In early May 2025 about 40, year 9 and 10 Visual Arts students from Scots All Saint’s College found themselves in Harrie Fasher’s Foundry at The Foundations, Portland. They came on a bus with their art diaries and three teachers all prepped for a big day out.
Rich Evans, Chief Reactivation Officer from The Foundations welcomed the cohort with some site history and some concrete stories too.
From the Scots All Saints newsletter …
“Harrie hosted a studio tour and discussion session in her enormous foundry studio, where her process and artworks were on display. Her generous hospitality and insight into leading discussions about the creative process and artistic voice was invaluable in nurturing our young artists’ own pathway and confidence in developing as artists.”
Along with students experiencing the awesome expanse and private studio delight of Harrie’s foundry studio, the students broke into two groups, each group undertaking a workshop with Simone Darcy, the Squatter’s Cottage Artist in Residence at the time.
From the Scots All Saints newsletter …
“Simone Darcy gave a hands-on workshop creating alternative photographs without a camera nor a darkroom. Her demonstrations lead students to use natural material and black and white photographic chemicals to generate abstract images of light and shade. These methods related directly with the student’s current practice in the classroom and have given additional skills and knowledge in ways art can stretch tradition and technology.”
Further feedback from the day included:
“The hands on with Simone was such great fun and very well organised. The kids loved it”
“Your organisation and the team around you were faultless and super hospitable.”
“Fasher’s tour was incredible”
“All in all, an excellent day that I would love to repeat.”
“Please let me know when you have another artist in residence that would suit this kind of
experience. “
“We all loved both sessions.”
The students left only after giving a little back via a personal Post-it note to Harrie Fasher. One of the teachers wrote of this that it was “such a wholistic and soul filling experience”.
We sincerely thank Harrie Fasher and Simone Darcy for their generosity in sharing enormously their rich artist knowledges and experiences with this group of young people.
The day was coordinated by Arts OutWest as part of our ongoing partnership with The Foundations Portland.
Images credit: Nic Mason
