Photo exhibition for CAST Helston tenth anniversary in Cornwall

In August 2012, a small group of benefactors completed the purchase of the former Passmore Edwards School of Science and Art and started the process of creating a new arts organisation, the Cornubian Arts & Science Trust, commonly known as CAST.

The building on Penrose Road provides studios for 20 artists and accommodates a wide range of events and activities for families and visitors, as well as running regular evening screenings of feature films chosen by artists for its 'Artist Choice' series.

CAST presents artists' moving image works as looped installations in a high spec black box screening space, runs creative workshops for schools and a regular Saturday Club for 12 to 16-year-olds, most recently a Music and Video Lab for young people led by Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Leckey.

It is also running its CAST-Off summer activity programme in the walled garden at Penrose on Saturdays and CAST-Away programme on the Lizard Peninsula at different locations each Wednesday.

Amy Morgan, who graduated from Falmouth School of Art a couple of years ago, has a studio at CAST and also works at CAST Café. Credit: Martin Howse

It's not all art and productions at CAST though, as at the west end of the building, the CAST Cafe provides coffee and local food, while in the east end, CAST has recently created a ceramics studio, with funding from the European Regional Development Fund agreed by the Community Led Local Development programme.

The new studio, run by artist and ceramicist Rosanna Martin, will be known as Brickworks at CAST and will offer a range of classes, courses, and educational activities.

To celebrate then years, the ground floor and first floor corridors of the building are currently displaying an exhibition of photographs of artists now in the building and former ‘Green School’ pupils and teachers that used to inhabit it when it was Helston County Secondary School.

Betty Pascoe, very well known in Helston as a supported of the Methodist church) was a pupil at the school and then later a teacher. Credit: Martin Howse

These were taken by Martin Howse, an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society, who has had a keen interest in photography since his early teens – and was a member of the Helston Photographic Club when the building was a community centre.

When CAST was formed he approached chair Teresa Gleadowe about the idea of making portraits of artists who have studios in the building. The project started in 2017 and now comprises nearly 30 portraits of past and present studio holders, some of whom have been working in the building since the very beginning.

Although not quite a complete record of everyone who has ever had a studio at CAST, it provides a rich sample of the many artists who contribute to the life of the building and the area.

Ronnie Williams, also very well known, is a Member of Helston Town Council and a former Mayor. Credit: Martin Howse

At the same time, CAST has been organise organising visits for former pupils and teachers of the Helston County Secondary School since 2014, and it led to an oral history project entitled ‘Green School Revisited’ by Clare Leverton and Azook, with oral histories deposited on thee website cornishmemory.com

CAST asked Martin if he could approach the former pupils and teachers whose memories are archived on cornishmemory.com and arrange to take their photographs. As with his photographs of artists, he chose to take pictures in each sitter’s own environment.

Teresa said: "We are delighted that these pictures of people who knew the building as a school can be hung together with pictures of the present occupants."

Ben Sanderson, also a graduate of Falmouth School of Art, has had a studio at CAST since 2013 and has been closely associated with the growth of the organisation. Credit: Martin Howse