A RENOWNED artist has students on a roll after creating dice drawings for a public exhibition.

Working with Cleveland College of Art & Design graduate Nick Kennedy art students have thrown together a collection of recorded dice rolls in an artwork for display at Middlesbrough’s mima art gallery.

The Choral Drawing Project #1 is the first of a series of participatory projects, funded by Arts Council England, and designed by artist Nick, 30, who graduated from The Northern School of Art in 2003.

“I was looking at a way to work with local people to create art allowing the influence of chance and accident to dictate its course,” said Nick, of Middlesbrough. “There have been around 30 students from The Northern School of Art’s Foundation course taking part in the project, which enables them to create and own a drawing and see it put on display in a gallery.”

Paraphrased instructions were given to each student by Nick to roll a dice onto a piece of paper, aiming for it to stop on top of a marked cross in the middle. Each time the dice was rolled its finishing position was recorded with the roll number and then repeated 4,000 times to create a polarized mark-making artwork of overlapping numbers and colours. “We had students from 18 16 to 65 taking part who were all incredibly enthusiastic,” said Nick. “As well as the dice drawings, during workshops they also got a chance to use a harmonograph to create geometric images and interactive drawings with spinning tops which helped them to look at different ways of making art.” The Choral Drawing Project #1 artworks by The Northern School of Art students are on display at mima.

Nick has also co-curated the Chance Finds Us exhibition at mima with artist Anne Vibeke Mou, showcasing work from artists across the North-East. The exhibition includes intimate pencil drawings, colourful paintings, large sculptures and pieces made using automated drawing machines and also includes work by artists Sarah Bray, Alex Charrington, Peter J. Evans, James Hugonin, Richard Rigg and fellow The Northern School of Art graduate Rachael Clewlow. “It’s been really good coming back home and working with CCAD,” said Nick.