LONDON, UK, 1 April 2020 — is pleased to introduce Saatchi Art Club, a digital learning platform and interactive forum for contemporary art on the Gallery’s Instagram Live. As a companion to #SaatchiTakeover, Saatchi Art Club is an extension of the Gallery’s Education Programme expanding the campaign further to bring together creatives and art educators with its audiences on its social media platforms through art discussions and workshops.
Saatchi Art Club comes at a time when staying connected and creative is more crucial than ever, and is a way of giving the Gallery’s social media followers of over 6 million an opportunity to participate in 30-minute live sessions, while simultaneously providing a platform for Saatchi Gallery selected artists and educators to share their practice on its Instagram channel.
The weekly sessions are live every week at 2pm (BST), and span from informal discussions with art practitioners covering themes surrounding their practice and ways of coping during the outbreak of COVID-19, to art workshops aimed at younger audiences exploring a variety of techniques and materials to do at home with their families.
The digital activation on Saatchi Gallery’s Instagram Live had its first artist-led workshop on Monday 30 March, hosted by British artist Kate Daudy. The workshops are component of Saatchi Art Club mainly aimed for younger audiences involving a demonstration on how to create a piece of artwork, to then share with the rest of the online community.
The next live sessions of workshops and artist discussions will be led by the artists from different parts of the world and explore a wide array of art forms. The following live sessions will be broadcasted at 2PM (BST).
Wednesday 1 April
Artist and writer Benjamin Murphy (@benjaminmurphy_)
Thursday 2 April
British printmaker Molly Mahon (@mollymahonblockprinting)
Friday 3 April
US based Illustrator Christine Vineyard (@lidflutters)
Monday 6 April
British painter Sophie Tea (@sophieteaart)
Tuesday 7 April
Paper artist Rich McCor (@paperboyo)
Along with many more exciting collaborators to be announced in the coming days.
Saatchi Art Club invites Instagram users worldwide to interactively join Saatchi Gallery selected artists, craft makers, and teachers in staying creative and exploring contemporary art, whilst at the same time providing a glimpse into their practice and processes. Using Instagram Live, Saatchi Art Club allows audiences from all over the world to share their thoughts and connect with each other by responding through live Q-and-As on the Gallery’s main channel.
Philippa Adams, Director and Head Curator at Saatchi Gallery adds:
“With the Instagram Live extension of our digital initiative #SaatchiTakeover, Saatchi Gallery is able to bring contemporary art to everyone despite the temporary closure of its exhibitions and gallery doors. Our exhibitions, including TUTANKHAMUN: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, saw a rewarding and wide-reaching programme of workshops and tours for schools and community groups. To continue this engagement and access to art education and learning, our Education team is sharing its Instagram channel with artists and teachers over the span of three weeks. We are very excited and thankful to be working with artists and educators on this project, to continue our efforts to bringing and sharing contemporary art to those at home.”
Participants are invited to also share their own creations with us, and the rest of the online community using the hashtag #SaatchiArtClub. All live sessions are archived on Stories and readily accessible on Saatchi Gallery’s Instagram and YouTube channels for everyone to watch at any time.
The launch of Saatchi Gallery’s digital space to its combined of over 6 million followers lends itself as a learning platform for everyone, anywhere in self-isolation, encouraging them to collectively explore Art’s meditative ways of coping – in the hopes that in creativity, those staying at home can perhaps feel, for even a brief moment free.
Join the conversation here and check our live stream schedules on our Instagram channel now.
Stay safe, stay creative.