IYP Journal

By Rosie Abbey, Ikon Youth Programme Coordinator

Ikon Youth Programme (IYP) has been very busy over the last few months!

In August, artist, Jaz Morrison collaborated with Ikon Youth Programme to produce a response to A Ship Called Jesus (Redux) (2021) by Keith Piper. The work, titled Firmament, combines hymns sung by Word Life Corral (a church and charity based in Birmingham) with cello accompaniment by Millicent James. Firmament explored the movement of the Black Diaspora across sea, sky and land. Through gestural movements with objects, such as flags, IYP considered the idea of ‘everyday life’ as sacred.

Since August, IYP has met multiple artists and educators, including Tara Johnston-Comerford, who engaged the group in discussion around arts education – considering the crit, personal experiences with arts education, and what future forms it could take. In September, IYP visited The Tin in Coventry for a talk from artist John Yeadon, who spoke about the importance of the sketchbook.

In  September, we were joined by curator Jennie Guy and artist Mit Jai Inn for an exploration of Dreamworld and the online resource Artists’ Exercises – a platform for sharing examples of artists’ educational practices.

Throughout October, we spent our Thursday sessions at Modern Clay, Minerva Works in Digbeth. During this time, IYP have been introduced to basic pottery techniques, such as coiling, vessel-building and sgraffito, and have used these methods to create musical instruments and head-shaped pots out of clay.