Young people take centre stage with Fringe inspired artwork
23 January 2018
Artist Ursula Kam-Ling Cheng and pupils from Granton Primary School today unveiled a Fringe inspired artwork in the window of the Fringe Shop on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, kicking off the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society’s programme of activity to celebrate Scotland’s Year of Young People.
The artwork, developed in a workshop with pupils from class 5A as part of the 2018 Fringe Schools Poster Competition, shows an array of Fringe performers and attendees including jugglers, dancers and acrobats. The workshop, planned in partnership with the Arts & Creative Learning department at City of Edinburgh Council, was led by live drawing artist Ursula Kam-Ling Cheng, who is the champion artist for this year’s competition. Ursula will sit on the competition’s judging panel and attend the prizegiving event as guest of honour.
Unveiling the window display, artist Ursula Kam-Ling Cheng said:
“It was fantastic to work with pupils from Granton Primary School on the Fringe Shop window project. The workshop gave them an opportunity to find out more about the Fringe, get creative and learn new techniques. It was great to see their imaginations in action and I think the artwork that we have created really captures the fun and excitement that the Fringe brings to Edinburgh.
“I hope our window display inspires even more pupils and schools to take part in this year’s Schools Poster Competition and encourages people passing by the Fringe Shop to pop in for a closer look.”
Natalie Kirkwood, Class 5A’s teacher at Granton Primary School, said:
“The children were really excited about the prospect of working with Ursula and creating an artwork for the Fringe Shop. They had great fun coming up with ideas and thinking about the kind of people that they might see at the Fringe, from performers to box office staff and audience members. They were delighted to see the artwork revealed today; it has got them all thinking and chatting about what their entries to the Fringe Schools Poster Competition might look like.”
The deadline for submissions to the Schools Poster Competition, supported by Virgin Money, is Friday 09 March 2018, with three winning entries to feature as the official posters for the 2018 Fringe.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said:
“It has been brilliant to see this project coming together and the final result is a stunning start to the Fringe Society’s programme of activity for Scotland’s Year of Young People. I’d like to thank Ursula and the pupils from Granton Primary for their hard work and for sharing their ideas of what the Fringe means to them.
“Over the last 38 years, the Fringe School’s Poster Competition has enabled the Fringe to engage with over 100,000 young people from right across Scotland, introducing children to all that this fantastic festival has to offer and encouraging the next generation of Fringe performers and arts professionals.
“With less than 200 days to go, the countdown to the 2018 Fringe is well underway. We are looking forward to announcing additional opportunities for young people to get more involved with the Fringe and the work of the Fringe Society in the coming months.”
Lorna MacDonald, Strategic Development Officer, Creative Learning (Visual Art, Film & Literature), City of Edinburgh Council said:
“It is so important that teachers and young people engage with quality artists and creative learning opportunities that we are so lucky to have in Edinburgh across the year. The Fringe Society really values creative learning and I am delighted to work with them across the year to make partnerships like this happen. The excitement and engaged learning that is tangible here will not be forgotten by these pupils or staff; developing not only art & design skills but also imagination, problem solving and confidence.”
This year’s Schools Poster Competition will be judged in three different age categories, Primary 1 – 3, Primary 4 –7, and Senior 1 – 6. One overall winner will be selected in each age category, alongside 14 regional winners. The three winning designs will be feature as the official posters of the 2018 Fringe and appear in an exhibition, alongside 150 other shortlisted entries, that will take place at Dynamic Earth between June and August 2018.