‘Listen in at Roche Court’, a podcast hosted by the Roche Court Education Trust, New Art Centre, features conversations between contemporary artists, young people, and lifelong learners.
Each episode offers insight into the artists’ career journeys, thus inspiring students of all ages to pursue creative professions in an educational landscape which is increasingly skewed against focussing on the creative subjects. Topics covered vary from censorship to the definition of furniture to the liberation of objects.
The Roche Court Educational Trust was awarded the RSA Catalyst seed award in 2020, with the plan of recording multi-generational conversations between students from state-maintained Southwest schools, lifelong learners and artists exhibiting at the New Art Centre. However, as with most pioneering projects such as this, the pandemic was an obstacle too large to overcome and at first, schools were unable to bring students to Roche Court. Despite this, recordings were still attended by groups of lifelong learners, exemplifying the importance of community and collaboration during a period of separation and unease.
Since schools have been able to return, such an opportunity has allowed for a method of learning that the school curriculum does not currently cater for: that of a process-driven and experience-based education that empowers students to discover more about art through questioning and research. This will be facilitated by the freelance education team and in particular Zach James, playwright, and dramaturg.
Having just been generously awarded the Catalyst Award Scaling Grant, series two will include support for students to write and compile the entire programmes and lifelong learners will continue to be a fundamental part of the programme as teachers, educators, and listeners to the programme.
With thanks to the RSA, art lovers of all ages from around the world can ‘Listen in at Roche Court’. You can access all available episodes here.
Bella Gorman, Education Administrator for the Roche Court Educational Trust