You Couldn’t Put It on A Map

You Couldn’t Put It on A Map is a collaborative project that was devised and led by young apprentice Bethany Boam, as part of a two week intensive arts apprenticeship at Site Gallery. Bethany set out to link people’s personal connections with places in the city using images, text and maps.
Bethany took inspiration from www.learningtoloveyoumore.com, where artists Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher invited members of the public to complete a range of creative assignments by following simple but specific instructions. Bethany created her own assignment and instructions and networked them to other apprentices, family and friends. She asked that they take up to three photos of places in the city that had some personal resonance and to write about them. She then selected which responses she wanted to use in her final blogged work. Google Maps was used to identify where each is located.
You Couldn’t Put It On A Map and three other creative assignments undertaken by Bethany during her apprenticeship will be entered for a Bronze Arts Award qualification in autumn 2010. The Arts Award is a flexible, independent qualification set up by Trinity College London and the Arts Council England to support young people who want to deepen their engagement with the arts, build creative and leadership skills, and achieve a national qualification.
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July 2010
Site Young Apprentice Scheme [SYAS] gives 14 to 21 year olds the opportunity to work more closely with the gallery on a variety of creative activities such as being part of the decision making process for commissioning new work.
In July 2010 the gallery piloted an intensive two week apprenticeship for eight young people [14 – 17] as a vocational extension of the SYAS. The pilot offered a practical insight into careers in the contemporary art sector through a range of exciting assignments and artists’ talks. Apprentices developed creative, media and workplace skills in a ‘real work’ style environment and led their own creative projects while working towards an Arts Award qualification and gaining a written reference outlining their achievements.

Related blogs
You Couldn’t Put It on A Map
Bethany Boam’s apprenticeship blog
Site Gallery work experience blog