Art in action ‘W


How Estcots Primary School got the whole school community involved in a collaborative art project


e had been thinking for a while about undertaking a curriculum-


enrichment project that would bring the wider school community together. We also wanted to brighten up our entrance hall and corridors, so we decided to hold an Art Week. The main focus of the week would be to produce good-quality, collaborative artworks that all 420 pupils would have a hand in creating. I put together a small committee


of staff members from across the school and it took us around six months to plan. Our Art Week took place in the spring of 2019, which made it a nice break from SATS revision for our Year 6 children. During the week, all learning would


32 SUMMER 2020 FundEd


be focused on art, and every child would be able to take part in a number of art workshops and activities, using a range of techniques and materials. Each class was also given a famous


artist to study – from Picasso and Monet to Kahlo and Banksy – and pupils were tasked with producing a piece of artwork in that style. This worked so well that from September we decided to rename our classes after these artists, the idea being that children study that artist as part of their learning for the year. This means Reception children will have studied seven artists by the time they leave the school. Throughout the week we also


experimented with a mindfulness project. This involved playing music


in classrooms, laying down a huge roll of paper on the floor and letting children explore their feelings though art by drawing how they felt. We tried playing different types of music to see what effect this would have on the drawings. It was a really positive experience for the children and it’s something we’ve continued to do from time to time. As well as serving a learning


purpose, we also wanted our Art Week to be a community- enrichment project. Some of the activities were run by teachers and some by visiting artists and craftspeople, and we also had lots of parent volunteers, as well as helpers from our local secondary school. To pay for all the art materials and the visiting artists and workshops,


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