Arts Council England’s scheme for the arts scheme has supported one of the largest carnival arts projects to mark the official opening of a major international sport competition this June.
The New Carnival Company has worked with children, parents and teachers from 56 Isle of Wight schools and 17 local arts organisations to produce the carnival parade for the NatWest International Island Games.
Over 1,500 costumed performers will take part in the parade, which also features live samba, steel pan, traditional folk music and classic marching bands. All 3,500 visiting athletes will join the parade before partaking in the formal ceremony proceedings on Ryde sea front.
The 10-month carnival art in education project was supported with a Grants for the arts award of over £94,000 and a further £10,000 from our strategic funds. It was also funded by Accentuate, The Games Association and contributions from participating groups.
The Island Games is an international sports competition, held every two years, for 25 member islands in, or associated with, the nine sovereign nations of Caribbean, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
Isle of Wight is hosting it this year, with support of LOCOG, who will be using the event as a testbed for sports officials involved in the Olympics.
Over the past few months, hundreds of young people, their parents and teachers have visited the Carnival Learning Centre to take part in an educational carnival design workshop, based on the themes of history and folklore of the Isle of Wight.
The project is the biggest and most ambitious carnival project ever undertaken on the Island in its 122 year history, involving two thirds of all Island schools.
Frankie Goldspink, Participation and Learning Manager, The New Carnival Company, explains: “It’s carnival fever here. In a given school there are 30 kids that are part of the procession, but the whole school have [sic] embraced the theme and have been running carnival activities in the schools. It’s just wonderful. Everyone knows someone in it.
“It’s been challenging – are we going to get it down in time? Are we going to do it? Everyone’s rising to the challenge and having a good time!”
“Last week the had a masterclass with Tony Mason, a freelance structural artist from London, and our lead artists to create two articulated dinosaur costumes, which is where the whole thing moves. It’s incredibly clever and technical – it’s mindboggling.
“The lead artists that have been working alongside with Tony are now cascading this learning to the children and teachers. That’s what makes it sustainable – that people who are working in the community and with children are learning these skills too.”
The opening ceremony takes place on Saturday 25 June from 5.30pm.
