This vibrant exhibition forms part of a wider initiative by the Arts Society to engage community groups in bringing creativity to the travelling public. It is owned and managed by The Arts Society Kingston, and generously supported by donations from The Arts Society, South Western Railway, and Community Rail Network.

We are delighted that Kingston College has accepted our invitation to provide this artwork for local commuters to enjoy. 

 This project celebrates 200 years of the railway through the eyes of young artists. 

Students at Kingston College’s Level 3 Graphic Design Course Inclusive Learning students have worked together, exploring screen-printing and digital image manipulation to create these artworks. Their work offers a fresh perspective on the rich history of South Western Railway.

"Fusebox workshop" - TASK has funded a professional art teacher to run a Nature Printing Workshop held on February 25th 2025 in Fusebox, a new multipurpose arts space for young people in Kingston. This space is located underneath the John Lewis building, accessible from the river side. Fusebox engaged the local branch of MIND to provide a therapeutic art mindfulness class for young people.

We are delighted that Orchard Hill College (Beaconsfield Site) New Malden has accepted our invitation to provide this artwork for local commuters to enjoy.

The college provides for students aged 16 and over with special educational needs (SEND) and forms part of the wider Orchard Hill College group, found outstanding by Ofsted. The students taking part in this project spent three weeks using painting or photography as the basis for learning, developing ideas in relation to specific themes:

Nature by Day Jaiden, Levin, Mubin, Hugo

Nature by Night Hinata, Mubin, Emma and Sophia

Feelings Hinata

Shapes and colour Hinata and Hugo

In the Autumn of 2019 in another (pre-pandemic) time, our committee agreed to involve our society in a national Arts Society project which had been set up to bring art to the travelling public via framed displays of works at local stations.  Preliminary projects had involved show-casing the work of school pupils but the scheme provided the opportunity to show the work of any community group.

Our task was to arrange finance for, and organise the installation of, eight A2 sized lockable frames on a waiting room wall on Kingston station and then encourage a local school to provide works to fill them. These works were to be displayed for a period and then replaced by another set of works from another community group.

We raised funds to cover the costs (over £500) for the lockable, tamper-proof frames and went through the formal process of “adopting” Kingston station.

The Headteacher and head of the faculty of art of Southborough High School expressed keen interest in initial discussions and they provided a stunning first collection of pupils work.

For the second of what we hope will be an ongoing series of displays, we decided to showcase a selection of works by our own Arts Society Kingston members.  Members of the society produced a wide variety of art works and this display showcases a selection of their two dimensional works.

Our thanks go to the artists:

1. “La Abuelita” - Bob Gladding

2. “The Hogs Mill Near Ewell” - Martin Wansborough

3. “Flowers” - Anne Higgins

4. “Phantasm of Spectre” - Lisa Maria Ortiz

5. “Domestic Space” - Anne Beaumont

6. “Magnolias” - Jane Seeley

7. “Doug” - Valerie Windsor

8. “Phantom Pirate” - Wendy Milloy 

To promote our support of Southborough High School's art and drama collaborative work, Paul Jarman and son Matt's production company have put together an inspiring film. Click here to view the film.

This exciting initiative to involve various community groups in bringing art to the travelling public is part of a national Arts Society scheme. This exhibition is owned and managed by the Arts Society Kingston and it has been financed by them with generous donations from  Arts Society central funds and from ACoRP  (Association of Community Rail Partnerships).

 Southborough High School were already familiar with such projects and so provide the ideal community group to launch what we hope to be a valuable showcase for other local groups and individual artists, whilst providing interest for commuters.

 Southborough High School is a thriving, proudly inclusive boys comprehensive school “where pupils consistently display positive attitudes to their learning” (Ofsted 2017).

The artworks showcased here represent a collection of some of the incredible work that our A level Art students - Dylan, Aiden, Eelevan, Tyler and Nakul - have developed in response to and in spite of the events of this past year. 

 ‘Last days of freedom’, for example, depicts images from photographs taken by Dylan with his fellow art classmates, sitting on a train together on a trip to the Tate Modern the week before national lockdown was first announced on March 23rd 2020. They are painted upon old school exam tables, the likes of which he will be unable to sit his exams at this summer.

Other pieces of work by the Art students show-case how, in Lockdown, they spent more time examining and focusing on the small minutiae of life around them, for example trying to interpret the thoughts and feelings of a masked classmate by looking more closely into their eyes. Are they, as we have heard so many times before, really the windows of the soul? Or are our thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears really hidden away by those masks, along with our smiles?

Covid19 has had a profound influence on school life this year and we are both proud and delighted to exhibit these artworks on the day that restrictions have finally been lifted in schools up and down the country.

CHOIRS FOR EVERYONE  For an uplifting experience - much needed at this time -  watch the film!

All Saints Church, Kingston

Attended by the Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Margaret Thompson and her husband Professor Richard Thompson, a packed church was treated to music and songs from 4 choirs: Euphonix, Chirpy Cheeps, Singing it Back and the Chaps Choir. The earlier start meant parents brought children, and they excitedly joined in songs from the Lion King and tunes from Abba!

Each year through our Young Arts programme we support access to the arts for children and young people. This our second concert raised funds to finance music workshops for local children with learning disabilities. 

£2000 was raised. Thank you to everyone who supported this event

Kingston upon Thames was formally twinned with Delft. Young Arts, Kingston led an exploration into Delftware for Year 5 pupils from Latchmere School.  The children glazed ceramic tiles, created clog designs, modelled papier mache plates and embellished dutch tulips during a ten week Art Society residency at their school art club. The community cabinets in Kingston Museum showcased their work this summer.

15 primary school pupils from Robin Hood School attended a life drawing workshop. Being able to touch the sculptures as well as making different body shapes alongside a live model, all helped to create a dynamic workshop.

Young Arts funded and supported a trial workshop at the Langdon Down Centre.

A banner was made by the children of 21 and Co, a local affiliated charity for children with Down’s syndrome and their families. It was created especially for World Downs Syndrome day. Many thanks go to 21 and Co’s ‘Club 21’ co-ordinator Ellie Martin and Helen Rutherford of Arty Times.

As a follow up to the workshop a visit for AS members was arranged to the Langdon Down Centre. An extensive and informative talk and tour of the DS museum was given as well as a viewing of the spectacular Normansfield Theatre. It was very well received and attended by the maximum number of 25 members. The art-work produced at the workshop was on view for our members to admire.

As part of our Young Arts programme the Society is supporting a concert of five choirs to be held at All Saints Church on Saturday 6th October 2018, 7.00-10.00pm, funding arts activities for children with Downs Syndrome. We hope members and friends will come along to support it.

Tickets are available from:

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/choirs-for-chloe-co-tickets-46181736818

Objectives: To develop and extend recording skills through the medium of paint. See Gallery for images of work and progress.

The first session was really great with the boys eager to learn.  They started by taking photographs on their phones of objects around the art department trying to capture abstract viewpoints to represent the deep sea. We then discussed the importance of composition with a focus on light and perspective. They then had two demonstrations on painting and ended by  experimenting with acrylic paint and with watercolours.

Their task was to take a photograph of a composition/ view that they would like to paint. Later they will look at the suggestions and start scaling up and drawing onto the canvases. A really successful and enjoyable start!

As we did not manage to secure a student from Kingston University we decided to buy a bulk order of canvases. This has allowed students in year 11 doing GCSE art to work on canvases to produce examination and coursework pieces.

At recent parent evenings we received the following quotes.

“My son felt really special being asked to attend this course and we are very proud of him.”

“Thank you for asking my son to take part in the course he has found it really enjoyable and has asked us to buy him lots of equipment.”

“He has really enjoyed taking part with other students from other years”

“We are amazed by what he has managed to do.”

Brownies celebrating the Olympics

Members of a Brownie pack based at Christ Church, New Malden produced a banner featuring a variety of Olympic and Paralympic sports. A number of folk helped the Brownies to develop a range of sewing skills – including one of the lace makers who helped to make Kate Middleton’s wedding dress. The banner was displayed in Christ Church during its Olympic themed Holiday Club. 

Kingston DFAS worked with Coombe Girls’ School, New Malden  producing banners to provide a colourful background for their performance of Juliet and Romeo at the Rose Theatre, Kingston. Drama and Art Departments worked closely together as they worked across year groups, researching Mehndi designs to influence their drawings, which were then used to produce lino cuts. The designs were printed on to colourful lengths of cloth, which were then sewn together by the students to produce the banners.

Students were fully engaged in the project, developing new skills and making links between different art forms. They were appreciative of the opportunity to work with different groups and to share their work within the wider school and local community. They developed an understanding of the opportunities offered them through the theatre – and were very pleased to include their work within their own portfolios!

Momentum

Momentum, a local charity supporting children with cancer, together with their families, both at home and in hospital, received a grant to fund a design competition involving local primary schools. Children designed cards with the theme of owls - as ‘Mo the owl’ is the emblem of Momentum. Prizes were awarded and greeting cards produced featuring the winning entries. A grant was also given so that art materials might be purchased for young people to use when undergoing treatment at Kingston Hospital.

Feltham Young Offenders

Support from KDFAS enabled Young Offenders to become involved in the International Youth Festival, based in Kingston. The young people, aged 15 to 18 researched aspects of Kingston’s history, such as the Guildhall and the King’s Stone, by studying photographs and printed material.

As the boys explored a variety of media, their work facilitated the development of skills such as watercolour painting and collage; the funding supported the purchase of a wide variety of art materials. The project also encouraged group cooperation and collaboration.

Individual and group efforts were combined in a wall hanging, allowing the boys to see the benefit of working as part of a team. The wall hanging was much admired, as it – together with a book containing examples of the students’ research – was displayed it the café at Kingston’s Rose Theatre.