Helen Jacobs
Helen Jacobs studied for her BTEC Foundation Diploma in Art and Design at the Kent Institute of Art and Design and received the Canterbury Arts Council Prize for her final show in 1998. Helen gained her BA Honours in Fine Art Textiles in 2001 and her MA (with distinction) in Textile Culture in 2004 both at the Norwich School of Art and Design.
Helen’s work has been exhibited on several occasions; she has worked in textiles, painting and most recently has exhibited cast iron sculpture. Her own artistic practice is concerned with storytelling and childly language, her pieces often made to play and interact with. Her work with children and about childhood is appropriate in her role as a freelance artist educator; she is both a creative practitioner and enthusiastic teacher.
In addition to exhibiting her work, Helen has taught art part-time and works as a travelling artist leading workshops in schools and community centres. Currently she is working with older people at a day centre for the charity Ithaca, and she recently worked with adults at Root & Branch Therapeutic Gardens and with R.A.W for the Vale of White Horse District Council.
She has recently completed work on a collaborative project, In-Tent-City, with Fusion Community Arts Foundation to create work with pupils in two primary schools in East Oxford shown at two festivals in Summer 2007 (one of which was the Cowley Road Carnival, for which she also worked in East Oxford Primary School to make carnival costumes).
Helen is a Director of The Bullpen Arts Centre in rural Oxfordshire, managing projects whilst setting up a gallery and education programme. She has project-managed an Iron Casting sculpture event for two years at The Bullpen and has secured grant funding for the project. This year she has successfully applied for funding for three major community arts projects at The Bullpen arts centre, and for one of the secondary schools for whom she works as Community Coordinator.