New College Swindon (NCS) A-level Historical Art Practice Student Competed in National Gallery’s Articulate Prize

The National Gallery holds the Articulation Prize for 16-19-year-olds as part of its outreach programme. Participants deliver a 10-minute presentation about any art that means something to them. This can include painting, sculpture, drawing, architecture, fashion, or an artefact.  

NCS’ A-level Historical Art Practice student, Kieran Pyke, went through two stages of the Articulation Prize competition against 1,600 participants from Private Schools, Grammar schools and FE Colleges in the South. After winning the southern regional heat at the New Art Centre, Salisbury, Kieran was selected to go through to the Southern Final at the Ashmolean Museum on Thursday 13th March. This first win made Kieran an “Articulate Alumni”, which means he can do paid talks at the National Gallery and attend their social events. In the second round, Kieran received a certificate from Pascal Matthias signifying his achievements in the competition. 

Kieran said “Everyone was really pleasant. The experience was so rewarding and my classmates and tutors were extremely supportive. After four intense months of preparation, I delivered my presentation about Wish Hounds and the public art in Swindon. My classmates had to give me feedback on my presentation. Everyone, including my family, is proud of my achievements.” 

Kieran chose to talk about the Wish Hounds, located in Swindon’s Croft Woods, designed by Lou Hamilton which are described as “ghostly black dogs”. The mythical creature derives from folklore late sixteenth century. 

The judicator, Pascal Matthias, Associate Vice-President for EDI and Social Justice at the University of Southampton, described Kieran’s presentation as “emotional and personal.” He added that “we so rarely talk about public art; that he had loved Kieran’s personal story and that it had been really good to hear his voice in his analysis of the work and that he should be proud of that voice.” He also said, “that the sense of community and meaning of the work in Swindon had come through well, at a time when we need this more than ever.” He praised Kieran for his originality, for his connectivity and analysis and for how he had answered the question he had posed.

New College Swindon is the only local provider in the South West, to offer the A-level Historical Art Practice course, which is fantastic for the town. Kieran’s Lecturer, Julie Smith  says, “Students not only get to look at the history of paintings and architectures through their studies but get to understand the context of them and what ‘makes arts connect to the times they were made” 

Julie continues, “We are dead proud. We’ve built up a good relationship with the National Gallery. These experiences help the students grow their confidence, which is so important to us all. We look forward to continuing to challenge our students with this exciting partnership which is on top of delivering the curriculum”.

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