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arena was a major public art and mentoring opportunity initiated and managed by the Samling Foundation in partnership with BALTIC, the Centre for Contemporary Art, which set out to challenge current international debate on what constitutes public space.

Antony Gormley, famed for his 'Angel of the North' and explorations of identity in his casts of the human form, returned to the North-East to mentor five exceptional emerging artists, who in turn worked with 60 A level students from Tyne and Wear.

Each of the 5 artists had been selected to produce a new commission in a public arena. The project favoured the widest interpretation of what is possible in art today, by artists capable of delivering ground-breaking projects.

This initiative was designed to allow the chosen artists to interact with, and directly involve, small groups of A-level students from Newcastle, North and South Tyneside, Gateshead and Sunderland. These artists were thereby acting as mentors themselves to a further generation of creative talent. Each was given time to talk, listen and explore the role of art today in the context of a seminal 'arena'. Not only have these 60 students reaped the benefit of this unique opportunity, but there are also lasting benefits to their schools, their teachers and their wider communities.

"thank you for all the support you have given me over the past few years. I have just received a grant award of £1000 to aid me in an arts project, this would not have been possible without your help so I would like to say a huge thank you. I have also received an unconditional offer for an art and design degree course at Edinburgh school of art which I am sure was helped by my participation in Land and the Samling and ARENA projects which I enjoyed immensly. I hope that you can go on to help other students in my position to continue their interest and participation in the performance and visual arts."

Student, May 2004

This programme was devised and managed by the Samling Foundation, in collaboration with the BALTIC, the Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, The National Endowment for Science Technology and Arts (NESTA), the Northern Rock Foundation and the Excellence in Cities Partnership: the "Gifted and Talented" strand of the five LEAs in the North East.

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Participating Artists:

Wolfgang Weileder
Wolfgang's work, often described as 'sculptural' nevertheless challenges boundaries and responds to the site in which it is located. Wolfgang Weileder's work also includes photography, sound and installation. His work has been shown in galleries across the world, including Academy of Fine Arts, Munich and the SVA Gallery and Kent Gallery in New York.

Runa Islam
An emerging artist who is gaining worldwide recognition as a serious and poetic film-maker. Her recent film: 'Parallel' deals with two specific locations and identities in the two cities of Porto and Rotterdam. Runa Islam's recent films have been shown at Maastricht and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam and Tate Modern.

Tom Woolford
Concerned with time, his work explores architectural space (be it urban, forest or the vastness of sea) and the defining of territory. His most recent work reflects an individual's response to space and his towering sheds and deserted rafts have been shown in many differing sites - public and private- including the Economist Plaza, London in 2001.

Carl Von Weiler
A committed artist who works within the architectural realm, often combining sculpture, video and drawing as a rigorous placement within the specific environment. Carl Von Weiler's highly regarded work has been shown in gallery venues across the world including Jesus College Biennial, Cambridge, Programa Gallery, Mexico City and Consortium, Amsterdam.

Louise K Wilson
Louise's work explores the perceptual, social and transformative aspects of science and technology in the form of mixed-media installations and single screen videos. This practice is fundamentally research-based and involves the participation of individuals from industry, medicine and departments of scientific research to both inform the work through dialogue and a means to produce original material.

arena Timetable:
The five chosen arena artists were fully involved in the selection of the 60 A-level art students from Tyne and Wear, who put themselves forward for selection. The artists were part of the interviewing panel, which took place during the week of November 4th 2002 at BALTIC, The Centre for Contemporary Art. The successful students were introduced at the official Launch of arena on 6th February 2003.

Official Launch Event at BALTIC 6th February 2003
Led by Antony Gormley, the five artists each gave a presentation of their work, and an introduction of their approach to the commission. The aim was to debate meaning and diverse nature of public space and how art can activate it for a wide range of users. The invited audience included practising artists, participating students and their teachers. The day was completed with a public presentation by Antony Gormley.

The Public Art Commissions- April / May / June 2003
The 'arenas' included Tynemouth Cliff Face, Newcastle City Centre, Gateshead Multi-Storey Car Park, Newcastle Airport and Tyne & Wear Metro Network. The resulting commissions were diverse, challenging and original.  There were no fixed rules or fixed ideas about what the eventual outcome could be.
Each artist interacted with and fully engaged their group of 12 A-level students in the realisation of public art, a unique opportunity which is rarely available to students at any level.

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