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Purbeck Young Artists
The very essence of PAW is to pass on a passion for art to the young people in our community. We are aware that art in schools has been cut over the years, and we feel that our special role is to encourage youngsters to enjoy the benefits of getting involved and experiment in making art. We work closely with local schools to celebrate and encourage art, and each year we try and involve around 500 Purbeck Young Artists (PYA) in creative activities.
The feedback has been incredible from the teachers, parents, children and visitors to the exhibition in 2025.
‘We painted a banner with our whole class and it was so much fun. I can’t believe that we made this amazing piece of art in just a day, I’m really proud!’
‘The children in my class were absolutely buzzing with excitement and took so much from their workshop. It really boosted their confidence in their artistic abilities and they had the opportunity to work collaboratively on an art piece that we can display in the school and that they can proudly say that they made.‘
‘I wish we could do art like this every day, it was one of the best days ever!’
PYA 2026
PAW’s core mission is to make art accessible to as many young people as possible within the Purbeck area. Each year, we collaborate with talented local artists who bring a wealth of expertise to deliver fantastic school workshops across Purbeck schools. Over the years we have built strong ties with local schools to champion and encourage creativity, reaching around 500 Purbeck Young Artists participating in creative activities each year. This year marks a record involvement from schools, partnering with seven artists on a diverse range of workshops, including: glass art, puppet making, painting banners, clay making and 3D art using recycled materials and interactive art. The workshops and artwork are centred on the festival theme, which this year is ‘Birds’ and a couple of schools used their PYA workshops to be creative around the nightingale theme of The Whispering Dome community event. We invite you to view the inspiring results on display in The Byre at Rollington Barn’.
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PYA 2025
In 2025 there were a record number of schools involved working with 7 artists and the range of workshops includes, glass art, puppet making, painting banners, clay making and 3D art using recycled materials. Workshops and artwork from the schools were based on the festival theme, which this year was ‘Myths, Monsters and Legends’. Three of the workshops created props and scenery for the performance of The Fairy Queen that took place on the 7th of June. We hope that you came and saw the inspiring results in The Byre at Rollington Barn.
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PYA 2024
In 2024 we had a record number of 18 schools participating. The workshops were coordinated by local artist and teacher Sophie Jenkins, and were delivered by an amazing team of 6 local artists with a wealth of experience of working with young people. This year students were encouraged to develop art works on the theme of ‘Coastal Life’ – through a range of workshops includes, glass art, puppet making, painting banners, clay making, graffiti street art and 3D art using recycled materials.
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PYA 2023
In 2023 the children taking part in the PYA workshops were inspired by the festival theme of ‘Nature and the Environment’. The workshops were coordinated by Sophie Jenkins and were delivered by an amazing team of local artists with a wealth of experience of working with young people. This year the range of workshops included, ceramics, painting banners, sculptures from nature, mosaics and 3D art using recycled materials.
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PYA 2022
The PYA workshops took a different form this year as they focused on three main projects: Banners for Purbeck Young Musicians concert in the Mowlem Theatre, led by Sophie Jenkins, Puppetry/Movement workshops, led by Autin Dance Theatre and the Platinum Jubilee mural for Swanage seafront, led by Dawn Clark.
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PYA 2021
The 2021 workshops were greatly appreciated by schools as they emerged from a difficult year in 2020 dominated by Covid. Four experienced artist teachers were able to deliver 10 workshops – thanks again to our generous sponsors. They included a wide spectrum of methods and media – using natural materials, wire, withies, photography, cardboard and collage and more to explore the theme of ‘Renewal’. The work produced was varied, imaginative and colourful. The children had a lot of fun as well as learning new skills, using unusual tools for painting and responding individually to a given task.
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PYA 2020
The PAW Festival was cancelled this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
PYA 2019
In 2019, thanks to the generosity of our local sponsors, we were again able to offer 17 workshops to schools across Purbeck. Led by four experienced artists the workshops took up the Festival theme of Flights of Fancy exploring various techniques that students might not otherwise experience: 3D assemblage, mono printing, metal work, rust printing, cyanotypes, stone carving and animation.
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PYA 2018
Purbeck Young Artists was very successful in 2018, with seventeen schools involved. The quality of the workshops results were higher than ever and the exhibition was excellent. We were able to offer students workshops that added to their skill set and we offered workshops that had not been offered previously. We had four very experienced artists on the team who ran excellent workshops based around the 2018 theme of Movement.
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PYA 2017
In 2017 we ran 15 workshops in schools to inspire young artists to be even more creative, enterprising and innovative – as well as have fun. The theme for Purbeck Young Artists 2017 was a Moment in Time and was chosen to give students the maximum scope to explore their imaginative range; encouraging them to draw inspiration from a wide range of sources and interpret the theme from varied perspectives. The range of workshops spanned textiles, metal work, photography, dance, ink painting, sewing, mosaics and clay modelling.
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PYA 2016
Art is fun and every year we involve some 500 young people in local schools across Purbeck to be creative and develop works of art on a theme that runs across our festival. This year’s theme “Midsummer Dreams” has provided plenty of scope for imaginative ideas. 15 workshops have been delivered to Purbeck schools, led by a talented team of professional artist-educators. We are also delighted to welcome some several schools that have not been involved with the festival before.
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PYA 2015
Our Festival is for everyone and it is appropriate that we should encorage and celebeate art created locally in the community. Art is also fun and, as part of our Festival theme of “Out of the Depths“, we are creating a dinosaur made from clay tiles. This will take it’s place alongside our ceramic-leaved Community Tree of Life on Swanage sea-front (there is another such tree in the garden of Wareham Library).
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PYA 2014
Purbeck Young Artists (PYA) is the young people’s section of the Festival. Our aim is to nurture and celebrate the creativity of all our young artists. Each Year the PYA team encourage schools to explore a shared theme in lots of inspiring ways. The generosity of our sponsors allows us to pay professional local artists to go into schools and run creative workshops.
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PYA 2013
Purbeck Young Artists (PYA) is the children’s section of the Festival. Our aim is to nuture and celebrate the creativity of our young artists. Each year the PYA team encorage schools to explore a shared theme in lots of inspiring ways. The generosity of our sponsors allows us to pay professional local artists to go into schools and run creative worshops.
Click here to find out more . . .
PYA 2012
Purbeck Young Artists (PYA) is the children’s section of the Festival. Our aim is to promote and celebrate the creativity of children of all ages. Each year the PYA team encorage schools to ecplore a shared theme and explore new creative activities. Outside of school, the performers who are playing at the Festival lead more workshops to introduce young people to their techniques and share their experience. This year Stephen Warbeck, the Gabrieli Consort and several local artists are sharing their skills.