimensional art, design and crafting experiences aimed at developing their self-confidence and belief in their practical and educational abilities. The units are designed not only to develop practical art and design skills but also allow students to express their individual creativity, develop fine motor skills, practice their numeracy and problem solving skills and learn to work with others as a part of a team. Students work with a variety of materials that vary from paint and pastels to clay, fabric and metal, and have the opportunity to develop their artistic skills through practical activities such as metalwork, mosaics, glass painting, graffiti art, printing and Papier Mache.

 

Over the course of two years students produce a portfolio of their art and design work and finished pieces as well as gaining a range of AQA unit accredited certificates. The students, in conjunction with their tutor, are also responsible for the design and creation of The Venture's annual Christmas Grotto, which is always a highlight of the year for all who experience it. The theme for Christmas 2016 was ‘Elf on the shelf’ and the students worked hard not only to produce a papier mache elf each, but also as a team to develop the theme from one scene to the next and create the grotto.