Churwell's Arts Council

The year long project started in October 2022 when I worked with the Churwell Primary Arts Council. The first session was based on the elements of line and shape, and we experimented with a variety of materials to understand the elements of art better. We used sketchbooks to document our understanding and we used different drawing mediums to make a variety of marks. The children also discussed their feelings about art in school. After the session with the Arts Council I worked with the staff, again using a variety of materials to extend their understanding of line and shape.

Our second session was in spring 2023 when we explored colour and texture. The Arts Council discussed the use of different materials in art and we also talked about how to care for art supplies. As in the previous session, we used an experimental approach in both the Arts Council and staff training . We applied the basic principles of pattern to explore colour and texture and in the staff session we also took the opportunity to talk through lessons for the term.

Our third session was all about Value and Form. We developed our understanding of the difference between light and dark in our artwork. We used different drawing mediums like charcoal and pens and compared their tonal values when making a 2D form. In the Arts Council we used metal teapots to understand the principle of contrast. In the staff training we investigated a variety of ways to teach value in class.

The final session was in the summer term where we learnt about the element of space. We sought to understand how all the elements come together to represent space better. We looked at the principles of scale and position and how they are used to create a sense of space, and we explored one and two point perspective. In the Arts Council we reviewed the year and asked how each child felt about their contribution to the arts in school.

During the Arts Council discussions, some beautiful statements were made by the children about what art could be like in their school. These statements have been combined to create a manifesto - a school declaration of artistic intention. The broad statements celebrate the children’s ideas of art - they are the beginning of something special. In the last session we painted a statement from the manifesto on a canvas in the style of Bob and Roberta Smith. The children painted each letter in their own way. This manifesto could be used to developed by a new school arts council next year.

Highlights

The highlight for me came in the Spring term during the Arts Council session; the children were excited about the affordances the materials gave them and realised that having more supplies would allow them to make their art more interesting; they had the idea to raise money by holding a bun sale. Mrs Barson came in, and there was a lovely discussion between the Arts Council and their Head Teacher about how more materials could be purchased, the conversation was spontaneous and beautiful to witness.