Art and photography pupils at King’s College tapped into their creative sides this month as they commenced a fundraising campaign for Restart Africa, a charity caring for vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Kenya. Using their artistic skills, the pupils created greeting cards which were sold at the school’s Creative Journeys art exhibition at Hestercombe Gardens. The cards feature their own designs and range from abstract prints to original paintings.
The inspiration for the project came from Head of Art, Clare Schmidt, who visited Restart in January this year. Moved by the experience, she was determined to raise funds in order to purchase art supplies for the children’s centre. Commenting, she said: “As a parent and art teacher, I was struck by the fact that the children had very little opportunity to scribble, draw or play with paint – something our children do as part of their natural development. The exhibition at Hestercombe was a huge success and reflected the diversity of our pupils’ creative talents. It also provided the perfect opportunity to launch our fundraising campaign to raise money for this much-needed art equipment. We have already raised over £100 from the sales, with donations still coming in. Thank you to everyone who has helped further this cause.”
The cards will continue to be for sale throughout the next term, with pupils preparing to sell more at the school’s forthcoming event to celebrate 50 years of co-education at King’s on 5 May.
To read more and to view the cards and work by King’s pupils, please visit:
The Photo shows Clare Schmidt speaking to a family at the exhibition at Hestercombe