Outside the studio
Over the past 12 years i’ve increasingly worked outside of the studio.
A sunbaked strip of pavement in Deptford, The Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation, The Victoria and Albert Museum, and every type of school across London are examples of the many spots where I’ve delivered workshops. Along the way i’ve thought a little about what value art has in society and why it is important to be out there providing it. I’ll try not to be too grandiose.
In schools, Art can be so much more than the downtime subject which caters to non academic children.
Observing and drawing can teach focus, concentration, and manual skills.
Discussion of Art, artists and techniques develops oracy and literacy through the use of specialist language, something I am exploring as part of a two year project with teachers in Enfield.
Because art is a broad church of approaches and techniques, it can circumvent a few obstacles. There is often talk about SEN children responding to the sensory nature of Art. I’d add that the person (usually but not exclusively a boy who is mostly interested in football) who thinks that they aren’t ‘good’ at art will often gain confidence from the practical stages of a technique (how to make a screenprint, for example) whilst a child fixated on neatness and perfection (usually but not exclusively, a girl who draws people with incredibly small noses) will be challenged by the unpredictability of messy techniques. Children will conform to these stereotypes and art can help shake them up a little bit.
Art also teaches certain ways of working which are important socially: Practicing the ability to work independently with little guidance, something that younger children really struggle with. Related to this is working alone but in the company of others - It is very special to be in a classroom and hear the quiet hum of a class where the students are content to work alongside each other in solitude.
How about feelings?
People are pretty comfortable with the idea that image making can be meditative and calming. I would add that each creative activity is a small exercise in freedom - creating spaces where people can make and play with their own rules.
Of course there is frustration and doubt whenever people make work that they are unhappy with. But the spark of excitement in a classroom when a child is enjoying art is tangible, and exactly the same feeling I have as a professional. It is immensely satisfying to encourage.
