Aardman brings the art and craft of animation to Frome for the school holidays

A new exhibition at Frome's Black Swan Arts Centre will offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how Aardman Animations create their famous Oscar-winning films.

The Aardman at Black Swan: The Art and Craft of Animation exhibition, which runs from Saturday July 7 to Saturday September 1, will also offer plenty of school-holiday entertainment and inspiration for children, particularly on wet days.

In the exhibition put together specially for the Frome gallery, the Bristol-based animators will use designs, sets and characters from The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and A Matter of Loaf and Death to show how Wallace and Gromit are brought to life. And it will uncover the wide range of skills that are needed to create their cracking adventures.

The exhibition will include a complete set from Aardman showing a scene from one of their famous films along with models of Wallace & Gromit and Morph at different stages of their creation There will also be plenty of behind the scenes photos revealing the animators at work.

During the eight week exhibition, children can have a go at creating their own model out of clay or designing a storyboard for a short film. These models and ideas can also be entered into a competition being run in partnership with Somerset Film. The winning children who create the best model and storyboard will then get the chance to bring their ideas to life during a day spent with Somerset Film at the Engine Room in Bridgwater.

"Aardman started on a kitchen table when the founders were still at school and early success with Morph led to a wide range of films and worldwide acclaim. We wanted to offer children the chance to tap into their own creativity during this exhibition. So we came up with the idea of having our own kitchen table workshop where they can create characters and draw storyboards," explained Sue Isherwood who is working with Aardman to bring the exhibition to Frome.

"We'll then choose the best model and storyboard so that their creators can have a go at bringing their inspiration to life during a day with Somerset Film."

Somerset Films is also planning an evening showing short animated films where people can also bring along their own films to be shown. Find out more at www.blackswan.org.uk

For more animation hints and tips from Aardman visit www.animate-it.com . You can even download a free 14 day Animate it software trial!