Visual Arts Workshops
Visuals Arts Workshops are back for a new term, with Jill Bouchier running the workshops for 5 - 7 and 8 - 10 year olds and Ruth Flynn will be running the 11 - 17 year old workshops.
Jill Bouchier has worked with WYA for over 8 years and together with Ruth, Waterford Youth Arts created Saturday Art Club. Originally from the UK, Jill studied art at the Chelsea School of Art and is a professional artist. Her most recent solo exhibition was in Waterford Goma Gallery. Her work often mixes painting with textile work and design.
Ruth has a BA (Hons) in Visual Art and an MA Arts Research through Live Art. She works in a variety of media including live performance, painting, film, photography, mixed media, and 3D. Ruth is a studio artist at Goma Gallery of Modern Art, Waterford where she leads workshops with community groups and schools.
Ruth is Creative & Therapeutic artist for Aiséirí Addiction Treatment Centres in Cahir, Kilkenny and Waterford. Ruth is a founding member and director of Outcast Theatre Productions, an ensemble of musicians, writers and performers dedicated to creating socially conscious performance pieces. Ruth facilitates Waterford Youth Arts visual art programme with 11—17 year olds.
Saturday Art Club is a varied programme where Jill and Ruth explore a range of media with the children, sometimes thematically eg. ‘Art through History’ or ‘Art from Around the World’ and often enabling our young artists to exhibit work of their own. Young people explore everything from watercolors to pastels, from pottery to collage.
Jill is also a skilled crafts person and uses a lot of craft techniques in the work including working with wool, willow, fabric etc.
In 2023, together with Jill Bouchier, Ruth Flynn curated Our Perspective, a visual art exhibition of children and young people’s responses to Waterford Municipal Art Collection for Waterford Youth Arts and Waterford Gallery of Art WGOA.
Saturday Art Club enables young people to engage with professional art, visiting galleries and exhibitions, meeting professional artists.