Topolski Studio, in partnership with Reportager, University of the West of England, has been running the first reportage drawing residency programme which commenced in September 2013. The scheme trains young people not in education, employment or training for a three-month programme of reportage drawing.

Over the last four months the first six residents of the Topolski Studio reportage drawing programme have spent two days a week drawing editing, organizing, running workshops, producing, printing and distributing the first Chronicle since 1982.

No.1 Vol.XV11 is the culmination of 12 weeks location drawing in and around London. As well as nine different locations, there were three separate master classes run by artists Anne Howeson, Julia Midgley and Rachel Gannon.
The location drawing days were co-delivered by Gary Embury editor of Reportager.org and Andrea Marie the education and outreach officer of Topolski studio. The locations were diverse, from the Southbank Centre, Windsor races, Balcombe fracking protest, Heygate estate, Dance rehearsals, the Royal Courts of Justice, Parliament, Remembrance day in Trafalgar square, The Daumier Exhibition at the RA and a food bank in Bermondsey.

The Topolski residents are Matt Booker, Laura Fitton, Josh Morris Alex Nicholson, Chloe Parke and Louis Vinet. This unique opportunity has enabled them to train and work together to produce, hand-print and distribute a Chronicle for the twenty–first century, a broadsheet of reportage drawing chronicling contemporary issues, just as artist Feliks Topolski did of the twentieth. The Chronicle was printed on the studio’s own printing press and was available for the private view of the exhibition at the Vibe gallery on 12th December. This show brought together drawings made by the residents, Feliks Topolski’s originals, and some of the original broadsheet Chronicles from the 20th century. An auction of donated drawings by contemporary reportage practitioners also took place, proceeds going towards the next residency programme.

http://www.topolskicentury.org.uk/residency/chronicle-residency-programme/
http://reportager-blog.blogspot.co.uk/
http://topolskistudio.tumblr.com/

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