The Centre, Livingston is encouraging shoppers to find their inner artist.
The mall has unveiled plans for its first-of-a-kind ‘Pop-up Mall Art’ event this summer, which includes painting and line drawing classes with internationally acclaimed artists, Cassandra Harrison and Gregor Louden, ceramic clay sculpture classes with Helen Michie Ceramics, free-style art sessions, and an arts and crafts gardening club for kids.
As part of its ‘Summer Smile’ campaign which is designed to capture shoppers smiles in the mall, visitors can join various art classes, including painting with Cassandra Harrison and line work drawing with Livingston born, Gregor Louden, whose giant murals are currently featured in the mall as part of a recent art exhibition.
Artist and art teacher, Cassandra, who has exhibited throughout the UK and USA, trained inFine Art and Art Education. The focus of her painting classes is to have fun with art whilst learning a bit of art history at the same time.
Gregor’s work also previously featured in The Centre’s ‘Frog Trail’ in 2017 and his ‘All Roads Lead to The Centre’ mural for the exhibition was inspired by his hometown and takes people through local places of interest from his childhood including Livingston Skateboard Park, the Kirk of Calder and Houstoun House.
The former James Young High School student, who studied Illustration and Animation at Manchester University in 1999, has travelled the world exhibiting his work in many major cities including Philadelphia and Berlin, coming a long way from the murals he designed at
Livingston Skateboard Park when he was in his teens, which has inspired his work to this day.
Ceramic artists, Helen from Helen Michie Ceramics, who studied Art and Design at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, who has also exhibited her work across the UK, specialises in mixed media painting and creating impressive raku, porcelain and stoneware artworks, will also be running classes where shoppers can make their own small clay, ceramic sculptures.
Free-style art sessions will also be taking place where shoppers can pick up an artwork pack at the Customer Service Desk and pull up a chair at one of the easels and design their own masterpiece.
For little budding artists, there’s ‘The Little Garden’ arts and crafts club which will be taking place every day until the 11 th July and they can also pick up a Gardening Trail Sheet, until the 31st July, from the Customer Service Desk and search for gardening artworks in shop windows dotted around the mall, ranging from colourful plants and welly boots to trowels and a bright pink watering can and be with a chance of winning a £25 Gift Card.
Ashley Bisland, Deputy Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “This summer we are really looking forward to running a host of exciting classes for our shoppers of all ages to take time out and enjoy an art class which can be rewarding, relaxing and therapeutic.
“Whether it’s painting, line drawing or ceramic art you want to try your hand at – it’s guaranteed to be good fun.”
All activities and classes are free, with the option to give a donation to two local charities the mall is supporting; Craigsfarm Community Hub, who organise art, meditation and wellbeing classes for people in the community and West Lothian Youth Action Project who provide support for young people and run a weekly Food Bank.
Details of all activities and classes are on The Centre’s website wwwthecentrelivingston.com and @shopthecentre social channels.
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