Graffiti artist works on art with students to raise awareness about equality
A prominent graffiti artist has engaged with students at Plympton Academy to create an art display that raises awareness about the importance of equality and stands against violence towards women.
Jess Campbell-Plover is an urban street artist and designer who lives in Plymouth. On March 8, International Women's Day, she worked with 18 students from Plympton's Sixth Form.
The art will be displayed in a central spot at the Academy and will become a permanent fixture and reminder about the importance of women’s rights and equality.
P. Turner, who teaches photography at Plympton, says art is an important way to raise awareness about women’s rights.
She said: "We really think it’s important that the students understand the issues that still exist around women. Unfortunately, there are still issues surrounding inequality, so it has been good to support and educate our students through awareness days and activities like this.
"Art is such an amazing creative outlet, and we want all students to experience a really wide variety. Working with an artist such as Jess Campbell-Plover one-to-one is inspiring, especially as she is someone who is local and from the South West. It’s quite difficult for our students to get out to see huge exhibitions or understand what life’s like to be an artist, so to have somebody come in and speak about their journey since leaving school is brilliant."
Despite the collaborative piece of art focusing on some specific key areas about the challenges women face in today’s world, they also explored other values and missions International Women’s Day supports.
From celebrating women at work to forging change for women’s empowerment, the discussions throughout the day for the whole school aligned strongly with the charity’s national campaign.
Mrs Turner added: "I’m immensely proud of our students. They were phenomenal with their creativity, their understanding, and their passion, and I think they have done an amazing job with the work they have produced and now really understand the values of International Women’s Day."
Lauren, a Photography, Sociology, and Art student in Year 13, believes it was brilliant to work with other pupils on a piece of art with an important message.
She said: "It felt really great to work collaboratively on the piece of work to show the younger years that we can instil this good in them and show every generation that we can all have equal opportunities.
"I believe it’s important to embrace creativity to speak up and speak out about important matters like International Women’s Day, because there shouldn’t be a filter with the art and the lengths you can go to."
Some of the brilliant young artists spent time on individual pieces of work that will support their coursework portfolio.
Alisha, Year 13, said she loved working with the artist, which inspired a piece she has worked on for her end result.