Paul Butler- artist & collaborator talking at Context Gallery, Derry

I saw Paul Butler talk at The Context Gallery in Derry yesterday. He and several other artists were participating in The Collage Party... There was a mess of materials, magazines, scissors, tape and glue. My favourite surprise was finding a bag of googly eyes. There was also comfy spaces to sit, a foozball table and a stage in the corner.

Paul spoke about the evolution of the Collage Party, and the later project: Reverse Pedagogy, which is coming to Sligo at The Model in September. Keen to see what they will come up with!

My favourite quotes from his talk:

About doing a collage party with kids: "They tear things out differently than adults do." I would love to find out more about this. He did say, after several years he had seen all the kinds of collage there are.

About his events and collaborations: "everything was complimented by drinks and food."

As Collage party evolved, he realised he wanted to "re-create the energy of art school." He said he wanted to create a 'sanctuary' from studio + commercial demands to experiment. 

He said he enjoyed working with Creative Growth, a gallery and education space for young/emerging artists with disabilities. He said running a commercial gallery "made me lose my faith in the artworld." Working with Creative Growth renewed that faith. 

It's interesting to read about artists' recognising what benefits they get from working with or collaborating with young people.