Exploring hard & soft materials

We’re really happy to be sharing some creativity this term at another new school here in Bristol. After a warm welcome to Art Club, I spoke about the rules - safety, noise levels, the way we talk about each other and our art - only positively please. I introduced my way of working - get creative, there’s no ‘wrong’ way to do it, try an idea & then try another one, embrace a ‘mistake’, keep exploring. Then I offered each student a small bag of materials.

I brought a combination of hard and soft things for the children to explore. I also only offered double sided tape as the way of joining them. This called for much patience and attention to detail which the whole group brought with no problems at all.

There was a great deal of inventiveness in the room, no two creations were the same and lots of people had a story or an explanation to their work. We practised knots, we spoke about ways to add detail if we had no pens, and we were methodical and patient. It was a really focussed and exploratory session and Emily and I were so impressed with such an interested and engaged group.