There was no doubt in my mind about making this exhibition happen; a showcase of Andy’s diverse creative artwork just had to be put together and made available to the public.
Many hours were spent sorting through sketchbooks, journals and portfolios. Andy’s collection of artwork is vast and wide-ranging, from delicate sketches, etching plates and prints to his spontaneous ink, wax and pastel drawings; and finally to the awe-inspiring kinetic machines and their resultant drawings.
As an artist, it has been a privilege to share Andy’s inner thoughts, and consequently to share the highs and lows he went through as a creative practitioner to produce his art. His was a fascinating creative journey.
During the retrospective exhibition, we delivered free Kinetic workshops targeted at the local community and Junior schools, to come to Batley Art gallery and learn about Andy Banks and his work. The activities explore the links between science and art and have been devised to break down barriers associated with ability as a concept: demonstrating that you can be creative, even if you doubt your skill drawing.
The educational workshops were kindly sponsored by Kirklees Councils Arts in the Neighbourhood Programme and coordinated by Creative Arts Hub and Karen Stansfield.
We were invited by the University of Arts, London to exhibit our Artwork during their conference “Towards an Inclusive Arts Education”. Andy’s Ensomatic drawing machine, a film of his larger drawing machines were showcased and I exhibited a selection of etching created by the Ensomatic drawing machine.
