BLOG: Mark Riley, Artist, Dawley Brook Primary School, Kingswinford
Classroom as Studio Programme
“But is it art?”, we asked them. A little question, only four small words. We had presented the Year 4 children with some carpet samples that I had hastily assembled into a pile in front of them, and, as a counterpoint, one of my representational charcoal drawings, framed and fresh from a showing in an exhibition. It was our first Session at Dawley Brook Primary School for the Classroom as Studio programme, a Paul Hamlyn Foundation funded project exploring the potential of contemporary art practices in Primary School settings over a 2 year period. In Year 1, I worked with primarily Year 4 and Reception, as well as their SEN hub. Their enquiry question is ‘How can we adapt our practice through storytelling and collaboration to improve visual literacy?’, of which Year 4 asked ‘How can collective working and collaborative art making develop pupil’s oracy skills?’ and Reception ‘How can storytelling inspire pupils to be more expressive in their art making and grow their visual literacy skills?’. It was a project I was very much looking forward to, with the promise of working collaboratively with teachers to create a real change in the school, and opportunity for creative disruption!
We decided on some parameters for the project, about how it could create a legacy that can be rolled out to the rest of the school and escape the perennial problem of the impact fizzling out after the artist practitioner has finished and gone. We want to re-shape the school’s art curriculum design and delivery, doing it in a way that all staff could deliver with confidence- letting the sessions breathe and become more flexible, acknowledging contemporary art practices and artists, allowing for children’s interests and experiences be included (hopefully for them to enjoy doing it rather than only enjoying being good at it), and encourage more collaborative working. We want there to be less passive learning and more creative engagement. Activities have intentionally used what resources the school would usually have – using expensive materials would be unsustainable after the project, and some specialist equipment can be inaccessible without large investment, financial resources schools rarely have in current times. We also agreed on some guiding principles for our approach – that process has equal value over product, that we work together as partners, that we have an emphasis on reflective practice, that we go at our own pace and begin to hand over more creative control to the children. Underpinning this was documenting the project and capturing the children’s voice, which then fed into our reflective cycle.
An important element of the project has been the development of oracy and visual literacy skills. In Year 4 this involved building in short sessions where we practised how to ask questions (of the artworks and of each other) and challenge assumptions, how to listen, how to have an opinion, and how to agreeably disagree. This drew on strategies from sources such as Philosophy for Children, and the Superpower of Looking. It takes time, not just for the children but also for us as educators to change the dynamic from the usual classroom interactions.
And so far? The pupils have been developing their confidence in talking about art and their visual literacy is definitely improving, and its been a joy to work with them. The relationship between artist and staff has also been great, building trust that allows us to experiment with art lessons in a way that didn’t happen before, and in Year 2 we’re rolling it out to two other classes. For myself this has been a new experience, not just coming in short term to deliver an art project, but to be involved in re-shaping how the art curriculum is delivered in a school, and one that is letting me stretch my legs as a creative practitioner.
“But is it art?” A little question, only four small words. Yet it set us off on a journey that has begun to challenge what we value in art, how we think art should be made, do we need to like a piece of art to appreciate it, and how we teach it and use it in the classroom.
“There ain’t but two things in music: Good and bad. If it sounds good, you don’t worry what it is. Just go and enjoy it.” Louis Armstrong
About Mark
Mark is a Community Artist and Creative Practitioner, and since graduating with a BA (Hons) in Visual Arts & Art History in 1993 has worked in a variety of settings with diverse participants and partners, including schools, children’s centres schools, playcare and within the community. He delivers training for public and voluntary sector organisations, holds C&G 7307 Stage 1, and is an Arts Award Assessor (Discovery & Explore).
