Primary School Teacher's Art Forum

Section 25 exhibiton mini review.

2011-12-20T06:24:00.000-08:00

The first exhibition you will encounter when walking into the Grundy Art Gallery revolves around the post-punk band, Section 25. With a diverse range of media in such a relatively small space it engages the viewer into the band’s world visually and audibly.

The first thing you’ll notice is the large projection of Section 25 playing live. The scale creates an impact perhaps similar of that at time of filming and keeps the exhibition more accessible for those unfamiliar to their work. It also creates a pleasant change from the usually painful silence of other galleries. One of the other sections is work created by the late Larry Cassidy (Section 25 front man), three collage pieces reminiscent of pop artist Richard Hamilton, they are intriguing and well crafted.

But my personal favourite part is the collection of tour posters, leaflets and record sleeves etc, we can see the change of design fashions of the time and links to the post punk culture alongside the band’s actual evolution and rise through billings. The posters are art works in their own right and include designs by the legendary Peter Saville. I have a keen interest in typography and this is a fascinating mix to enjoy and take inspiration from. Other memorabilia is on show such as drumsticks giving a more tangible, 3D element.

Originating from Blackpool the subject brings relevance to visitors and the local area, shown in one snapshot of them in a recognisable part of the town and copy of a local fanzine. It could also provide inspiration to current artists that it does not matter where you are form you can achieve your goals.

Overall the exhibition is an intriguing eclectic mix, which I recommend for anybody interested in the arts, the band or Blackpool’s addition to culture.

By Katie Lock during work experience at the gallery.

Schools Exhibition at Grundy

2011-12-15T04:46:00.000-08:00

Blackpool and Fylde schools will be exhibiting their best artwork at the Grundy Art Gallery from the 28th of Jan to the 3rd March. If your school would like to take part, please let the Grundy know before Christmas!!

As part of this exhibition, schools will also get the opportunity to work with artist, Brigitte Jurack on creating playful objects to form a section of the exhibition.

Schools can get involved in workshops in the gallery space led by the artist, creating artwork around the theme of toys and play. These workshops are suitable for all age groups and the artwork created in the workshops will form part of the exhibition in the gallery. There will be more information on this soon.

Jurack has shown her work all over the UK and Internationally, with recent artist residences at Museum of Modern Art Ireland and the British School in Athens and a solo show at Galleri Format in Olso.

I wish to explore how youth as a period of uncertainty and unstable identity is represented through sculpture. My own studio practice has increasingly been drawn towards notions of play and youth, both literally and performatively. Brigitte Jurack

Dark room at Mereside and Unity Primary Schools

2011-12-15T04:09:00.000-08:00

Visit to the Grundy Art Gallery's exhibition, Mass Photography: Blackpool through the Camera. The groups studied all the photographs of Blackpool, looking at images from archives and by famous photographers.

The groups then visited Tony Sharkey in the Local and Family History Centre at the Central Library to see some peculiar images of people and events from Blackpool's past.

The groups then took their black and white film cameras on a walk around Blackpool, taking photographs of Blackpool, using techniques they had spotted in the exhibition.

They quickly learnt the difference between digital photography (which they are used to) and using film cameras with only 24 chances to get that perfect shot!

Photomobile, the travelling photography centre brought the dark room experience to both schools in November and eraly December to develop the photographs taken by the children on their walking tour of Blackpool Promenade.

Jason from Photomobile taught groups about newspaper layouts and using a digital camera. They then created their own page.

David was inside the Photomobile demonstrating how to take a photo from it's negative and develop it as an enlarged photograph. This was the science bit, which got a lot of wows and ooohs. All the children got to help develop a photo and learn all the techniques.

Back in the school the rest of the class were busy using small versions of their photographs to create a newspaper, complete with news stories about Blackpool, weather forecast, sports results, house and cars for sale, births, deaths and marraiges. They are a great read!

These are the contact sheets from a roll of film. The developed photographs will be exhibited in the schools exhibition at the Grundy Art Gallery from the 28th of Jan to the 3rd March. Come and have a look.

Exciting photography project at the Grundy

2011-10-10T03:40:00.000-07:00

Project: In the Dark

Opportunity for schools to discover and understand Blackpool’s wide-ranging heritage through learning outside the classroom experiences and first hand experience of developing dark room photography.

In the Dark, begins with visits to Grundy Art Gallery and Central Library to explore photography of Blackpool over the last 100 years and specifically researching what people did and do in Blackpool.

Alfred Gregory, Blackpool, 1960's
courtesy and copyright the Gregory Archival Trust

Link to the exhibition at Grundy Art Gallery, click here.


     This visit includes a walking tour of Blackpool with cameras, capturing images of the seaside town today.
A travelling dark room will come to school and rotating small groups of pupils will learn the process of dark room photography from a professional photographer. Seeing and helping the production of images taken during their walking tour of Blackpool.
     Meanwhile the remainder of the class will be studying material and images from the Local History archives in activities which will stimulate ideas and debates about Blackpool’s past, present and future.
     The dark room, along with the photographs and learning journey will be displayed in the schools exhibition at Grundy Art Gallery in January 2012.

Project phase one – visits
These visits will take place the week beginning the 17th and 31st of Oct.
Project phase two – dark room in school
These workshops will take place the week beginning the 21st and 29th Nov.

If you would like to express your interest in this project please get in touch with Kerry Hunt at Grundy Art Gallery as soon as possible.

Kerry Hunt, Education Officer,

T: 01253 478170

E: kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk

review of nice painting by heather stephenson

2011-07-14T04:28:00.000-07:00

Mike Pratt, 'Dark Mirror' 2011.

I found that the paintings by Mike Pratt are very inspiring, as a person that enjoys to make my own art. The paintings helped me to realise that you don't have to be afraid of experimenting with art work or perhaps that you don't always have to achieve perfection. The sculpture by Pratt provokes a lot of thought, although it is a simple piece. All of Pratt's pieces provoke alot of thought, this makes the exhibition exciting and interesting.

At a first glance of the paintings selected by Leo Fitzmaurice it may be unclear why they have been positioned in such a way. These paintings have to be looked at very closely in order to be truly understood and appreciated. i think that it is refreshing to see something that is not instantly clear and needs more thought than perhaps a single painting would.
I found the 'nice paintings' exhibition both inspirational and enjoyable to see, it would be a worthwhile visit for anyone. Exhibition closes 23rd july
Review by Heather Stephenson on work expirience for Montgomery High School.

Next forum meeting

2011-06-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

The next forum meeting has been rearranged to 4-5pm on Thursday the 7th of July 2011.

We will be looking around the Grundy's current exhibition Nice Paintings , Kerry will talk you through the next exhibition at the Grundy, 'Mass Photography: Blackpool through the camera' which will take place from the 5th of August to the 6th of November. We will get an update on the Sketchbook project running in schools and what will happen with it next and get some ideas for the theme of the next school's exhibition planned for Jan 2012. Kerry will also give you lots of examples of art work projects and tasks you can use in class and plenty more.

If you would like to attend the forum, please contact Kerry Hunt, Education Officer on either kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk or 01253 478170.

Creativity Course for Teachers and Head Teachers

2011-04-20T01:49:00.000-07:00

Sourced through Engage......

Creativity Conference
15 July 2011
9.30-4.30

Type: One Day Seminar/Conference
Study Mode: One Day Event
Entry Requirements: Booking required
Summary: Shaping the Future is a conference for all concerned about the future of our young people's creative education.
- Transform your curriculum and put creative learning at the centre
- See how creativity can also raise standards
- Teach more creatively so your students can learn more creatively
- Share how creativity can support wellbeing and self-esteem
- Develop creative and reflective learning environments

Shaping the future is aimed at strategy leaders, head teachers, artists, teachers, cultural organisations, parents and others interested in exploring the belief in children's and young people's creative capacities.

Organisation: 5x5x5 Creativity
Contacts: julia@5x5x5creativity.org.uk
Delivery Venue: Bath Spa University, Newton Park, Bath BA2 9BN http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/
Booking Info: Go to http://www.5x5x5creativity.org.uk/?id=129 or or email julia@5x5x5creativity.org.uk

David Whitaker retrospective at Grundy

2011-03-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

We just in the middle of hanging these amazing abstract paintings. They huge in scale and breathtaking in intensity and use of colour.

For a preview of the paintings please visit his website, David Whitaker Paintings

Next forum meeting

2011-03-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

Our next forum meeting will be on Tuesday the 29th of March 2011, from 4-5pm at the Grundy Art Gallery.

Education Officer, Kerry Hunt, will take you on a tour of the new exhibition of large scale, dazzling, optical paintings by artist, David Whitaker. (This exhibition opens on the 28th of March) Click on this link to see examples of his work. David Whitaker paintings

The forum will talk about what activities are possibel around the subject of painting and mark making in class and also linked to a visit to the exhibition. We will also discuss future Grundy projects. Please bring along any issues or problems with the art curriculum that you are facing and any projects you have done which have been particularly successful and you would like to share with the group.

If you would like to attend please email Kerry Hunt on kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk

Orbitecture and schools

2011-03-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

Schools have been visiting our current exhibition at Grundy, called Orbitecture.

The groups have been discussing the artworks and debating about politics, ethics, ecology and coming up with their own alternative ways of living and transport.

The exhibition was easily linked to current affairs and tested their knowledge of the recent uprising in the middle east. It also enabled discussion around the idea of being self-sufficent; living without a car, not using a supermarket and isolating one town's economy.

The images above were created by a group in response to a slideshow of work created by artist, Pim Conradi, from the exhibition. Pim builds large scale spherical structures from wood and metal because he is interested in alternative architectural forms. We had a go at building with cocktail sticks and marshmallows! yummy!

Montgomery Drama group also visited the exhibition and created a performance piece as their response to some of the issues raised in the exhibition. They developed a short, polished improvisation about rules and why they are important but also what can happen when people rebel against them.

Grundy created a special blog for this exhibition where you can find out what we got up to and extra resources click here....... Respond2Orbitecture

Next forum meeting.....

2010-12-23T03:52:00.000-08:00

2011 has come around quick! Our next forum meeting will be on the 25th of January from 4pm-5pm at the Grundy Art Gallery.

We will be discussing art project ideas, the sketchbook project and our forthcoming exhibition Orbitecture. This is also an opportunity for you to bring along your ideas, things that have worked well in class and a chance to talk through issues surrounding the art curriculum.

Image above: Francis Thorburn, ‘Mobile Garden Vehicle no. 4’, 2009
An artwork by Francis Thorburn will be included in our forthcoming exhibition Orbitecture.

Please let me know if you wish to attend.
Email: kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk
Telephone: 01253 478170

take part art is a success!

2010-12-22T03:15:00.000-08:00

We have had over a 1000 children and young people take part in workshops about friendship. They studied animals behaviour in the wild, learning how they interact as a group and their ways and reasons for making friends. Once they had decided which animal they were most like as a friend they made their image to go on the box.

Baboons spend lots of time with their friends, playing and looking after each other.

Dolphins make friends for a long time.

Giraffes are happy on their own.

Squirrels have a big social network.

White Rhinos like to have travelling buddy when they leave home.

Vampire Bats help their friends in need.

Learning Outside the Classroom case studies

2010-11-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

“Because if you just read stuff out of a book, it’s not really enjoyable and you don’t really remember it. But if you go there then you’ll enjoy yourself, you’ll have great fun and it’ll stick in your mind” (Secondary School student).

.....enhanced environmental and geographical literacy, improved critical skills and thinking, better decision making and problem solving abilities and affective knowledge. The research location supporting cognitive benefits tended to be more predominantly in school grounds, museums, gardens and urban spaces. By far the most substantial longitudinal research that has been conducted in the cognitive domain in out-of-classroom learning has been the evaluation of the EIC (Environment as an Integrating Context) education model developed and evaluated by SEER (State Education & Environment Roundtable).... Research by Ernst and Monroe (2007) affirms the SEER findings and contributes to evidence around the relationship between environment based education and acquisition of critical thinking skills.

The Thinking through Art project (ISGM 2007) is a study of 135 third, fourth and fifth graders from five elementary schools who engaged in museum multi-visits. The students were tested for critical thinking skills using a rubric that was refined over a three-year period against a control group. The report states: “The data from the performance assessment part of the study consistently showed that students in the ISGM multiple visit programme out-performed a group of comparison students who did not participate in any type of art museum/school programme. Students in the ISGM programme not only used more critical skills, they used a variety of critical thinking categories as measured by the rubric (2007: 38).”

every experience matters
An evidence based research report on the role of learning outside the classroom for children’s whole development from birth to eighteen years. Dr Karen Malone

This report was commissioned by Farming and Countryside Education (FACE) in support of the UK Department of Children, School and Families Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto.

wibbly wobbly sculptures

2010-11-08T01:44:00.000-08:00

The idea of using jelly to make sculptures was put forward at a previous forum meeting and Jo Geary from Devonshire School decided to give it a go.

What wonderful wibbly wobbly sculptures. They look good enough to eat!

schools to exhibit artwork at Grundy...

2010-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

It is our pleasure to invite Blackpool schools to enter take part art the new and exciting schools exhibition at the Grundy Art Gallery. This exhibition will take similar a format to that of the Young Seasiders.

1. The exhibition will open to the public on Thursday the 25th of November 2010 and run until the 8th of January 2011.
2. Delivery of artwork will be between 10am and 5pm on Thursday the 18th and Friday the 19th of November 2010.
3. Collection of the artwork will be between 10am and 5pm on Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th of January 2011. Arrangements must be made for collection on this day as the gallery can not store any artworks.

Individual Artworks: Open to all primary, secondary and special needs schools. Each school is asked to submit artwork pieces by individual pupils. Each school is given a specified wall space to display their pictures – space is allocated pro-rata to the number of pupils in the school. Once we know the number of schools entering, we will inform you of the space allocated.

Group work: The exhibition will offer a very special opportunity to schools and families to take part in activities in the gallery during the run of the exhibition. The themes for the artwork will be friendship and identity. There will be more information on this soon.

Things to note:
• All artworks will be hung by gallery staff.
• Teachers are asked to mount their artwork onto 1, 2 or 3 large pieces of mounting paper.
• If you are having a problem with either space or transportation, work can be mounted by teachers at the gallery.
• Artwork pieces for the walls must not be heavy.
• All works on canvas must be mirror plated.
• It is recognised that this system is not suitable for some secondary school work due to its scale and weight. However, where possible all works on paper must be mounted as mentioned above.
• Certificates will be provided as pdf for all who have participated, as everyone is a prize-winner to us.

If you would like to enter your schools artwork into the exhibition and or would like to book a workshop to contribute to the group work, please ring or email before the 22nd of October 2010. Your contact is Kerry Hunt, Education Officer on 01253 478170 or kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk

Sketchbook Project is up and running

2010-10-06T02:33:00.000-07:00

Kerry Hunt, Education Officer, is now available to come into school and run a sketchbook workshop. Whether you are planning to use the sketchbook as a class activity or do it in after school/morning clubs, we would like to help you get started.

By the end of the school year in 2011, we hope to be able to exhibit these sketchbooks around schools or in a Blackpool town centre location, for all to read.

If you would like to know more or book in a workshop please contact Kerry on kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk to arrange a time.

Street Poem Collage

2010-10-06T01:41:00.000-07:00

Take your class on a walk, it could be:

Around the school
Around their town
Along one street
Journey from school to Blackpool Tower
Journey from school to the Grundy Art Gallery

Get them to record signs, traffic signs, posters, adverts, instructional signs etc using cameras by sketching.

Use these images to create one large collage back in class. Use the words found in the images to create a group poem about traffic/words/walking/journeys.

Get them to look at the language used in signs, the colours and how many things there are to read on a small journey. Perhaps even have a debate about visual pollution and whether it is right to overload the streets with so many signs.

Above are some images from the internet, showing you different and interesting ways in which road signs and traffic signals have been used.

Next forum meeting

2010-09-10T05:29:00.000-07:00

The next forum meeting is on Tuesday the 5th of October 2010 at the Grundy Art Gallery from 4pm-5pm.

We will be looking at the Grundy's current exhibitions; My Generation - The Glory Years of British Rock and Fan Club.

We will also be discussing how to get started on the sketchbook project and other inspiring ideas to incorporate into the curriculum. We will also be talking about the Wordpool Programme and how to get involved.

If you would like to come along, please email Kerry Hunt, Education Officer on kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk or contact on 01253 478170.

A big boat and a talking cardboard box at the Grundy.....

2010-07-07T05:23:00.000-07:00

Above: Brian Griffiths ‘Beneath the Stride of Giants’ 2004, wood

Extra Ordinary
26.06.10 - 11.09.10

Blackpool has an important history of sideshow and fairground entertainment, which showcased the exotic, the amazing and the bizarre. With a resurgence in the popularity of such entertainment in recent years Extra Ordinary purposefully sets out to embrace this culture, looking at magic, horror, clairvoyance and spectacle, but removes its focus from the exotic to include artworks that find the extraordinary within the mundane.

The exhibition brings together artworks by six contemporary artists, repositioning everyday objects, or familiar routines and experiences to become absurd or magical. It includes Brian Griffths' 'Beneath the Stride of Giants', a vast maritime vessel, part real part mythical, constructed of salvaged furniture and discarded material and a talking cardboard box called ‘Born as a Box’ by Shimabuku.

Above: ‘Adam’ being transported from London to Blackpool, 1939. Image courtesy the Local and Family History Centre, Blackpool Central Library.

Jacob Epstein and Blackpool

26.06.10 - 11.09.10

Jacob Epstein’s carving ‘Adam’ was first shown in Blackpool during the 1939 summer holiday season. During this time Jacob Epstein was a household name, synonymous with the negative opinions aimed at modern art.

The showing of 'Adam' was to be the start of a fascinating relationship between Epstein’s work and Blackpool that would stretch to 1961. The showing of more of Epstein's major carvings followed: 'Jacob and the Angel' in 1942, and by 1958 'Genesis', ‘Consummatum Est’, 'Adam' and 'Jacob and the Angel' were displayed together in Louis Tussauds on the Promenade.

Blackpool exhibited Epstein’s work when the art establishment would not, always proclaiming it to be great art. It brought its marketing and showmanship expertise to modern art and drew massive audiences by doing so. Epstein was top of the bill.

Jacob Epstein and Blackpool looks back at these showings through a selection of the press coverage that was generated at the time to revaluate the events and reveal that they were not the freak shows at the fairground they have been branded by art critics and commentators in recent times, but a story of the clash between Modernist high art and popular culture.

Exhibition tour and Workshop (adaptable for all key stages)

Education Officer led tour of exhibitions:

We will explore Jacob Epstein and Blackpool by looking at the articles as evidence and analysing the language and opinions conveyed. We will also watch a short film about the artwork.

We will explore Extra Ordinary by creating a mythical story inspired by the huge boat structure and discussing the films and sculptures by the other five artists.

Creative Workshop:

Using cardboard, lollipop sticks and tape we will create our own mythical boats full of character and mystery.

Please contact the Education Officer, Kerry Hunt on 01253 478170 or kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk for more information or to book for a free visit.

Workshop inspired by Max Anderson

2010-06-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hello, I am a 14year old pupil from Palatine School on work experience at the Grundy Art Gallery this week and I have been researching a cool project for you to try in class.

Any child who has an open mind and a varied imagination will be able to do this task. They should think of something e.g- an object or activity etc, that they take an interest in, and design a building to do with that thing.

They should design both the interior and exterior, closely related to that thing. This is a drawing and colouring exercise which will be fun.

They should think of a purpose for the building, linking it to the thing that they chose as their inspiration. Also they should think of a name for it, where it will be placed and why? How would they keep it up and running and what type of people do they think would visit their building?

Thanks for reading.

Sam

The Sketchbook Project

2010-05-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

The Blackpool School’s Sketchbook Project aims to get children recording and documenting;
1. Their life
2. Their surroundings
3. Things which have inspired and influenced them
4. Ideas for art projects

The sketchbook project is ideal for work in class to support projects, with after school clubs and to take home and work on as a family.

Each child has their own sketchbook to personalise. There is no list of content to include and no mark at the end of the project, it is an ongoing project for them to be responsible for.

Sketchbooks should be full of imagination, experimentation presented in a relaxed and individual style.

The school to provide each pupil taking part with a mini sketchbook (no bigger than A5) and the Grundy Art Gallery’s Education Officer will come into school and do a workshop on how to get started.

The aim is that every child gets their sketchbook celebrated in an exhibition organised by the Grundy Art Gallery, ideas for where and when to be discussed at a later date.

If you are interested in getting your class involved, we are looking to start this project in Oct 2010 with workshops in school. Please contact Kerry Hunt on 01253 478170 or kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk to register your involvement and arrange dates and times for the workshops.

Classroom resource

2010-05-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester has put together a very nice resource which could assist creative writing and numeracy skills in a imaginative way. It is very pretty to look at too!

Classroom resource

2010-05-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

Tate Artist Timeline is a brilliant class room resource.

The teachers at our last forum meeting had some great ideas of how to use it on the wall. Pin it up in the class room and add images underneath of particular artists they have researched, or their response to a work. It is also a really good prompt for teachers to use when deciding which artists to look at.

Next forum meeting

2010-05-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

The next forum meeting will be on Tuesday the 25th of May 2010 from 4pm-5pm at the Grundy Art Gallery.

We will discuss various things about the art curriculum and the opportunity to start a cross-school sketchbook project to be part of the Wordpool programme. Wordpool is Blackpool's annual literary festival and this will be it's fourth year.

If you can attend please let me know via email on kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk

Shipwreck Project idea

2010-04-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

Wreck of Sirene and Sea Wall 1892, photo from Grundy's collection

Below is some information on four shipwrecks in Blackpool, taken from this website: http://rmhh.co.uk/blackpool.html

1755

The Fylde Coast had its share of Shipwrecks in the old days, and being sparsely populated it was a common thing for the inhabitants to help themselves before the Coast Guards or Excise Officers could get to the wreck.

A ship named "The Travers" was wrecked on the coast, it had a cargo of Lace, and there was "Travers Lace" in homes all over the Fylde for years after.

1779

Owing to there being a bad summer and poor crops, food was scarce. During the autumn, a ship was wrecked on the Coast which, among other articles, was carrying a cargo of peas. This was raided and helped out the food supply and the wreck became known as "The Pea Soup Wreck".

1839

A ship called "The Crusader" was wrecked at South Shore, and a few Marton men were sent to Prison having been caught taking silk from the wreck.

1892

Wreck of "The Sirene" against the North Pier, the crew managed to climb onto the Pier to safety. (Pictured above).

Ideas for School Project

1. Ask the class to illustrate a shipwreck story with line drawings and then create a print, using a piece of shiny silver card and the shell of a biro. Scratch deep marks onto the card with the biro and then wash over the card with ink or watered down acrylic paint. Place a piece of white card over the silver card and press down (use a printing roller if possible). Peel off for the finished print.

This idea was inspired by Contemporary Artists - Daniel Arsham (image below)

2. Film or record the children re-enacting the shipwreck as if they were survivors or locals. Fill in the missing gaps in the stories, like where the ships were going, why it crashed, what happened to the survivors and how tasty the pea soup was.

Magic Show - Exhibition

2010-03-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

Colin Guillemet, ‘Untitled (anything but a rabbit)’, 2006, © the artist 2009

Magic Show

13.02.10 – 10.04.10

A Hayward Touring Exhibition from Southbank Centre

Magic Show is an art exhibition about illusion. It includes 24 international artists and features work by Christian Jankowski, Bruce Nauman, Jake and Dinos Chapman and Sinta Werner. This exhibition explores magic, illusion, manipulation, power over the mind and our belief systems using many different methods which often relate to science and maths.

Guided tour - Education Officer led tour of the exhibition. We will explore the artwork using the Magic Show activity guides. The group will be encouraged to work in pairs and have group discussions. The activity guides have an emphasis on investigating how and why these illusions work, whilst asking them to observe, describe, record, review and sketch.

Workshop - Key Stage 2, 3, 4, 5

This practical workshop is a creative response to Sinta Werner’s installation, using the evidence found whilst exploring the exhibition. In pairs they will design a proposal for an ‘illusion of space’ for the gallery; generating ideas, combining different components, talking about their ideas, discussing what to do next and communicating their creative problem solving through drawing.

Workshop - Key Stage 1

The young people will be asked to create an alter ego character and then design a theatrical poster to advertise their character’s spectacular, magical event.

If you would like to book a tour and workshop, please contact Kerry Hunt, Education Officer on 01253 478170 or kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk

Art Object about Blackpool

2010-02-22T02:36:00.000-08:00

The next forum meeting will take place on Tuesday the 9th of March and will launch Blackpool, Inside Out, a new artwork created by Kate Eggleston-Wirtz as the 2009 artist in residence for the Blackpool Art Service’s Regeneration Arts Programme.

The object is now available on loan for FREE from the Grundy Art Gallery, as an educational resource exploring Blackpool’s heritage and discussing Blackpool’s future. The object has many layers, opening up to reveal several themes including; Blackpool Tower, Donkey rides, the Hotel Business, Trams, Tourism, Circus and plenty more. It is adorned with historical objects to handle and look at, getting everyone talking about Blackpool - past, present and future. Blackpool, Inside Out also comes with an Educational Pack with lots of infomation on the history of Blackpool and also suggestions for activities.

The launch will take place at the Grundy Art Gallery, Queen Street, Blackpool, FY1 1PX on Tuesday the 9th of March from 4pm. At 4.30pm, Kate will be giving a talk about the object and how to use it as an educational tool in class or with a group. If you would like to attend please RSVP to Kerry Hunt on 01253 478170 or kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk

Looking at familiar artists in a different way

2010-01-15T08:16:00.000-08:00

Artists like Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt are often the most popular artists to be used in classroom art lessons. This means that children grow up with the knowledge of only a handful of artists and even with them have only ever looked at a handful of images and not that artists full body of work.

Below are some project ideas inspired by these artists but from looking at their sketches, drawings, studies, sculputres etc. The artwork they are not most famed for.

Pablo Picasso

Picasso uses animals regularly in his pottery, drawings, sculputres and paintings for example 'Guernica'. In this controversial painting about war, he uses a bull to symbolise a soldier and a horse to represent the civilian who suffers in conflict.

Organise a trip to Blackpool Zoo and take a sketch pad along. Sketch and take photos of the animals there. Take them back into class and create sculputres using plaster of paris, papier mache or clay.

Vincent Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt

Both Van Gogh and Klimt have created some beautiful drawings and paintings of trees.

Organise a trip to Stanley Park, Blackpool and take with you several rolls of lining paper, a bamboo stick for everyone, charcoal sticks and masking tape. Tape the charcoal to the end of the bamboo stick and roll the length of the lining paper out along the ground. Make sure you are in a good spot for seeing trees. Line everyone up along the paper and start drawing the trees and surrounding. Everyone will be standing up and have a long stick to draw with so there will be some interesting line making happening.

When you get back to school, you can display the long drawing in the classroom, hall or length of the corridor.

Next forum meeting

2010-01-04T09:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Our next forum meeting will be held at the Grundy Art Gallery on Thursday the 14th of Jan 2010 from 4pm - 5pm.

Forum agenda:

Mini tour of the Collaborate and Make exhibition and talking about how it works and the importance of these projects.
Session on famous artist's work and why they have become such a popular teachers tool in art classes. We will be looking at these artist's lesser known artworks and where they get their influences from to maybe spark ideas about future classroom projects.
Session for teachers to bring issues, ideas, thoughts and questions to the group.

(I have some sketchbook examples to show you as well.) Please let me know if you can attend via email kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk or telephone on 01253 478170.

Collaborate and Make

2010-01-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

The project is up and running. The exhibition opens on Monday the 11th of Jan and closes on Saturday the 30th of Jan 2010.

Image courtesy of artist Emily Speed

Grundy Art Gallery presents Collaborate and Make: Cardboard City, the culmination of a week long project in which artist, Emily Speed, has been commissioned to engage Blackpool Schools in contemporary arts practice.

The exhibition includes a transitory cityscape installation made entirely from everyday packaging materials, the ephemeral qualities of which will juxtapose against the solid and immovable Edwardian architecture of the gallery. Bringing these two building approaches into one space presents the temporary and fragile against the monumental and strong.

It is apt that Speed creates this transient city at a time when Blackpool is transforming through construction and regeneration, as these assembled habitats for an unknown population demonstrate the fragility of a community and its buildings.

Special thanks to the schools who worked alongside Speed in the gallery, to create and construct this imaginary cardboard city.

Here are some images of the exhibition:

The School Photograph Idea

2009-11-10T06:14:00.000-08:00

I remember being at Primary School and having my school photograph taken every year, wearing my cleanest school uniform, sat on a gym horse with a well rehersed grin.

How about getting your class to take their school photo as an opportunity to create their very own self portrait art work? Below are two self portraits of the artist Gillian Wearing. She is posing in the photo as her father amd her grandmother, recreating photographs taken long before she was born. Only her eyes are recognisable as her own.

Idea 1: Ask your class to find an old photograph from newspapers and old records at the local family history room at Central Library. Recreate that photograph using hair, makeup and costume or they could paint the portrait onto card, cutting out holes for eyes and wearing it as a mask. The idea is to pose as that person for your school photo, act like that person, be history and create an unusual artwork. Literacy tasks like writing a story about that person could support the photo.

Idea 2: The image above of the man holding the sign is from a series of work produced by Gillian Wearing called 'Signs that Say What You Want Them To Say and Not Signs that Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say'. Ask your class to come up with a poem or sentence which answers this question: If you could tell the world one thing, what would it be? They could hold up their handwritten signs in their school photo (individual/group).

Each of these activities will get them to think again about a yearly occurance, something ordinary and familiar takes on a new meaning for them. The parents can then choose which one they get printed and framed, normal or artwork.

Next forum meeting

2009-10-30T02:36:00.000-07:00

Image: Martin Creed

I hope you all had a relaxing October half term. The next teachers art forum meeting will be on Tuesday the 24th of November 2009 from 4pm - 5pm at the Grundy Art Gallery.

On the agenda this time will be:

Young Seasiders - update
Case studies of interesting art programmes run with schools in Blackpool and beyond.
Your projects/issues/ideas etc.
Any other items for discussion (instigated by teachers)

If you are able to attend, please let me know via email kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk

Next forum meeting

2009-08-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

I hope you are all looking forward to another good year of art in school!

Our next forum meeting is on Tuesday the 15th of September at the Grundy Art Gallery from 4pm to 5pm.

We will be discussing:

1. Discussion about future school participatory events at the Grundy

2. Online resources for teachers

3. Your projects in class and feeding in ideas

4. Any other issues

I hope to see you all there. If you are attending please let me know via email kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk

Answer to 'Mosaic Art' post

2009-07-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your question below. You can probably find mosiac artists in the directory of 'axis' website this is the link: http://www.axisweb.org/

I have a simpler idea which is just as effective and probably more practical too.

Paint the wall white, then add stripes in a shape (some ideas are; shape of Blackpool town centre, Britain, a house, a cow etc) like this image. Then add natural wood shelves, which you can use to display art work, objects to illustrate a subject, musical instruments they can play with.

Mosaic Artist

2009-06-29T13:13:00.001-07:00

Our Key Stage 1 Hall is going to be having a revamp this summer and as a Key stage we would like to create a large piece of artwork to put up in the hall.
Our initial idea is to create a big mosaic wall hanging. I have been looking on the internet to find independent mosaic artists but can't seem to find any in the area.

I would be grateful if anyone knows of anyone or if you have any other good ideas.

Thank you.
Hope to hear from you soon.

Thames Primary

Two art activities to try in class

2009-06-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

This is a piece by Polly Apfelbaum, she has created a colourful floor sculptor.

You can use her work as inspiration for your own floor collage. Ask the children to plan it out first on paper, then maybe either in the class room or in the school hall lay out the collage on the floor using tin foil, wall paper and materials including beads, plastic bags crayons etc . The pupils will learn about colour and they can also work in teams to complete the task. Photos will be needed to be taken as it will be temporary.
Here is an oil painting by Yuko Nasu.

You need a canvas or cardboard and paint (preferably acrylic). Squeeze a splodge of colour in different places on the canvas, do this with all three colours. Drag the paint brush through them (a bit like joining the dots) but the trick is to be drawing a face at the same time. The brush will create swirls and patterns of the colours mixed together. The children will enjoy the lack of control and having to be flexible with the paint. It is a really good way of learning how to use paint and be confident with it.

Tony Cragg - Sculptor

2009-06-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

Tony Cragg's new sculptures could be the start of a really interesting school project looking at form and recycling.

Ask your class to collect various objects in one colour (red, blue, yellow etc) and then spend a day outside in the playground creating a sculptural form. Have fun with the shapes. As it is plastic it will last in all weathers so it could become a permanent feature in your playground.

In support of this project you could visit Blackpool's Great Promenade Show which is an open-air art gallery of public art along the south promenade. Click on the link below for more information.

http://www.greatpromenadeshow.co.uk/

Independant Consultant for Schools contact

2009-06-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

Westcliff Primary School have recently had an inset day with an Independant Consultant and would like to recommend an art inset day in your school with Catherine Glynn.

Catherine was a qualified teacher for six years when she moved into a management position at the school and then onto an advanced teaching position in Art and Design.

If you would like to know more about Catherine's services please contact her via email: glynness@hotmail.co.uk

Martin Parr - Photography project

2009-06-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

Martin Parr is a British photographer who likes to document society, consumerism, family, relationships and food. His work often explores 'Britishness'.

You could look at his work as the starting point for a photography or documentary project on their life at home, living in their town or even where they go on holiday.

Ask them to cast a critical eye over the things they eat, buy, do for fun and what they do on holiday. Encourage them to take photographs and draw the ordinary scenes around them, paying particular attention to the typical and ordinary objects and things, like Matirn Parr has done in the photograph above. They can collect 'stuff' from their world and eventually all this can be collated into a journal of their life and experiences.

A nice idea is to swap these journals with another school from a different country or from another part of the UK, to learn about their lives and experiences.

Primary School Teachers Art Forum - 2nd session

2009-05-20T03:45:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all those who attended the first forum at the Grundy. It was great to meet you all and get an idea of some of the problems we can help solve through discussion and sharing.

The next forum meeting will be at the Grundy Art Gallery on Tuesday the 2nd of June from 4-5pm. If you would like to come along please email Kerry Hunt on kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk or call on 01253 478170.

Contemporary artists using colour, texture and shape

2009-04-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

Mindy Shapero - Sculpture http://farm1.static.flickr.com/144/328780090_6d6a7c0ae3.jpg?v=0
Franz West - Sculpture
http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/07/30/arts/30west.l.jpg
Jim Lambie - Installation
http://www.nationalgalleries.org/media_collection/6/GMA%204420.jpg

Comparing and Contrasting Exercise

2009-04-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

Incorporating contemporary art into the curriculum can be a very stimulating exercise without having to divert away from topics or artists which you are already exploring.

If your topic was portraiture and you were looking at the works of Picasso, you could compare and contrast his paintings to the works of a contemporary artist which will encourage debate and discussion. An example of a contemporary artist whose work you could use for this exercise is Julian Opie. Pick a selection of portraits by Picasso and Opie, present them in a slideshow and give the class the opportunity to look, compare and discuss their opinions.

If your topic was landscape and you are looking at the work of Van Gogh. An example of a contemporary artist whose work would compare well against Van Gogh's is Olafur Eliasson and 'The Weather Project'.
You can find contemporary artists by searching the collections and exhibitions on galleries websites, for example; Grundy Art Gallery, Tate, IKON Gallery, Baltic Gallery, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art and Spike Island to name just a few.

Primary School Teacher's Art Forum - 1st session

2009-02-26T04:08:00.000-08:00

Meeting:Tues 28th April 4 - 5pm
Venue:Grundy Art Gallery

The Grundy Art Gallery's Education Officer will take you on a brief tour of the exhibition, Ruth Claxton: Lands End, demonstrating the content of a class visit and workshop at the gallery.

Images of Ruth Claxton exhibition at IKON gallery,

Birmingham. Courtesy of photographer Stuart Whipp

The remaining 45 minutes of the session will be an open forum to discuss the art curriculum together, ask for advice on how to achieve certain techniques, where to find resources and bring along examples of artwork and art projects which have been successful to enable other teachers to benefit.
We will also give out the password for this blog to allow teachers to post images and information, creating a useful resource all year round.
If you are a Primary School Teacher from Fylde, Wyre or Blackpool and would like to join the forum please contact Kerry Hunt at the Grundy Art Gallery on 01253 478170 or kerry.hunt@blackpool.gov.uk. (There is no limit to the amount of teachers or teaching assistants joining the forum.)