Wallpaper* workshop: The National Art & Design Saturday Club visits our London HQ ahead of its summer show at Somerset House

art students
Students from the National Art & Design Saturday Club examine Wallpaper* covers during their masterclass at our HQ in Southwark, London
(Image credit: Press)

The Sorrell Foundation has long been known for fostering the creative talents of young students in the UK with its National Art & Design Saturday Club. This year, Wallpaper* got in on the act, joining a roster of design studios, artists and creative companies who lent their expertise for a weekend workshop.

The programme - which culminates in an exhibition of the students' work at Somerset House, opening today - gives over a thousand budding designers and artists aged 14 to 16 the chance to attend a free class at a local university to explore disciplines like painting, ceramics, photography and sculpture. These classes are topped off with a visit to a London museum - ranging from the Barbican Art Gallery to the Tate Modern - and a masterclass with industry leaders, including the likes of Thomas Heatherwick, Fredrikson Stallard and Moritz Waldemeyer this year, as well as our good selves.

Wallpaper* welcomed a group of 19 students to our Southwark HQ in March. Led by Editor-in-Chief Tony Chambers, our art, design and interiors teams guided them on a tour of our office, giving them an insight into the tasks required to create a Wallpaper* issue each month. We then challenged the students - who attend a Saturday Club at Cambridge School of Art - to create a cover for our (not yet printed) May issue, using collaged imagery from its contents. Exhibiting their designs on our walls, we offered a critique session, discussing their ideas and inspirations.

The students impressed us with their intelligent approach and creativity, producing a range of work - now on show at Somerset House, alongside the fruits of other workshops - that offered an inspiring overview of the magazine's contents, distilled from their own unique points of view. It made us look at the issue with fresh eyes.

For our team, the experience confirmed the importance of an initiative like the National Art & Design Saturday Club that helps students to explore and develop their passions and skills from a young age, while showing them the route to further education and a career in the industry. We'll be keeping a watchful eye on our promising group of students as they make their upward trajectory.

We gave students the chance to see all aspects of magazine production

We gave students the chance to see all aspects of magazine production. Here, Wallpaper* interiors director Benjamin Kempton and interiors editor Amy Heffernan illustrate the brainstorming process behind a photoshoot

(Image credit: Press)

miniboard for an upcoming issue

The group examine the miniboard for an upcoming issue

(Image credit: Press)

Creative director Sarah Douglas

Creative director Sarah Douglas shows the students some proofs of the magazine's pages

(Image credit: Press)

3D stories

The 3D stories in our October 2011 'Sound and Visuion' issue were a particular hit

(Image credit: Press)

Masterclass

As part of the masterclass, we challenged the students to create a collaged cover for our May issue, using its contents as their base

(Image credit: Press)

The group with their finished covers


(Image credit: Press)

The group with their finished covers on the rooftop of our HQ, joined by our Editor-in-Chief Tony Chambers (centre) and art and interiors team (back row). Their works are now on show as part of the National Art & Design Club's summer exhibition at London's Somerset House

The day ended with a mini-exhibition

The day ended with a mini-exhibition and critique session of their work, which was an opportunity to hear about their inspirations and ideas

(Image credit: Press)

Covers by Claudia Roman-Keeble and Zoe Rowe

Covers by Claudia Roman-Keeble and Zoe Rowe

(Image credit: Press)

Covers

Covers by Dave Monis and Ésme Kovacs

(Image credit: Press)

Ana Cerqueira and Verity Miller

Covers by Ana Cerqueira and Verity Miller

(Image credit: Press)

Jakub Warenczuk and Sally Matthews

Covers by Jakub Warenczuk and Sally Matthews

(Image credit: Press)

Marlene Ohly and Molly Clarke

Covers by Marlene Ohly and Molly Clarke

(Image credit: Press)

Jan Kirkham and Simone Polcik

Covers by Jan Kirkham and Simone Polcik

(Image credit: Press)

Laura Wilson and Khokho Thetsri

Covers by Laura Wilson and Khokho Thetsri

(Image credit: Press)

Kirty Garuna and Lydia Squires

Covers by Kirty Garuna and Lydia Squires

(Image credit: Press)

Fay Matthews and Dominika Mazur

Covers by and Fay Matthews and Dominika Mazur

(Image credit: Press)

Rowan Logan

Cover by Rowan Logan

(Image credit: Press)

wallpaper masterclass

Wallpaper's masterclass was just one of the many on offer from the National Art & Design Saturday Club. Pictured is the class of artist Jeremy Deller

(Image credit: Press)

The fruits of Jeremy Deller's masterclass

The fruits of Jeremy Deller's masterclass

(Image credit: Press)

Designer Moritz Waldemeyer

Designer Moritz Waldemeyer offered his lighting expertise to students, tasking them to create a series of lanterns

(Image credit: Press)

students could customise garments using crystals

Design duo Patrik Fredrikson and Ian Stallard of Fredrikson Stallard teamed up with Swarovski to offer a workshop in which students could customise garments using crystals

(Image credit: Press)

ADDRESS

Embankment Galleries
Somerset House
Strand
London WC2R 1LA

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.