Caldershaw Primary School take over Chinese Arts Centre to create their own Utopian vision in Manchester City Centre.

As part of an innovative new education project, Chinese Arts Centre is collaborating with a group of schools across the North West to create and exhibit their own work within the gallery.

The first of the schools to collaborate on the project is Caldershaw Primary School in Rochdale. Responding to recent work by Chinese based art collective, Utopia Group (He Hai and Deng Dafei) and the work the pair created during their Breathe residency here at Chinese Arts Centre, the children have been busy creating their own work in a series of workshops. Working alongside local artists Tasha Whittle and Nicola Colclough the children have been exploring ideas around Utopia and what it means to them. The work will reflect the children's vision of Utopia including a world with no sprouts to environmentally friendly wind turbines, and a world full of love, friendship and lots of cushions!

All this will be displayed in specially designed utopian wig-wams, inspired by the children's first visit to the gallery.

Part of the START programme, this project is funded by The Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts which aims to open the doors of cultural venues to children across the country from a wide variety of backgrounds. In getting to know their local cultural venues, and becoming confident in using these spaces, the project aims to encourage the children to become increasingly confident and creative in their own right.

Newtopia
15 – 23 December 2011
Nicola Colclough, Tasha Whittle (TXLW) & Pupils from Caldershaw Primary School
Late night opening with Tasha Whittle and Nicola Colclough: 16 December 2011 5-7pm