In June 2011 the REcreative website went live following a year of hard work from a group of young people united by the Louis Vuitton Young Arts Project.
Twelve young people developed a website that would inspire interest in contemporary art amongst their peers, offer behind-the-scenes access and insight into the workings of the professional art world and, most importantly, that would be an online community for 16-25 year olds to share, showcase and discuss their own work.
Twelve months on, the REcreative website has far surpassed all expectations and has attracted nearly 80,000 visitors. Over 1,200 profiles have been created by young people from the UK and beyond, and more than 600 artistic projects have been uploaded. The REcreative website has produced an exceptional amount of high-quality video content, with their 55 films having been watched more than 15,000 times.
Alongside the REcreative website, 4,000 young people have taken part in 24 cross-site visits across the five partner institutions (South London Gallery, Tate, Royal Academy, Whitechapel Gallery and Hayward Gallery) in the last 12 months alone, making this an unprecedented collaboration between arts organisations in London. Thousands of others engaged with REcreative’s online community via Twitter and Facebook.
Through REcreative, young people have had access to extraordinary opportunities, such as winning a trip to Japan to meet Yayoi Kusama in her studio; a private tour of Grayon Perry’s British Museum exhibition by the artist himself; a Q&A session with artist Jeremy Deller; and a one-day writing workshop with Art Review’s Oliver Basciano plus an article published on ArtReview.com. For the most recent ‘opportunity’, an unforgettable trip to the Louis Vuitton Journeys Award Ceremony in Rome was on offer.
Artists, curators, journalists, writers, art world experts, actors and filmmakers have all generously contributed to the REcreative website and its dynamic content. Among more than 60 contributors to date, there have been artists such as Elmgreen & Dragset, Tracey Emin, Ryan Gander, Yayoi Kusama, Hew Locke, Grayson Perry, Yinka Shonibare MBE, Bob and Roberta Smith, Mark Wallinger and Rebecca Warren; writers and journalists such as Evening Standard critic Ben Luke, The Times’ Arts Commissioning Editor Nancy Durrant, Dazed & Confused publisher Jefferson Hack, Guardian arts writer Skye Sherwin, Frieze’s Co-Director Matthew Slotover and Dazed Arts Editor Francesca Gavin.
REcreativeUK.com is a website devised by young people in collaboration with the Hayward Gallery, the Royal Academy of Arts, the South London Gallery, Tate Britain and the Whitechapel Gallery as part of the Louis Vuitton Young Arts Project. Launched in June 2011, the REcreative website has become a highly active online community which inspires greater involvement and interest in contemporary art. Young people can upload and discuss art works, watch exclusive video content, win prizes and get behind the scenes access to a range of arts professionals.
The Louis Vuitton Young Arts Project is an arts and education programme that was launched in 2010 by five of London’s most prestigious public galleries. The project is led by South London Gallery in partnership with the Hayward Gallery, the Royal Academy of Arts, Tate and the Whitechapel Gallery.
Louis Vuitton and Art
For over 155 years, Louis Vuitton has entertained a close relationship with art. Symbolising French elegance and art de vivre, the Maison Louis Vuitton has always collaborated with the best engineers, decorators and artists. Marc Jacobs, artistic director since 1997, has given renewed impetus to Louis Vuitton’s ties with art by initiating partnerships with internationally renowned artists such as Stephen Sprouse, Takashi Murakami and Richard Prince, further strengthening the Maison’s commitment to developing the dialogue between luxury and contemporary art.
