Pupils at seven schools are engaging with art in creative new ways ahead of the return of popular open access event the Wye Valley River Festival later this spring.
More than 500 learners across the Wye Valley are working together as part of a network to create an installation for the festival, which is held every two years to celebrate the local landscape. With the 2024 festival inspired by “the earth beneath our feet”, the pupils are producing creative works based around fungi and trees to tie in with the ecological theme.
The schools’ efforts will be on display at the 2024 Wye Valley River Festival, which kicks off on Friday May 3 with a programme of vibrant shows, workshops, performances, installations and film running at venues from Hereford to Chepstow until Sunday May 12.
Building on the community activities held in the run-up to the 2022 festival, organisers have responded to public demand to create more opportunities to get involved throughout the year. Angharad Evans and Ian McAndrew from Think Creatively, a community interest arts company based in Rhondda Cynon Taf have been conducting the outreach work to get Primary school pupils responding creatively to the environment around them.
Angharad said: “It has been inspiring to see young minds responding in the sessions having listened to the sounds of plants, talked about their relationship with their local environment and nature. They are creating spoken word works, banners and willow structures, which are being passed between schools to create a series of bioluminescent mushrooms.”
Ian said: “The pupils are bringing their own ideas to each session but their message to the world is becoming loud and clear. They believe in nature and want to see it protected.”
Kymin View Primary School, in Wyesham, Monmouth, and Weston-under-Penyard CE Primary School and Nursery, Ross-on-Wye, are among the schools taking part. Kymin View headteacher Sally-Ann Wright said: “The pupils have got a huge amount from working together with the River Festival team. It has been a pleasure to see their work take shape and they can be proud that their efforts will be seen by the audiences during the festival.”
Held every two years since 2014, the festival is run by Wye Valley River Festival CIC, an arts organisation led by innovative artists and communities creating work on environmental themes. Artistic director Phillippa Haynes said: “The Wye Valley River Festival has a proud heritage of getting audiences to entertained, moved and inspired by the region’s landscape and wildlife and the 2024 programme will be bigger and better than ever before.
“It is fantastic to see young minds engaging with the earth theme as soil health is a national concern, because of floods and climate management, food security, farming and erosion. We are delighted with the work being produced, which will be centre stage during the festival.”
The Festival was created and developed in partnership by the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It is funded by the UK Community Renewal Fund, Arts Council England, the Sustainable Development Fund, the Welsh Government and Forestry England.
The programme for this year will be announced in the coming weeks. Most events will be free to attend and do not require tickets. Festival information will be published at www.wyevalleyriverfest.com
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