Date: 4 June 2025 

National Saturday Club Teens artwork to go on display at York Art Gallery and Somerset House, London. 

Over the course of 15 weeks, a group of 18 young artists came to York Art Gallery every Saturday to participate in the National Saturday Club. These free weekly art sessions were centred around printmaking and took inspiration from Harland Miller’s iconic letter-painting series. The York artist currently has an exhibition at the York Art Gallery, where the young people could spend time and draw influence from.  

Guided by printmaker and illustrator Becky Long-Smith, the group were able to experiment in a variety of creative techniques such as collage, lino printing and block printing. The group also participated in industry masterclasses with Thin Ice Press and The People Powered Press, using a variety of printing presses whilst learning about the history of printing.  

Using York Art Gallery and Miller for inspiration, the group curated their own works drawing on a variety of the techniques they had learnt throughout the workshops.  

 Together the group produced a piece called ‘Words of Power: A Collaborative Sculpture’. Reflecting on themes of place, identity and resilience, the sculpture consists of colourful blocks with words chosen by the participants. They selected words which inspired and empowered them and subsequently invite the viewer to reflect on how words and their meanings shape understandings of the world around us. One participant said; “I like the opportunities at Saturday Club that you can’t really get at school.” 

The art produced by the Saturday Club members is now on display at York Art Gallery until the end of June 2025. It will then move to London and become part of the National Saturday Club Summer Show at Somerset House, London. 

One of the young artists commented; “Out of everything I do in the week this is my favourite thing.” “I’ve learnt to express myself in different ways.” said another participant. This range of experiences provided new outlets for young people who might not have had access to this type of creative expression in their daily routine. 

Programme Lead, Griselda Goldsbrough said; “I think the nicest thing for me is seeing all the young people every week sharing with friends, their joy of art.” 

ENDS 

National Saturday Club photos credit Eloise Ross 

Harland Miller ‘York’ photo credit Olivia Hemingway 

Watch the National Saturday Club video here

About the National Saturday Club 

The National Saturday Club gives 13–16-year-olds across the country the opportunity to study subjects they love at their local university, college or cultural institution, for free. 

Offering dynamic creative learning programmes in eight subject areas – Art&Design, Craft&Making, Fashion&Business, Film&Screen, Performance&Theatre, Science&Engineering, Society&Change and Writing&Talking – the model works to develop young people’s skills, nurture their talents and encourage their creativity. 

This initiative was the inspiration for the National Saturday Club. The Club’s co-founders, John and Frances Sorrell, both started their professional journeys by attending these Saturday art classes.   

In 2016, the Saturday Club Trust was launched as an independent charity to take over the development of the National Saturday Club from The Sorrell Foundation. 

The charity receives public funding from the Department for Education and the National Lottery through Arts Council England. It is also supported by the British Film Institute, British Fashion Council, Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, The Clore Duffield Foundation, and industry partners. 

For more information, see the website here: National Saturday Club – Explore exciting subjects on Saturday mornings for free  

About Harland Miller’s exhibition  

Internationally acclaimed artist and writer Harland Miller returns to York Art Gallery to present ‘XXX’, a new exhibition showcasing paintings and works on paper from his renowned ‘Letter Paintings’ series. The exhibition runs until 31 August 2025. 

Inspired by his upbringing in 1970s Yorkshire and an itinerant lifestyle in New York, New Orleans, Berlin and Paris during the 1980s and ’90s, Miller creates colourful and graphically vernacular works that convey his love of popular language and attest to his enduring engagement with its narrative, aural and typographical possibilities. 

See the exhibition page here: Harland Miller: XXX | York Art Gallery 

For more information on York Art Gallery 

Amy Cope 

Public Relations Officer  

Email: amy.cope@ymt.org.uk 

Phone: 07761634646 

York Art Gallery Opening Times: Wednesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
For more information on York Art Gallery go to: www.yorkartgallery.org.uk 

About York Art Gallery 

Supported by Arts Council England. 

York Art Gallery’s collection of paintings spans more than 600 years and works range from 14th century Italian panels and 17th century Dutch masterpieces to Victorian narrative paintings and 20th century works by LS Lowry and David Hockney. The Gallery also holds the most extensive and representative collection of British Studio Ceramics, thanks to the acquisition of collections from Dean Milner–White, WA Ismay and Henry Rothschild and the long term loan of Anthony Shaw’s collection. Highlights are on show in the Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA). The Gallery and its collections are cared for by the charity York Museums Trust, established in 2002.