Ikon Youth Programme 2009-2010

–    What is art?
–    Why do we have places for art?
–    How are exhibitions made?
–    What do you think?

Exploring these questions and many more, Ikon Youth Programme (IYP), which began in October 2009, had an incredibly successful first year of activity. Meeting at Ikon once a month for a full-day weekend session and fortnightly on Wednesday evenings, IYP members young people, aged 15 – 19 years, who share an interest in visual art.

Immersing themselves within the exhibitions programme and the organisation, the group attended a range of programmed events including artist talks and exhibition openings. As part of their regularly scheduled sessions the group met with several artists and many of Ikon’s staff members from a variety of departments.
IYP is characterised by its range of skills, opinions and personal tastes.  Group members are keen to collaborate with other groups and organisations and as part of this process have taken part in a series of visits to other host venues and youth-based groups around the UK.

Genuinely interested in sharing their thinking and ideas with other young people, members of IYP 2009 – 2010 hosted a number of specifically designed events showcasing their thoughts and findings whilst encouraging and supporting the access of non-participants and wider audiences.

Gaining inspiration from a range of sources the group designed a series of limited edition publications. The group are interested in using a mixture of paper-based print and web-based media to similarly share and document their project in-progress.

Ikon Youth Programme 2009 – 2010 was supported by Birmingham City Council’s Creative Futures 2009/10 grants and The Douglas Turner Trust.

Click on Media Gallery to view images of past activity.