Arty teens show moxie at MIMA before Turner Prize
Middlesbrough in the frame
A ribbon cutting ceremony always means something special and that was the case at MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, which is enjoying a year of high profile exhibitions.
New Contemporaries runs until August 16 and then the Turner Prize exhibition opens on September 26, when all eyes will be on Middlesbrough which is hosting the prestigious competition for the first time in its 42-year history.
The young people gathered behind that ribbon on July 25 – all members of MIMA’s Saturday Club - can have been left in no doubt as to the significance of the Turner Prize.
Dr Laura Sillars, dean of culture and creativity at Teesside University and director of MIMA, told them: “When we announced the four artists who are going to be in it, we gained news stories across 14 countries and reached a potential readership of 1.24 billion.”
The Turner Prize shortlist comprises Kira Freije, Marguerite Humeau, Tanoa Sasraku and Simeon Barclay – and thousands of people will go to see their exhibition, some travelling from afar.
But the red ribbon wasn’t for them. It was for the nine Saturday Club members and the exhibition they have curated to highlight Middlesbrough’s collection of more than 2,350 artworks.
Called Moxie: Generation Alpha Curates the Middlesbrough Collection, it runs until next year, ensuring a Turner Prize audience for the creative endeavours of North East teenagers.
There was fulsome praise for them at the opening ceremony, which also marked the end of this current Saturday Club cohort’s year.
Sophie Ascough, MIMA’s learning curator and Saturday Club lead tutor, said: “Over the past year they have met inspiring artists, visited exhibitions, debated ideas about their own creative practices and curated the nine works you see here.
“Each young person selected an artwork from the Middlesbrough Collection and used it as inspiration for a new creative response, bringing fresh perspectives to the collection.”
All aged 13 to 16, they were Generation Alpha, she explained, because they had been born into a world shaped by digital technology, AI and constant connectivity.
“They have access to more information than any generation before them but also have to navigate new challenges and rapid change,” she said.
“Their voices matter and this exhibition offers a glimpse into how they see the world around them.
“It’s also an opportunity to celebrate their hard work, ideas and achievements.”
Recently the group visited London with the Saturday Club, seeing their work exhibited at Somerset House.
Who’s to say that one or more of them might not one day be a New Contemporaries exhibitor or even a Turner Prize contender?
And even if art isn’t to be their professional calling, it was clear to Sophie and colleagues that the participating youngsters have grown in confidence, gained new skills and sharpened their critical faculties.
Dr Sillars said she had asked her MIMA team four years ago to set up a Saturday Club.
“Saturday Club is a national programme and happens all over the place. The team had to think what a MIMA version would look like.
“What we’re seeing here is a powerful example of what can happen when talent is nurtured, opportunities are offered and young people are encouraged to believe in themselves”.
Demonstrating “creativity, insight and imagination”, they had attained a portfolio of creative activity that would benefit them whatever they ended up doing.
Dr Sillars said the achievements of the team and the young people had exceeded her expectations, with MIMA’s Saturday Club linked to the Arts Award scheme which she described as the artistic equivalent of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
Also present at the celebration was Alex Bird, relationship manager for the North at National Saturday Club, who praised the initiative of MIMA and the young exhibitors.
This year’s MIMA Saturday Club members were Bobby, Dayna, Emily, Harmony, Jeannie, Lois, Ned, Simon and Victoria. They’ve been meeting at the gallery, as you would expect, every Saturday.
Given free access to the Middlesbrough Collection, which is held at MIMA, each chose an artwork that you’ll now find displayed on the building’s second floor.
Inevitably it’s a mixed bag, a drawing by David Shrigley hanging near an oil painting by Guisborough-born Kenneth Cozens, who was fine art officer for Middlesbrough Art Gallery for 27 years, and Dance Macabre Suite, a series of ink drawings by Canadian artist Ed Pien.
It turned out only one chosen artwork was by a woman. Sophie, not wanting to deviate from the rule of free choice, let that stand as a reflection of how male-dominated the art world has been.
Roman Bridge, a 1975 screenprint by Julia Matcham, was chosen by 15-year-old Simon, who has travelled to the Saturday Club every weekend from his home in Newcastle.
“I like it because it’s very peaceful,” he said of his selection.
To see his artistic response, as with all of them, you must scan the QR code next to the picture or visit the MIMA website.
This is the way these young Alpha Generation curators wanted it, which is interesting.
Simon gave his own watercolour painting, featuring pink and purple trees over a river, the title Kakaiba.
“I chose it because it means ‘whimsical’ in the Filippino language and I’m Filippino,” he explained.
Emily, also 15 and from Middlesbrough, picked John Keane’s The Accident, a 1988 monoprint depicting a dystopian scene with men in hazmat suits pushing a rusty barrel in a supermarket trolley.
“I assume that’s toxic waste but I really like the little details,” said Emily.
“I think it’s a picture with deep meaning and it shows how messy all these things are that we’re doing to the planet.”
Soft-spoken Simon, who later gave a speech, said travelling to Middlesbrough had been no hardship.
“I love coming here to do creative things. I did attend a Saturday Club in Newcastle but it took a break so I had to find another.”
Emily, more forthright, explained why she joined Saturday Club.
“I didn’t really have much going on and the thought of joining a group of arty people seemed right because I want to be an artist.
“I believe that to be human is to create. People talk about the purpose of life and I think it’s there to be experienced. What better way to capture that experience than to create art?”
Generation Alpha she may be but Emily is so against the use of generative AI that when she realised her school was using it to make slides look “quote unquote prettier” she couldn’t take it lying down.
“I was outraged. It hinders students who want to do art and uses up a lot of water which is bad for the environment.
“I sent passive-aggressive emails to my headteacher about it and he asked me to give a speech to staff about the use of generative AI, which I did.
“I got a lot of positive feedback but it wasn’t recorded like I was promised it would be.”
Emily, clearly, is no artistic pushover.
Also present at the celebration was 17-year-old Elissa, a past Saturday Club member who left when studying for GCSEs but then gladly took on the position of assistant to Sophie and the team.
She recalled out how she felt “really burnt out” when studying art for GCSE but the Saturday Club, being out of school, had revived her interest, enabling her to experiment with different art materials.
“It was amazing and I got to exhibit a lot of my artwork which I’d never done before.”
Elissa hopes to go to university this year to study English and aims to get into journalism.
“Once at Saturday Club we made a newspaper and I wrote an article for it. I really enjoyed it and decided this was what I wanted to do in the future.
“But I am passionate about art, acting, all sorts of creative work like that. I’m trying to build my portfolio.”
And if you’re wondering about ‘moxie’, Sophie Ascough explained that it was chosen for the Saturday Club exhibition because it’s an informal word meaning courage or determination.
Both qualities are represented in this small but significant exhibition which is part of the Turner on Tees programme for Turner Prize 2026, funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
You can see it until March 31 next year at MIMA which is open Tuesday to Sunday. Find details on the MIMA website.
What a wonderful piece, and what a joy to see Simon featured so warmly! As his mum, I want to add my own thanks to MIMA and the Saturday Club team. Simon moved to the UK from Canada, and finding a place like this — where he could be around other “arty people,” travel every week from Newcastle to Middlesbrough without a second thought, and be given real ownership over his creative choices — has meant so much more than an art programme to him. It’s been part of how he’s found his footing here: a place to belong, to be taken seriously, and to build friendships and confidence alongside his art. It was especially lovely that he chose to reflect on his Filipino heritage through Kakaiba, and that he felt free to bring that part of himself into his work. Watching him talk about Roman Bridge and his own painting with such quiet pride was a real moment for our family. Huge thanks to Sophie and the whole team for everything they’ve poured into this group.
I cannot speak highly enough of the Saturday Club at MIMA. Today was the final day, and my 14-year-old son has thoroughly enjoyed every single moment of it.
The venue itself is inspiring, and the staff and fellow attendees created such a welcoming, vibrant environment. It has been brilliant to watch his personal and creative growth over the course of the programme. His dedication has been off the charts—he’s frequently stayed up working in his bedroom past midnight because he was so inspired to build up his portfolio.
The opportunities offered have been second to none: from local exhibition experience to an incredible trip down to London, as well as building a portfolio that will genuinely support his Arts Award / GCSE-level qualifications and college applications.
A huge thank you to MIMA and the team for giving him the chance to take part. It has made a lasting impact on his future.