Genista Dunham

Art Forms: Visual artist

Summary: I am an artist living in Suffolk who has in the past worked with many groups of people.

I am currently an art teacher working with the rigours and challenges required to hold a post in a prison in comparison to any teaching post elsewhere. We balance the requirements of professional teaching standards delivering National QCF accreditation with the roles of responsibility underlying any prison security/protection service. It is a challenging area to work with people at risk of being completely marginalized by our society through complex problems stemming from childhood, scarred by fractional family social backgrounds and deprived of the fundamental privileges of most. The men I teach then have to come to terms with the stigma attached to a holding a criminal record, the loss of self- dignity and facing up to impact their crime has had upon others.

Through previous free-lance employment I have been required to structure my own project plans and discipline of teaching to lead workshops for both long and short term projects with aims and objectives to coincide with the national curriculum accreditation standards, as assessed through RARPA.

I encourage cross-platform multi media approaches, with a personal bias towards papier-mâché as my own work is largely based in this medium. Though I teach graphic design using Photoshop at the prison I promote as much interlacing between the digital mediums and the practical arts as possible to be available for students so that they will discover how the work they do in the art room can be transferred to digital media. This approach will demonstrate the true value of the work produced in the art room, which as an artist I feel is essential to exercise continuously. In the long term a solid foundation evolves from which students can seek employment post release, so that when tested they can prove the existence of their practical skill, technical competence and feel confident in their own flow of innovative ideas rather than copy those of others.

The kind of work I really love doing with groups is most effective when channelled into an immediate form of expression such as wall/mural panting. This allows all participants to make their own mark of identity, work as a team and allows for virtual free rein on expression which in turn is reciprocated, welcomed and admired as a permanent feature to the fabric of the building in which they spend time.

It is through such artistic activities that I have witnessed creativity; sensitivity; pride; motivation and real enthusiasm emerge within people who have demonstrated the extreme opposites in destructive violence, towards their lives, others and most damaging, inflicting the harm and negative thoughts upon themselves.

Essentially I value the study of art for its restorative and remedial qualities that I believe only arise through the process of practical creative activity- again something that many students may never have properly experienced.

Art provides a space for contemplation, reflection, distraction and fresh imagination through which it is possible to transcend the circumstances which have brought about their problems and incrementally bring about small changes to life and wider well-being.

Locations: Suffolk

Experience: Qualified Teacher

Qualifications: Fine Art Hons Slade School of Fine Art, University College London

Projects: Free-Lance Teaching & Workshops Employment
Herba – Illustrations for publication -Cathedral Herb garden. July’09.
Artlink ‘Step-Up’ - Series of Art and Film animation workshops ‘Hotdogz’ in Ipswich with Moderate learning Difficulties & Physical Disabilities. Jan – March ’09.
Art Workshops through Social Services Community Education Drop-In-Centre (New Info Bar) for people with Learning Difficulties, BSE. Jan’06 – present
Supporting Contemporary Adolescence (SCA) – Art design work and digital photography workshops.
Junior Youth Inclusion Project (JYIP) long-term YOS programme based in Stowmarket – Art workshop management and input to project work e.g. anti bullying campaign
Women’s Refuge, BSE- art/craft based workshops.
Bury St.Edmunds Art Gallery - ‘Drawing in Motion’ Oct ’06 & ‘I Can’t Draw’ Feb’07. Using our bodies moving through the light of a projector to create life-scale animated drawings.
Art Link ‘Step-Up’ – Series of Art workshops In Ipswich with Moderate learning Difficulties & Physical Disabilities. June ’07.
Risbygate Arts- Animation workshops ½ term project using digital media software to create simple animations from raw collaged images developed through photo editing. October 06.
New Info Summer Project for young people with learning disabilities through Community Ed, Suffolk- Artistic input to workshop programme. Summer 06 & 07.
Age Concern – Digital image work on using various computer software. July- Nov ’07.
Film Technical Assistant to International artist, Tacita Dean. Since Dec 01- Present P/T. Production and post-production assistant eg. Colour grading, negative analysing, quality checking of the prints, general prepping and exhibition installations
Marian Goodman Gallery, NY- as Tacita’s film advisor to galleries pre-exhibition

Risbygate Arts is a Charity Limited Company – for community arts serving in Bury St Edmunds and surrounding villages. Oct’05 – Feb’08. www.risbygatearts.co.uk
Art & Theatre Workshops for children 6-13, with artist Gilly Seago, Bury St.Edmunds
City & Guilds 7407 Further Education Teacher Training- In progress
Qualified TEFL teacher public speaking and classroom management skills, lesson preparation
British Council. Amman Jordan. Two months summer course teaching English.
Structuring lesson plans, classroom exercises and executing lessons for intermediate and advanced levels. 1997.
Ashwell House School, London N1. Teaching English to European vacation Students. Summer 1998.
St.Matthews Housing – supported accommodation for isolated and vulnerable people, Bury St.Edmunds. I organise a weekly art group for residents from the three Bury houses from. Jan 2005.
St.Martins N The Crypt - Trafalgar Square Connection for the Homeless Art Group. Nov 2003.
Amnesty International – involved with art work for current campaigns, WOMAD festivals, demo days, designs for education art workshops with children for refugee families, Southbank art-making weekend activities.

Groups Worked with: People with Learning Difficulties, People with Physical Disabilities, Women’s Refuge groups, Young people, Children, isolated and vulnerable groups of people

Contact details:
art@genistadunham.co.uk
www.genistadunham.co.uk