Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village has been welcoming Glebelands School on a yearly visit for roughly seven years and we pride ourselves on understanding the group's requirements before devising a tailored day, inclusive of immersive and conversational tours and artist-led workshops. This school visit was made possible due to their partnership with the Art Society Cranleigh, who helped to support the visit financially.

Read what the Art Teacher, students and funders say about their most recent visit in January 2024.

For a number of years, the Glebelands Art department has taken Yr11 students to the Watts Gallery. This visit has usually coincided with students receiving their GCSE Art exam paper and gives them the opportunity to explore their chosen starting point within a gallery environment. Before the visit the gallery's learning curator has discussed the student’s requirements and has developed an itinerary that is both enjoyable and encourages creative thinking.

At the Artists’ Village, students are guided around the Main Gallery and Studios. Here they are encouraged to analyse and discuss the work of George Fredrick and Mary Watts. In recent years we have been able to explore Limnerslease House and view Mary Watts's ornate and inspiring ceiling tiles. Throughout the day the students are encouraged to take plenty of photos and are given time to draw.

Every year, The Art Society Cranleigh have been very generous and paid for the students to do a practical workshop in either clay, Modroc or paint. This is always enjoyable and encourages students to start developing their initial ideas for their exam paper. The contemporary gallery above the Visitor Centre, shows them what they can achieve if they continue to follow a creative path. Students have also had the opportunity to meet the conservators, curators and media staff asking them questions and learning about their jobs.

If time allows, a visit to the Watts Cemetery Chapel is a must! It is always a joy to see the students faces when they walk through the big wooden doors into the small beautifully decorated interior of the chapel.

Sarah Ritchings (Glebelands School, Art teacher)

We spent a lovely day at the Watts Gallery, marvelling at all the artwork from sculpture to contemporary prints. I loved being able to see the house in all its glory and learn of its past. Seeing into the G F Watts studio really interested me and made me appreciate the artwork even more. However the star piece of the day for me had to be ‘Physical Energy’. The sheer size alone was astonishing, but I loved in particular the textures and angular features of this work. This piece managed to evoke such emotion which demonstrated the true talent that Watts had, in a single magnificent sculpture.

Chloe (Glebelands Yr11 Art student)

The Arts Society Cranleigh Young Arts Volunteering team are delighted to be able to give the Year 11 students of Glebelands School, the opportunity to visit the Watts Gallery- Artists’ Village. The Watts Gallery educational team lay on a fantastic morning of talks from curators, sketching and creativity with a professional artist. We know that this engaging and fun experience helps the students to be inspired and encourages them to learn new skills contributing towards their GCSE assignments. My team and I feel very rewarded when we receive positive feedback from the students about what a great time they had and how much they enjoyed themselves.

Diana Kay (Arts Society Cranleigh)

I really enjoyed the art trip to the Watts gallery in January 2024. My favourite part was seeing the artwork of Mary Watts in the house. I also liked the clay workshop where we made a small tile and used a pattern from one of the artworks we had seen that day. It was also nice that we were able to draw some of the patterns we saw as we moved around the house and visited the gallery. It has been very useful for giving inspiration for my exam preparation and I would love to visit again soon.

Summer (Glebelands Yr11 Art student)

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