Practicejournal issue4 draft

Practice

Promoting professional arts practice with children and young people

Issue 4 2013

Welcome About this publication: Title: Practice

Contents 1 Welcome 2 Arts-in-Education Charter: Responses from the sector

“Within the early years, it is increasingly apparent that moments, which allow a parent and child, or a carer and child to sit together and engage meaningfully with the learning experience, are increasingly rare.”

Cliodhna Noonan

Practice publication team: Editor: Orla Kenny Content & Copy-editing: Jo Holmwood Layout design & setting: Shane Finan ISSN: 2009-2563 © writers, artists and Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership, 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced copied or transmitted in any form or by means without permission of the publisher. Kids’ Own accepts no responsibility for loss or damage of material submitted for publication. The views expressed in Practice are not necessarily those of the Editor.

Published by: Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership Carrigeens Ballinful Co. Sligo www.kidsown.ie www.practice.ie info@kidsown.ie 071-91-24945

For additional copies contact Kids’ Own. If you are interested in receiving future editions of Practice, register your interest and contact info@kidsown.ie Price €5.00/£4.50

Focus: Early Years

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Context: Opening the Door: Findings from the ‘Being & Belonging’ project Practitioner: Anna Golden: Making ideas visible Project: BEAG: Wonder at the core Practitioner: Matt Addicott: One big creative process Practitioner: Ulrike Kley (Berlin): Awake to the atmosphere

“Young children embody creativity, often you just have to provide some materials and step back, and they will show you so many things about what they’re discovering about the world.”

Anna Golden

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Focus: International Europe: Ireland, Hungary, Estonia Practice European Artists Network: A meeting of minds Canada: PAONE Network: A way in Project: Whitechapel Gallery (London) ‘Better a Broken Arm than a Bruised Spirit’ Practitioner: Richard Bracken (Scotland): Room 13: The long-term thing

“A responsive state of mind allows you to observe, react and respond to your audience – enabling the work to move somewhere else.”

Matt Addicott Cover Photograph: Artist Naomi Draper engaging with toddlers as part of Kids’ Own’s Being & Belonging project © Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership

Welcome to the fourth edition of the Practice Journal Papilio (Germany) and early arts practitioner – and Órla – celebrating and giving visibility to arts practice with Kelly, co-founder and director of Early Childhood Creativity (Ireland), have between them presented a range of really children and young people. interesting articles, which reflect the breadth of early years We have kicked-off this issue with a detailed feature on practice, from the American atelierista, to the Irish project the new Arts and Education Charter, which was launched Beág – led by Graffiti Theatre Company, to drama-based at the start of the year by the two ministers for Education and performance practice in the UK and Berlin. Both editors and the Arts – Jimmy Deenihan TD, and Ruarí Quinn TD, have more interviews and articles available to view online and which provides a new frame of reference for those on Practice.ie: http://www.practice.ie/editorsMain/ of us who are dedicated professionals, working in the cross-sectoral sphere where arts, education and the life As Practice.ie grows its community of members beyond experiences of children and young people meet. What is Ireland, we also see the value of bringing international the response within the arts and education sectors to this perspectives to our Irish members, to provide a forum new charter? What opportunities does it afford; or what for cross-cultural sharing and learning. Our Practice considerations does it omit? What aspects can we usefully European Artists Network project, which was piloted in embrace and develop, in spite of the economic landscape 2013 in partnership with Sligo Arts Service and funded that we find ourselves in? By inviting a series of responses to through the Arts Council’s EU Local Partnership Scheme, the charter, we hope that Practice.ie members and readers has provided a unique opportunity for Irish, Estonian and will feel informed about the potential impact of this new Hungarian artists to meet, share their work and discuss document on our practice with children and young people, commonalities of practice across their three countries.

Practice.ie provides a platform through which these artists both in the year to come and the longer-term. can continue to dialogue online and, as this network This edition also features a range of interviews and project develops, there is great scope for Practice.ie members to features from Ireland and abroad, many of which have be part of a European community, which will enable them been commissioned by our Guest Editors over the past to connect widely and inform their practice within a wider year, with specific focus on early years practice. How do international context. Our feature by Amber Ebert (Canada) arts professionals engage with very young children, either also describes how a similar network has emerged and through performance practice or visual arts workshops? developed in North America, and she outlines its vision What is driving artists to work in this context? What ethos going forward. do organisations bring to their work with early years Meanwhile, closer to home, two school residency projects children? are featured, one by our Guest Editor Ann Donnelly Our decision to make 2013 a year of particular interest in (Northern Ireland) who interviewed Room 13 artist early years has stemmed from the recognition that there is Richard Bracken (Scotland); and one by Jean Tormey of a strong energy within this sector in Ireland at present, and the Whitechapel Gallery, East London, who describes a great interest in learning about the kinds of interventions residency project led by artists Simon and Tom Bloor at that are currently taking place both in Ireland and further Hermitage Primary School in Wapping, London. afield. Increasingly, artists and arts organisations have a shared belief and growing understanding of the impact Overall, we hope there is plenty here for readers to enjoy that early interventions (with children, parents and and take away as inspiration for their own practice, and we early childhood practitioners), can have on children’s look forward to continuing the conversations online. development and learning experiences, across a range of contexts.

Orla Kenny Our Guest Editors Anna Rosenfelder – director of Theater Director, Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership

Arts-in-Education Charter: Responses from the sector

By Kids’ Own The Arts-in-Education Charter was launched in January 2013 by Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD, and Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD. The press release sent out by the two departments stated that: “This Charter places new responsibilities on Government Departments, agencies, cultural institutions and arts organisations in terms of providing and promoting arts education to children and young people. This Charter has been agreed as both Ministers believe passionately in arts education and want to see a joined-up Government approach across Departments, education agencies and arts organisations. The charter will see organisations like the Arts Council, the National Cultural Institutions, the Colleges of Education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment working with both Departments in order to bring the arts into the classroom and learners into the institutes for the arts.”

But what do those who are working on the ground across both sectors think about this new document and its potential to impact on current practice, and by extension, on the lives of children in Ireland?

Dr. Emer Ring, Head of the Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick When I was invited to write a response from the perspective of early years’ education to the ‘Arts in Education Charter’, I felt both honoured and excited. We underestimate the potential of the arts for children’s holistic development at our peril. The holistic development of the child is a key principle in Irish curriculum documents where a concern to foster the spiritual, moral, cognitive, emotional, imaginative, aesthetic and physical dimensions of development is clearly articulated (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), 1999a; 2009).

The ‘Arts in Education Charter’ therefore is a refreshing addition to Irish education discourse and a timely reminder of the centrality of the arts in developing and nurturing children’s sense of wonder and awe, in enabling children to explore alternative ways of communicating and in making a vital contribution to the development of a range of intelligences (NCCA, 1999b; 2009).

Recognition in the Charter that universal pre-school provision can enable young children to experience a wide variety of the arts is welcome. The Charter presents a valuable opportunity to embed both Arts Education and Arts-in-Education through the continuum of education provision from the early years. However it is suggested that an opportunity has been lost to infuse these concepts in early years education throughout the document where ‘schools’ are consistently referred to and ‘early years settings’ omitted. For example the proposed national scheme of ‘Arts Rich Schools’ should be extended to early years settings. In this respect the philosophy of Reggio-Emilia’s provision for children aged three months to six years is worth reflecting on.

Central to the philosophy of Reggio-Emilia is the importance given to expressiveness, aesthetics, and imagination as indispensible driving forces of the knowledge-building processes (Vecchi, 2002). Each centre has an ‘atelier’ (art-studio) in addition to a teacher with an arts background (atelierista) and children are enabled to communicate through alternative modalities, techniques, 02

instruments and materials. Bruner (2012) affirmed the cultivation of the imagination in Reggio-Emilia, which reinforced simultaneously the child’s sense of the possible. He advised that reading fairly tales to young children was not enough but rather that the imagination must be actively and purposefully cultivated as he observed in Reggio-Emilia. Gardner (2012) described provision in Reggio-Emilia as epitomising an education where children undergo a sustained apprenticeship in humanity.

At a time when the benefits of good quality early years education for society are recognised internationally (Bennett, 2005; Heckman, 2006), it would be wise for the High-Level Implementation Group to consider this lacuna and advise the Ministers accordingly. The ‘Arts in Education Charter’ presents a genuine opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of all of our children from the beginning. The recently published Kid’s Own Being and Belonging Project (2013) clearly demonstrates the potential of the artists’ pedagogy for supporting effective pedagogy in the early years. Let’s not therefore lose this valuable opportunity and learn from the wisdom of our forefathers in remembering ‘Tús maith leath na hoibre’ (Translated: ‘a good start is half the work’).

References Bennett, J. (2005), Curriculum issues in national policy-making, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 13 (2), 5–23.

Bruner, J. (2012) Preface: Reggio: A City of Courtesy, Curiosity and Imagination, In Edwards, C., Gandini, L. and Forman, G. (eds), The Hundred Languages of Children (3rd ed), Oxford: PRAEGER, pp. xvii-xviii.

Gardner, H. (2012) Foreword, In Edwards, C., Gandini, L. and Forman, G. (eds), The Hundred Languages of Children (3rd ed), Oxford: PRAEGER, pp. xiii-xvii.

Heckman, J.J. (2006) Skill Formation and the Economics of Investing in Disadvantaged Children, Science, Vol. 312, 1900-1902.

Kids Own (2013) Opening the Door: An Independent Research Report by Researcher Áine McKenna, Ballinful: Kids Own Publishing Partnership.

National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) (1999a) Primary School Curriculum: Introduction, Dublin: The Stationery Office.

National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) (1999b) Primary School Curriculum: Visual Arts, Dublin: The Stationery Office.

National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) (2009) Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework, Dublin: The Stationery Office.

“This Charter places new responsibilities on Government Departments, agencies, cultural institutions and arts organisations in terms of providing and promoting arts education to children and young people.”

Dervil Jordan, Faculty of Education, National College of Art & Design The ‘Arts in Education Charter’ is an important stepping stone towards developing a coherent policy on Arts Education / Arts in Education in Ireland. It is long overdue that the two government departments –Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht have come together to address the pressing need, which exists in co-ordinating and aligning the diversity and complexity of this area of the arts and education. We in NCAD welcome the fact that,

representation on the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is to be commended. NCAD looks forward to providing a focus for research in the arts in education and for arts education, continuing professional development in the arts for primary and secondary teachers and acting as a conduit between schools, teachers and cultural institutions.

References

This structure would provide a strategic, high level and ongoing point of contact between the policy makers, key providers, and students in the fields of arts and education (Arts in Education Charter, 2012).

Granville, G. (2012) (ed) Art Education and Contemporary Culture: Irish Experiences, International Perspectives. Bristol: Intellect.

But the Points of Alignment (2008) recommendation to ‘extend the reach and deepen the impact’ of current programme provision and to foster new provision especially where there is little or no arts in education service (Points of Alignment, 2008) will be unlikely to come to fruition in the current form of the Arts in Education Charter.

Arts–In-Education Charter (2013) http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/ Policy-Reports/Arts-In-Education-Charter.pdf

Arts Council (2008) Points of Alignment: The Report of the Special Committee on the Arts and Education Dublin; The Arts Council.

The Arts in Education Charter’s suggestions are somewhat reductive in approach.

Not all artists are good communicators or have a facility to work with young people, and unless the suggested proposals are developed with sensitivity and in context they will remain reductive and unhelpful, especially if they are imposed on artists without a strong foundation in best practice and sound educational principles.

Nevertheless the Arts in Education Charter is an important formative step, albeit a modest (and a do-able one in this economic climate). It needs refinement and development in order to create a framework, which will build on existing good practice.

The DES commitments are very general and slim in the Charter as it currently stands. In particular, the recommendation that ‘the work of contemporary Irish artists be available to curriculum planners and that their work is represented in a fashion that would align well with existing curriculum priorities’ sounds very hollow at the moment. The draft Leaving Cert Art curriculum, which included an exciting contemporary art section, lies abandoned by the DES since its development ten years ago and has never been implemented. The current Leaving Certificate Art curriculum provides little or no incentive to engage with contemporary Irish art. This out of date Leaving Cert art curriculum has created a serious gap in the progression from junior cycle to senior cycle and into 3rd level art and design. As Granville 2012 suggests, the single greatest challenge for art and design education in Ireland is to introduce a Leaving Cert programme fit for purpose…to provide learners with an engagement with art and design which reflects current practice in the real world, and secondly to do so in such a manner that its assessment relates to the requirement of higher education in art and design (p.44) The Charter must become part of an overall planned approach which is negotiated with the arts organisation themselves in partnership with the receivers. The development of a partnership model between the Arts in Education and Arts Education will be central to its success. For example having Arts Council

Marie-Louise Blaney, Education Curator, The Model “Everyone has the right to participate freely in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts.” Professor Anne Bamford (Lighting a Fire Conference April 19th, 2013) In principle, I welcome the charter as in its essence it proposes to embed creativity in the ethos of curricular learning. For the departments of education and the arts to come together, to dialogue, discuss and focus on a more integrated and artsrich educational sector is a very positive aspiration for the future. This work has already been happening in cities and other parts of the country where there are regional arts centres, which provide a rich and essential art resource for schools and colleges. However, in other parts of the country, where there isn’t an arts centre or strong regional arts office, I question how rich the arts experience of children and young people in these areas really is. In these regions a revised and more worked out charter will have its deepest and most positive impact. Although the Arts Council has had policy in place for 35 years, as cited by Orlaith McBride on the Arena programme on Radio 1 (May 13th), the implementation of this policy has had its challenges due to successive governement change, recession and the length of time it takes to embed creativity in the school curriculum. It takes time to embed culture, to grow a more experiential and creative approach to learning and to effect change. It takes time to unlock the demand and potential in schools and colleges for an arts rich approach to learning. In my opinion, the charter is still a working document, with potential, if re-worked. The tone of the document is too coercive, especially for artists not already engaged in arts education. In order for true progress to take place, a more collaborative, open approach to engaging artists and working with teachers needs to be adopted.

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© Ríonach Ní Néill: Kath and Kym in ‘Between Earth, Sky & Home’

Alison Cronin, Schools & Youth Co-ordinator, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen

Maire Davey, Assistant Arts Officer – Participation & Learning, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Arts Office

The fact that the arts and education departments are recognising the importance of arts in education with this charter has to be a positive thing, however the production of the charter alone is not enough. The key issue that needs to be addressed is how to engage the education system with the charter. Creating incentives for schools to participate in arts in education practice is vital. Within the education community the importance of arts in education is recognised individually rather than systemically. The Arts Rich Schools Schemes (4.17) should be a step in the right direction but the practicalities of who will run these schemes, how they will be funded, and how we ensure they promote ‘quality’ arts experiences needs to be addressed. The opening of communication between the NCCA and The Arts Council on curriculum development (4.11) is also a positive step in addressing curriculum issues.

The arrival of the Arts-in-Education Charter is a welcome development, as the ambitious recommendations and actions of Points of Alignment were largely unfulfilled due to the recession. For those familiar with the 2008 report, there are some recommendations that have remained e.g. the development of a portal site and the spotlight on infrastructure and facilities. One of the most debated recommendations is the Public Service Education Dividend (PSED) which, if enacted, will place obligations on publically funded individuals and arts organisations to “include arts-in-education as part of their programme of work” (Department of Education and Skills, 2013, pg.12). There is an interesting subtext here that calls into question the very idea of an artistic practice in this context. The practice of an artist may not be aligned to the idea, posited in the Artist and Schools Guidelines, which views the triangular relationship between the artist, teacher and pupils as being equal components.

At West Cork Arts Centre we have a strong relationship with our local Education Centre that has been extremely beneficial in developing programming, and I was pleased to see that the charter mentions Education Centres as an existing resource (4.1). The importance of Education Centres engaging with this charter is paramount to an acceptance of it within the education system.

It goes without saying that the issue of funding is at the core of my frustration with the charter. Arts Organisations, Schools, Education Centres etc cannot be expected to embrace new initiatives while simultaneously struggling with cutbacks. The Charter states that “To adequately support existing arts in education practice... the Arts Council will seek to maintain its relative level of support to artists and arts organisations working wholly, or in part, in arts in education”(4.16), at a time when cutbacks to our funding at WCAC mean we can no longer sustain our arts in education practice at primary level, without either seeking external funding or driving costs onto schools. Even with more commitment from the arts sector, things will not change without financial commitment from the education department, and real reform of the system to create the time, resources and understanding within schools that can allow artists to engage with them.

Two final points on particular details: Firstly the suggestion (4.4) that “each student visits one National Cultural Institution at least once in their second level school career”. Many people seem to be suggesting that once is not enough. I agree that one cultural experience is not enough, but as 12 out of the 15 National Cultural Institutions are in Dublin, expecting students from across the country to get there regularly is unrealistic, and downplays the work of local institutions.

Secondly, the notion that any artist receiving public funds should donate two hours per annum to arts in education projects (4.3) is wrong. Working as an arts educator is a professional discipline, not a voluntary add-on, and requires a different set of skills to being an artist. While many artists are fantastic in a classroom, some would be completely inappropriate and out of their depth.

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There is no mention of product, outcomes or artistic merit within the charter.

What occurs if the arts organisation or artist does not see their practice as being relevant to this setting? Critic and author Claire Bishop would no doubt state that the real question should be whether or not the art is any good, rather than asking whether the artist has been a good or bad collaborator. This leads to the question, will the allotted time mentioned in the PSED be a good arts experience for the aforementioned triangle?

References:

Claire Halpin, Artist

Arts Council (2006) Artist and Schools Guidelines, towards best practice. Dublin: Arts Council

This Charter is being presented as a “practical” Charter for Arts in Education – overall I find it vague on detail, structure, practicalities, timescale and contradictory in parts. While I welcome the core aims of the Charter I feel it needs more clarity and a more cohesive sustainable structure if it is to achieve its aims to implement a strong Arts in Education model of practice in Ireland that I believe cannot be based on volunteerism.

Arts Council (2008) Points of Alignment, the report of the Special Committee on the Arts and Education. Dublin: Arts Council Department of Education and Skills (2013) The Arts-in-Education Charter Keating, S. (2008) ‘Is art fit for society?’, The Irish Times, 23rd February 2008, pg. 7.

Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (2012) Available at: http://www.capeweb. org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/false-dichotomy.pdf (Accessed 5th May 2013)

4.3 Education Agenda in Arts Organisations The benefits of Arts in Education is well researched and documented – we know the why but not necessarily the how. I would welcome the increase in visits by artists to local schools / education initiatives and its benefits but I would have huge concerns over airlifting artists in for 2 hours on an annual basis in a voluntary capacity – mainly on the basis that it is in complete contradiction to the best practice and guidelines as set out in the Artists ~ Schools Guidelines (2006).

There does not appear to be any thought-out plan on the implementation or practicalities or sustainability of this idea. Also I do not think that a government backed charter such as this should be a mechanism which creates, supports or magnifies a two-tier artistic community through exception being made of the most successful amongst us, ie the members of Aosdána who are to be allowed set their own terms. I am not against the donation of time per se within reason.

4.4 Outreach and Education at the National Cultural Institutions

The Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE), which is influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach, stresses the importance of the collaboration between the artist and teacher. Within this partnership, the artist must be skilled at collaborating. “A partnership is only valuable to a school to the extent that it builds the capacity of teachers, and develops innovative leadership inside schools” (Taylor and Francis, 2010, pg.8). There are a myriad of professional artists and organisations engaged in quality Arts-in-Education practice in Ireland. It would be interesting to hear their reactions to the PSED. As identified by CAPE it is necessary that artists entering into this domain are skilled, to echo Points of Alignment there is a need to sustain good practice. For example by implementing those mentioned in 2008, “Mentoring schemes, secondments, professional exchanges, peer reviews and evaluations, showcases and joint projects” (Arts Council, 2008, pg.22)

I feel one visit in Second Level is a huge under estimation of the amount of visits that should be conducted throughout a child’s school going years. Ideally I believe it should be one visit per year for all school going children from Early Years through to Second Level (as is being done with Primary Schools engaged in the DLR Creativity in the Classroom programme). Cultural institutions I am sure would welcome the increase in school visits and schools would welcome the opportunity to visit the cultural institutions – the main problem is getting the schools there – this is where the main cost lies and this is something which I feel we need to look at creatively through virtual/ outreach programmes and transport (a cultural bus perhaps?).

In The Irish Times, Sara Keating wrote that “The increased demands being placed on artists to prove their public value has raised anxieties for them particularly in relation to issues of subsidy, where a fear exists among artistic communities that their outreach activities are being valued above their creative practices” (Keating, 2008). While those of us engaged in Arts-in-Education welcome the questions that the charter poses for the sector, it must be remembered that the implementation of the PSED commitment will have implications for current artistic practice in a fundamental way. With diminishing resources, the PSED is in theory a welcome addition; however it should not subtract the intrinsic value of the arts.

The only mention of funding to implement the Charter appears to be under Capital funding of facilities. I would have serious concern over funding going into unsustainable facilities with no programme funding being put in place. My experience in Arts in Education is that it is not through lack of facilities in the form of buildings but it is a lack of resources, time and outside professional expertise.

4.10 Capital Provision

4.17 Arts Rich Schools This incentive based idea is a great idea as long as it is implemented in a clearly structured programme with associated partner organisations as per the Green Schools programme.

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4.18 Music Generation

Cliodhna Noonan, Director of Acting Up!

I would be concerned at Music Generation being the only referenced model of practice in the Charter in that it would seem to be a heavily funded philanthropic programme that may not be sustainable. The Arts in Education Charter is not a philanthropic model and does not appear to have any funding plan aside from the capital funding of facilities and the Public Service Education Dividend – i.e. volunteerism.

Lighting a Fire was a wonderful title for an event that inspired such a fascinating discussion on the first Arts in Education Charter document, which has been drawn up. The title not only refers to the spark of inspiration an arts experience can light within a child’s life in the education system in Ireland, but also to the creation of a moment of reflection in a child’s otherwise increasingly busy schedule. When we sit down by the fire, we relax and take some time to engage with those around us in a social context or indeed in a meditative context. This is an important realisation. My own experience is in the early years arts sector, which I was delighted to see as a recognised section of the charter. Within the early years, it is increasingly apparent that moments, which allow a parent and child or a carer and child to sit together and engage meaningfully with the learning experience, are increasingly rare. Lighting a Fire within this sector of the population is the best guarantee of receiving arts appreciative students into the primary school system and onwards into the secondary school system. During the day, much discussion revolved around policy and how to develop it. In response to this very lively and engaging discussion I would like to offer two points for consideration from my own experience of working within the early years arts sector on the island of Ireland since 2008.

In conclusion I welcome the core aims of the Charter I feel it needs more clarity and a more cohesive sustainable structure if it is to achieve its aims to implement a strong Arts in Education model of practice in Ireland. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with the implementation group to present DLR Creativity in the Classroom as a possible model of practice in implementing some of the core aims of the Arts in Education Charter.

DLR Creativity in the Classroom: http://dlrcreativityintheclassroom.wordpress. com/ Claire Halpin: http://clairehalpin2011.wordpress.com/

capacity. They are masters of the digital world but the stories they create from this technology are very often linear and lacking an awareness of imagination or they are based heavily on characters and stories that have already been written and created. If this is the reality of the early years sector, children aged 0-6, then how do we define a quality arts experience for the preschools, primary schools and post primary schools and who will police this definition of quality?

Would it not be a more effective policy to ensure regular arts experiences and activities that encourage free engagement with the arts? Shouldn’t all children in Ireland be allowed the freedom to make a mess, have an opinion (weird or wonderful) and choose for themselves which art form best suits their own engagement with creativity. Only a policy that includes regular experiences can inform such practice. Teachers, creative or academic, should be supported by the arts activity whether this enhances the curriculum, calms the classroom space or lights the very valuable spark of the imagination for the first time. Policy development should be informed by the children of this generation who have engaged in arts experiences (prepared or unprepared for that activity) along with their educators and carers and the artists devising the workshop, exhibition or performance experience to ensure that the spark indeed lights a fire in the Irish arts and education sectors.

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www.stickyfingersarts.co.uk

To ensure that the next steps can be taken, in a practical manner, in relation to engaging the education sector with the arts sector and vice-versa, partnership is absolutely essential. Many independent artists and small arts enterprises who have experience in finding funding for various projects from a number of sources are already engaging in this practice. Acting Up!’s first collaborative event involved an international festival, the local VEC, the city arts office and my own independent company and the effect of this partnership meant that one event reached artists, children, childcare workers and childcare trainee students at the same time. If we want to have the greatest impact on both sectors with the sharing of already scarce resources then such models of partnership should be examined and scaled up to the formal education sector. We should look at which organisations are already nationwide and how they can interact with one another, and we should collate the valuable information about those independent artists and small organisations who have already tried and tested these models where the gap that was identified at the conference was successfully bridged and indeed eliminated. Perhaps a showcase of these projects where a minimum of three partners was involved would be a good starting point for the development of best practice models for both departments involved in the charter.

www.actinguparts.com

The Arts-in-Education Charter can be downloaded at this link: http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Policy-Reports/Arts-In-EducationCharter.pdf

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I was a little concerned by the constant reference to an experience of quality and the necessity not to reflect the Norwegian rucksack model. I am presently a member of staff at Sticky Fingers Children’s Art House in Newry, which is a space where children and their carers can drop in to engage freely with the arts experience. What is becoming increasingly apparent through our practice and engagement with the informal sector is that children are losing the sense of creativity that is inherent to their characters from as early as 1.5 years. Very few children entering the Art House have played with paint or play dough in a messy 06

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Context Focus: Early years Opening the Door: Findings from the ‘Being & Belonging’ project

By Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership

“Human resources are like natural resources; they’re often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they’re not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves.”

Ken Robinson For 16 years Kids’ Own has created opportunities for children to engage with professional artists across a range of settings. Our work strives to promote the intrinsic value of the arts in the lives of children and to build a culture that truly values all children’s creative abilities. The work of Kids’ Own focuses on an authentic engagement between the child and the artist, which does not ‘dumb down’ the creative process. Our belief is that this unique form of engagement – between professional artist and child – brings forth a very particular and special form of thinking within the child – a predisposition possessed by all children, but which needs the right environment to manifest itself.

Kids’ Own’s recent work with early years children and those adults who care for, educate and engage with them has highlighted not only a need for increased interventions within Early Childhood Care & Education settings, but also a need to explore the question of what exactly the value of bringing a professional artist into these settings is; how can it add to or inform the work of a play facilitator of skilled early childhood care and education practitioner? What does the artist bring to this setting that is unique? Arts practice with children may be a form of structured or focused play, but the artist as the instigator or ‘guider’ within this process is the key differentiating factor.

Kids’ Own’s pilot project Being and Belonging was borne out of a recognised need to support parents and children in rural border communities and to develop a culture that values the transformative power of the arts in the daily lives of children,

and recognises children’s natural creative and enquiry-based disposition. This interagency partnership between Kids’ Own, Early Childhood Ireland and Early Years – the Organisation for Young Children, Northern Ireland, reflects our shared belief in the value and potential of arts practice within early years settings. Funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund, the aim of the project was to develop a north-south interagency framework to support and celebrate creativity, diversity, inclusion and family learning and to build a network that would support a culture of mutual respect and understanding within the home and wider community.

Four artists: Naomi Draper, Maree Hensey, Helen Sharp and Kate Wilson, worked with four parent & toddler groups, in Cavan, Fermanagh and Donegal, over a 7-week period and the emphasis was on exploration and creative play. As a pilot there were no predefined outcomes, but the process was documented through the artists’ blogs on Practice.ie.

However, a key outcome from the project was a piece of independent research that was conducted retrospectively by Researcher Áine McKenna, which sought to draw out a number of questions from the project. Among the areas that Áine explored was the consideration of how the varying approaches of the artists involved impacted on (a) parents’ deep learning in terms of directive & non-directive approaches; and (b) long-term community approaches. In addition to this, Kids’ Own was interested in beginning to explore some of the questions outlined above, such as: What does the artist bring that is unique to this setting? What is the difference between art and play? And what added value does the former bring to a child’s development and learning experiences?

Images from Kids’ Own’s Being & Belonging project (2012)

Below is an extract from Áine McKenna’s final research report: “The Being and Belonging model of arts practice suggests that the natures of the human interaction dynamics during the arts workshops are the key mediators of a quality arts experience, although enticing stimulating materials are also important! In other words, the nature of the human engagement during the creative processes may facilitate or impede the development of an individual’s creative expression. The ability to freely and honestly express the self is dynamically connected to an individual’s ability to appreciate and respect the expression of others (CECDE, 2006). This stance identifies the quality of human engagement during creative processes as the key mediator for developing a sense of love for the selfidentity and for the identity of the other. The model for optimum engagement that is currently being proposed by the NCCA (2009) is known as the ‘pedagogy of mutuality’ (Bruner, 1999). This model has been selected because it has been found to be associated with the most fertile learning interactions for human development. Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio approach, articulated it like this: “Creativity becomes more visible when adults try to be more attentive to the cognitive process of children than to the results they achieve in various fields of doing and understanding.”

This attentiveness to process, also known as an empathetic attitude is what the artist aims to inspire in both the children and the parents during the arts workshops. Vecchi (2010) articulates it like this: “An empathetic attitude, the sympathy or antipathy towards something we do not investigate indifferently, produces a relationship with what brings us to introduce a ‘beat of life’ to explorations we carry out. This ‘beat of life’ is what often solicits intuitions and connections between disparate elements to generate new creative processes. (p.8)” Psychological research has elucidated the potential for learning that emanates from the different styles of environments that children have the opportunities to engage in and interact with (Heft, 1988; Moore, 1985; Smith & Connolly, 1980).

Current conceptualisations of children’s adaptive development are being shaped by the socio-ecological perspective, and in particular the hypothesis that learning emanates from interactional and reciprocal relations in human environment interactions (Moore, 1985). The model of mutuality as proposed by Bruner strikes a balance between the adult directed model of arts practice that is currently the predominant model in Irish and Northern Irish Preschools and schools (Bennett, 2005) and the laissez-faire free-play model that was proposed by Piaget.

Artists therefore are perfectly placed in communities to facilitate the shift towards this ‘pedagogy of mutuality’ both within families and learning communities. They also understand how ‘aesthetic vibration’ which encompasses sensory perception, pleasure and the power to seduce can become an ‘activator of learning’. Artists who listen to children, intuitively understand how to design environments that entice children to engage with them. This approach nurtures children’s creative expression, children’s sense of agency, as well as their sense of empathy, which is characterised by the ability to imagine the perspective of another. Artists who work in the Early Years utilise ‘aesthetic vibration’ to facilitate visual investigations using process based approaches that utilise, intersubjectivity, collaboration and a co-construction of meaning during the learning journeys. The pedagogy of mutuality encompasses a child lead process where the adult aims to capture

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the perspective of the child through careful observations of what they do, as well as engagement in meaningful dialogues in order to understand ‘the mind of the child’. Based on an understanding of the child’s perspective and on the child’s interests the adult then collaborates sensitively and respectfully with the child in their learning processes, scaffolding where necessary, always being mindful to nurture the child’s sense of agency.”

Thanks to additional funding from the Arts Council, Kids’ Own was able to conduct this preliminary research and to publish it, in order that it might be disseminated with artists and other practitioners working in the arts and/or ECCE sectors. Before the learning can fully be drawn out, we need to further probe and identify the kinds of questions that should be being asked as part of ongoing arts and early years practice, and our hope, in documenting and sharing this project, is that it will stimulate others to ask questions of themselves and to continue exploring the value and potential of this kind of work.

Áine McKenna’s full research report is available to view online at: http://issuu.com/practice.ie/docs/kids_own_opening_the_door_full_research_report?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222 09

Practitioner Focus: Early Years Anna Golden: Making ideas visible Collaborative whiteboards made by children at Ballydown Primary School and artist Ann Henderson as part of the Further Afield project.

Anna Golden is Atelierista at Sabot at Stony Point School, Richmond, Virginia in the USA. She was interviewed by Guest Editor Órla Kelly.

the way contemporary artists use art to explore ideas, and this is the same way the schools in Reggio Emilia use art.

Could you tell us a bit about the process of creating with children; Is it a collaborative process with the children and the other teachers, or do ideas come directly from you? How important is your reflective practice in this process?

What is your background and training?

I come from a very creative family, who encouraged me to make things and study art my whole life. As a teenager and through college I concentrated on photography.

After that I have worked in mixed media, making paintings, sculpture and prints.

While working in commercial art I studied elementary education before starting to work at Sabot school. Later I got a Master’s degree in Art Education.

It’s a little of both. Sometimes I follow a child or group of children’s lead, sometimes an investigation builds collaboratively, and still other times it is teacher initiated.

The reflective practice is so crucial – it is the way you process all of the things that you observe. And then it is through reflection that you decide or try to predict what will happen next.

The theories and practice of Reggio Emilia are not very familiar to artists in Ireland and although known in general by early years educators are not fully understood and seldom practiced intentionally or fully. The concept and practice of the Atelierista is even less known. Could you explain briefly the principles of Reggio Emilia as applied in your school and your role as Atelierista?

One really important inspiration from Reggio is the idea of the teacher-researcher, someone who is just as interested in learning every day as in teaching. As an artist I am used to noticing things, wondering about them, and then playing with answers through art. For me, teaching in this way is similar. I try really hard to pay attention and listen deeply to the children and other teachers. All of the teachers spend time thinking about questions. Just the right question can propel a project forward – what question will help the children look more deeply into this idea? I have questions for myself as a teacher, for other teachers, and I bring questions to the children. We believe that new understandings grow through collaboration, dialogue, and self-reflection.

The Atelierista is sort of like an art teacher, but instead of prizing technique, art history or expression, above all my job is to help children use art media to explore ideas or communicate their theories to the group. Reggio educators write about the hundred languages of children. These are the many ways children can show their thinking. The Atelierista helps children find languages for themselves. First, I provide (or I help a teacher provide) materials for children to mess about with.

Once a child plays with a medium enough, they start to learn what it can and can’t do. So a child might mess about with clay for some time, and I might show them some techniques to use it even better, and then they might start to understand how to make clay do what they want. Clay becomes a language for the child once they can use it to show their ideas or to test hypotheses. In this way I help the children and also the teachers to learn about media and materials.

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Is it important to you, as an artist, that what you contribute and the role you play within the school setting is respected and is seen as core to the development of the child and not just an add on? (Is there much collaboration between you and your pedagogical colleagues?)

Oh, that is the most important thing of all. If the role of the artist isn’t respected in the school, then what happens in the studio is just a separate thing that doesn’t add any new understandings or ideas to the community. I might as well just stay Caption

What is your most important function within the school as Atelierista?

My most important role is to help make ideas visible. That means, I help children and teachers learn to use media and materials, and how to collaborate. There are a lot of habits of mind that become important when you want others to understand your ideas. For instance as Atelierista, I can help teachers create documentation from their reflections and observations, which can be writing, sketches, photographs or video. This documentation is a visible trace of the children’s and teacher’s work together, and can be used to inspire further investigation and dialogue. It is also used to communicate with the school community and others.

I am interested in the value the Reggio Emilia philosophy puts on creativity and allowing a natural exploration by the child, where the artist is the enabler rather than a direct teacher. With your knowledge and experience how important is creativity to the development of the young child?

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home. However, collaboration is the hardest thing to achieve because there is never enough time. I think the teachers who have really seen what a difference studio practice can make to the children’s learning are the most committed to figuring out the collaboration.

What is the most rewarding thing about being an Atelierista?

Working in this way just suits me so well, bringing together everything I like – art, research, the energy of children. I enjoy the study and research that it takes to teach in this way. I get to engage in deep, passionate conversations with other teachers and with children. And I love the challenge of scaffolding all kinds of different ideas and all kinds of different media, crossing over the boundaries between disciplines.

Could you outline a recent favourite project that you carried out with children?

I’ve been working with children in a couple of different classrooms who are thinking about the unseen – what happens inside of a body or in a dream?

Projects that touch on poetic thinking and metaphor capture me the most lately.

I also really love to work with rough and tumble players in the studio. Right now a group of boys are looking at a Ninja story that is very popular, and comparing elements of it to other stories like Greek and Norse myths.

For visuals please visit: atelierista-anna.blogspot.com sabotatstonypointumbrellaproject.blogspot.com Could you tell us a bit about the Friendly Sign Project? (I love this idea!)

Last school year there was a lot of construction around our school, and many, many orange no parking signs to keep areas clear for construction vehicles. The signs really bothered me, so one day I told a group of four year old children about that, and asked them if they could think of any ideas for some friendlier signs we could put up. Their ideas were so wonderful it made me wish we could put them up all over the city. I’m working on the project again with a couple of groups at Sabot, and now some other children and teachers have taken up the challenge to try making friendly signs at their schools. It’s so exciting!

I think it is vitally important. Young children embody creativity, often you just have to provide some materials and step back, and they will show you so many things about what they’re discovering about the world. I’ve always been so interested in 11

Project Focus: Early Years BEAG: Wonder at the core Collaborative whiteboards made by children at Ballydown Primary School and artist Ann Henderson as part of the Further Afield project.

Emelie Fitzgibbon was interviewed by Guest Editor Órla Kelly about her work over nearly 30 years with Graffiti Theatre Company and, in particular, about Graffiti’s recent Early Years project BEAG. What is your role in Graffiti?

I’m the founder and Artistic Director (I also bear the lofty title of CEO but I don’t use that one very often!!!) Graffiti was founded in 1984.

What is your experience of developing arts programmes for early years throughout Graffiti’s lifetime? Is there a greater role, demand and /or support for early years activities now than when your journey with early years arts began?

The experience has been complicated and sporadic. Curiously, one of our first educational theatre programmes was for kindergartens and creches. In 1998 we returned to an early-learning programme, Jackie’s Day, which is still going strong.

Jackie is an interactive piece using child-size puppets and plays to kindergartens – and in its last incarnation experimentally slid down to twos. I had also been for many years a fan of the work of Unga Klara in Sweden and of their Diector Suzanne Osten. When she made her film Babydrama it re-ignited a spark and a determination that if the company went into this area of work only the best and the most beautiful productions would be appropriate. Then at an ASSITEJ World Congress in Adelaide I came across the honouring of the work of Roberto and Valeria Frabetti and immediately started to learn Italian!! I also started to work with our Associate Director, Síle Ní Bhroin on the early stages of creating a performance. In the meantime, Cork was very fortunate in having two great publications by Clíodhna Noonan on the possible development of EYA in the city and we were approached to consider a research project on the feasibility of an Early Years Arts team. The BEAG team began in 2010 and Blátha Bána/White Blossoms was produced in 2012 after a three year development period.

What has been the most thrilling early years arts experience that you have witnessed either by Graffiti or another company?

The wonder, focus and concentration of small children never ceases to thrill me. I have also loved watching some of the work of Theatre de la Guimbarde, La Baracca, Teater Reflexion. For me, what is most special is a particular aesthetic and I feel that I respond with more enjoyment to that than to productions with different aesthetics. I’m always analysing and, even if I don’t like a piece, I try to analyse why, what the audience is responding to that perhaps leaves me cold. I think I respond best to a calm, quiet and almost ethereal aesthetic. (Perhaps it’s a culural construct because different countries seem to favour very different styles.) Roberto 12

Frabetti talks about ‘eyes and silences’ in finding the response of a very young audience. I love those silences, the wide eyes and the performers who can make that silence happen.

Is there an early years aesthetic or should we instead consider quality experiences, appropriately framed with a focus on joy, beauty and wonder? (Perhaps this question is like asking if you like fruit or apples).

I think I’ve covered quite a bit of that above. I think that the focus on joy, beauty and wonder in itself can create an aesthetic if the art is of high quality in itself.

Moving from performance to the interactive and participatory practice of the BEAG team where focus of its nature is more disparate, I think we would all say that there is a very definite aesthetic in BEAG in the self-presentation of the artists, in the materials they choose, in their openness and respect. One of our early childhood educators has said, ‘BEAG has taught me to see the wonder of everyday objects.’

Wonder from both children and artists is, I think at the core of the aesthetic.

What have been the most challenging items to overcome when engaging with early years arts? (You mentioned health and safety zealousness which seemed over cautious, is this still a factor?)

I think the most difficult thing to cope with in relation to the BEAG team is the instability and lack of continuity of funding. I think it makes it difficult for the project to sustain momentum and to develop practice in both artists and educators. Money is also a big factor in developing and presenting high-quality theatre for what has to be a tiny audience. There still lurks in the public – and official – consciousness the notion that artistic experiences for children must cost less than those for adults. Not so. The production of Blátha Bána, for example, is very expensive and five staff are needed to run it. I get really furious at patronising adults - who probably have never seen quality work for very young children – making assumptions about ‘appropriate’ financial expenditure. Yes, I think the Health and Safety ‘cops in the head’ are very detrimental to the exploratory and playful nature of children’s exploration – this is in general and not just in artistic experiences. Didn’t Einstein say that play is the highest form of research? I can, of course, understand the need for a safe and careful environment and we, of course, observe all child safety and Health and Safety standards. If objects and activities are terribly restricted – we heard recently of an objection to a sealed shaker in a musical activity because it might fall open, it contained seeds which might fly out and a child might be allergic to them! – then the child’s exploration of its surrounding world is narrowed and full sensory play denied. One can’t blame carers for this, there is a real sense of fear of consequences if a child sneezes!

When you consider early years arts events and programmes do you consider that you have two audiences in one?

Yes, although that said, we always ask the artists to focus on the children during the activities and allow the adults to experience the work through the child.

Again, I would cite the influence of La Baracca who insist that the child needs to experience the event for themselves and not as mediated by the commentary or questioning of the adult. The child is also free to leave the activity and there is no insistence on attention. At performances the child will sit on the adults’ knees or near the carer but we specifically talk to the adults about their reponsibilities and privileges of watching something very special with your child. Also, in my experience, adults inexperienced in the field come in to an early years performance with a strong sense of ‘this will never work’ and leave having re-found their own sense of wonderment!

The Beag programme was a remarkable programme with a really great report worth reading for those who haven’t already (http://graffiti.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/BEAG-Pilot-Report.pdf).

If there was one element to this programme that was to trump all others (within the programme) what would you say it was?

I think a unique factor in the BEAG experience is the Integrated Arts Team. It allows for three art forms (at the moment) to flow through and over one another, I think in much of the same way that a child can experience them. The three artists, after our initial training about body awareness and looking at the world from the floor,

began to find out more and more about one another’s discrete areas of work and, in a developing process, seemed to find a shared language which allowed one art to merge into the other. This was particularly observed by one educator who said that she found it very successful because different children reacted to different elements on any one day and this created a very rich and satisfying atmosphere for creative exploration.

You and I have spoken about quality and the Irish aesthetic in early years arts previously and agreed that early years arts in Ireland are doing pretty well when compared. If you were granted three wishes to make early years arts more than they are today in Ireland what would they be?

1. That artists are given time and space to develop thoughtful practice; 2. That the different agencies involved develop a COHERENT approach to funding so that: measured, sustainable, and aesthetically satisfying work can be achieved by the artists; early childcare educators can find their own creativity through and developed from both the help and encouragement of the artists and the responses of the children; most of all, that children of all backgrounds have opportunities to experience the joy of creative experiences and all the life-affirming aspects they bring.

3. That ALL parents in this society know that they and the children have rights to engage in arts and culture.

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Practitioner Focus: Early Years Matt Addicott: One big creative process Images © Matt Addicott

Matt Addicott is a Glasgow based theatre maker and director working primarily in the field of Early Years Arts. He is currently working on the PLAYTIME project in Glasgow.

He was interviewed by Guest Editor Anna Rosenfelder.

have for engaging with art, gather information about the time and space currently devoted in both centres to creative activities and find a sustainable way to continue supporting the local community to engage with quality artistic experiences.

as with so much, this does depend on finding the funding for it to happen. As far as I am aware the childcare students were not engaging with artists before Starcatchers began working with them.

Is there any particular theme or content you bring into the process of creating a final event/ performance, or will it be shaped throughout the process?

What can you as an artist teach the students? Any feedback yet?

Project outlines

Do you also have a personal aim on what you’d like to achieve within the project?

It’s different each time and will be shaped and developed in collaboration with the children, members of staff, students and artists I work with during the project. The

Playtime is a fifteen week programme of workshops, performances and CPD for the children, staff and parents of Barlanark Family Learning Centre and Helenslea Nursery.

I am very keen that creative activity for early years audiences continues to be delivered in the east of Glasgow and that Starcatchers continues to develop work and build upon the relationships and links formed over the last three years.

Over the course of the project Matt will be inviting Barlanark and Helenslea to meet and play with a variety of art forms and artists before asking the staff and placement students at both centres to collaborate with him in a creative process that culminates in a celebration for all the children and adults that have engaged with the programme. The project is led by Starcatchers Associate Artist Matt Addicott with support from Starcatchers, Platform and John Wheatley College and is funded by Glasgow City CHP North East Sector.

You work with a number of artists – why?

The Playtime Project is funded by the NHS Health Improvement Team that focuses on the east of Glasgow. Matt is the creative lead on the project and it receives strategic and administrative support from Platform and Starcatchers.

Matt about the project How did Playtime come to be?

The NHS Health Improvement Team for Glasgow East has been very supportive of Starcatchers, providing funding that supported my initial residency with Platform between November 2009 and March 2011. Their support has continued despite the residency coming to an end and this is the second project post-residency that they have supported me to work on. At the beginning of the project Platform, Starcatchers and myself worked with members of the NHS Health Improvement Team to create a logic model that set out our short, medium and long term aims. I then drafted a fifteen-week proposal of activity that I believed would go some way to realising these shared ambitions.

My practice benefits from being challenged and interrogated by other artists.

I enjoy meeting and working with different artists and actively look for opportunities to play - particularly outside of a rehearsal process that is heading towards a production at its end.

From my own experience I think that the students seem to enjoy the opportunity to see how creative projects are realised, the thoughts behind them and the craft involved with realising them. These insights are empowering for some of them and I hope go some way to encouraging them to take more risks in their own practice. There is a little evidence of some of the exchanges that are taking place on the Playtime blog too.

Is it not confusing or overwhelming for the groups to be confronted with so many different characters, approaches, art forms?

Anything you find particularly challenging within this project?

I don’t think so - we have been very clear with the nurseries that different artists would be involved with the project from the outset. Although there are other artists working on the project I am always keen to ensure that I am present for the sessions to be a familiar face and point of contact for children and staff. For the last three weeks my colleague Geraldine has been acting as lead artist whilst I am in fulltime rehearsals with another show but Geraldine had already been introduced to the centres earlier in the project and so when she took over it was not as if a stranger was picking up the reins.

Generally it’s a case of so far so good!

You’ve been working on quite a range of Early Years Arts projects. Give us an example of something that becomes easier with time & experience...

What is your role in the project?

Video, photographs, drawings and writing - the Playtime Project is essentially one big creative process and the documentation reminds us where we’ve been and informs the choices we make going forward. Eventually some of this material will form part of the evaluation of the project too.

I think it has definitely got easier for me to take risks and experiment with nurseries and childcare centres - mainly because they might have seen something that Starcatchers has made or I can show them photographs and films of previous projects. For them it is comforting to see that other schools, groups etc have engaged with this kind of work and got something from doing so. My confidence to be responsive has also improved over time, by which I mean the state of mind that I feel important to inhabit when bringing your practice into early years settings.

Whilst still important to present the work you have prepared - all too often I feel that a responsive state of mind allows you to observe, react and respond to your audience - enabling the work to move somewhere else.

I am the lead artist on the project - delivering workshops, liaising with all partners and managing the other artists working on the project.

There is an element of teaching childcare students. I’m interested to hear if being taught by artists is always part of their training.

What do the children get out of the project, in the short term and long term?

What are the projects aims?

Since 2010 Starcatchers have been working with John Wheatley College’s NC and HNC Childcare students to introduce performing arts practice to the students, improve their awareness of the work that is out there and build their confidence and skills as facilitators of creative activity. We hope to continue this work but,

Enjoyment, fun, stories, music and confidence to name but a few in the short term and in the long term - who knows! I like to think that they will be interested and confident about engaging with art and getting creative in the long term but beyond that I don’t feel it is my place to say.

Playtime aims to increase awareness of the creative opportunities available to the adults and children participating, improve the level of confidence that people 14

There s a blog about Playtime where you and your colleagues share insight. Which other forms of documentation do you use, and what role does documentation play within the project?

over arching theme of the project is play - to share space and have as enjoyable and creative a time as possible.

Rewind a few years: when did you first grow an interest in working in Early Years? Any initial experience?

I attended the first Starcatchers Symposium in 2007 at which I heard about some of the wonderful early years work already happening; speakers like Professor Colwyn Trevarthen and Peter Wynne-Wilson in particular. The impact that creative activity had on those that were experiencing it seemed really tangible and important. I found the event exciting and inspiring and my interest in developing early years work really began then.

In a nutshell: What keeps you at it?

I think my desire to make sure that the relationships built up over the last three years are strengthened, combined with the amount of creative satisfaction I get from making the work is what keeps me going!

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Practitioner Focus: Early Years Ulrike Kley (Berlin): Awake to the atmosphere

Berlin based artist Ulrike Kley, founder of “Amai Figurentheater”, studied puppetry at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Stuttgart and trained in Butoh dance in Germany and Japan. She works as a puppeteer, performer and choreographer. She was interviewed by Guest Editor Anna Rosenfelder.

PAPPELAPAPP is the name of your show for children from two to four. The title is a nonsense word, which implies the words “PAPPE” (cardboard) and PAPPERLAPAPP (which could be translated as “gobbledygook “ or “fiddlesticks”). Cardboard and nonsense - Is this descriptive of your show?

Yes, I did not intend that, but that’s the way it is. There is no story, which is narrated.

So everything I am doing on the stage is not put into a context, which supports a story. It is associative. It is up to the spectator whether they want to see something that makes sense or just enjoy the moment. In a first version we had an invented story, but this was not suitable with the cardboard boxes. So we decided just to deal with the boxes, and leave it somehow pure.

That’s what I love so much about theatre, especially puppet theatre. And I found my audience....

Tell us a bit about the devising process and the people involved.

We worked it out only with improvisation. There was no novel, no story or anything else. At first we tried to combine it with other objects and puppets but that made the boxes look only as houses... they lost their own character. So we kicked everything else off and focused only on the boxes. Another important thing is the sound, which came through from working hand in hand with the musician. We said, we need something like that. Then he offered something, we tried it out and modified it. I worked with an experienced director and a musician.

What is your role in the performance, your attitude as a performer?

I do not have a special role. Of course I am important because I am animating everything, and sometimes use masks to transform. But I do not have a certain conflict with the cardboard boxes. In the first version there was such a story. I was a fairy, which landed on a planet with boxes, and the fairy has never seen boxes, so she was scared but at the end became friends with them. But that did not work.

Because nobody believed that I had never seen cardboard boxes. You have to deal with the circumstances, that everybody knows this object and so do I. I move a little bit strangely, absurdly in a way, which supports the performance, but I have no special role.

Gareth Kennedy: One plus one equals three What was your relationship with cardboard boxes before you started working on PAPPELAPAPP ?

I had no special relationship with cardboard boxes. The idea came from a book with the title “this is not a box”, very simple, but with wonderful drawings. The main character is a little rabbit who plays with the cardboard boxes and invents many other things like house, cars and so on. So the natural way children play with boxes. I just wanted to work with an unprepared object and find out what different meanings it can have, playfully, putting everyday objects as protagonists on stage.

And at that time we were moving from Stuttgart to Berlin, so there were a lot of cardboard boxes around me.

So far you created work for adult audiences. How and why did you set off to create work for children - and then for the very young?

Because I wanted to perform more. It is not so easy to perform adult performances.

For children’s performances there is a bigger market. And I just wanted to try out a performance for children. This was my first intention. I also did not intend to make a performance for such small children. As I said there was a first version of Pappelapapp, which had story and so on, which was for children aged from 4. But this failed and we made a totally new piece of it, just keeping the idea with the boxes. It just came about that it was suitable for that age. They follow this imagery.

I think children in that age they are concrete and abstract at the same time... if you know what I mean. They have the fantasy to see something completely different in an everyday object, like a cardboard box and believe in it. On the other hand you have to be very concrete in what you are doing, but it must not follow certain logic.

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Could you name one specific challenge and one specific benefit when performing for the very young?

A challenge is that as a performer you have to be very awake to the atmosphere of the child audience. So every performance is new. And you have to believe 120% what you are doing... otherwise they do not believe you. You have to be awake every moment. A benefit for me is looking at all those concentrated, totally open minded faces.

Finally, can you tell us a bit about the children and their responses to the show?

They love it. They have fun... they are curious about the things that happen, they like my character, the strangeness they like. After the performance I play with them and other cardboard boxes. They love that too.

Any further intentions to create for the very young?

Yes, I started to create performances for children from a very pragmatic point (play more, earn more money) but I figured out that it is “mein Ding”- my thing.... The next piece I want to work on is with paper about myths of creation.

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European Focus: Ireland, Hungary, Estonia Practice European Artists Network: A meeting of minds For the past five years, Practice.ie (managed by Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership) has been operating as the only dedicated professional network for artists working with children and young people in Ireland. As Practice.ie begins moving towards its sixth year, new and exciting opportunities begin to present themselves in terms of supporting exchanges between Irish artists and their peers in Europe, as well as showcasing models of best practice with children both within and outside of the Irish context. The Practice European Artists Network is a unique pilot project, which aims to make visible contemporary arts practice with children and young people in Estonia, Hungary and Ireland, and to identify and explore the needs of artists in terms of online connectivity and supports.

discuss their approaches, working with children and young people. The project will culminate with a showcase event at The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children (kindly provided as a venue in-kind), on 10th June. The project culminated in an event for artists at The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children (kindly provided as a venue in-kind), on 10th June. The event provided Irish artists with an opportunity to socialise, connect, play, question and get inspiration from one another as well as from the artists who participated in the pilot network and who were delivering events on the day that reflected their way of working with children and young people.

On April 4th and 5th 2013, Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership, Sligo Arts Service and the Model, Sligo were delighted to co-host a 2-day meeting at the Model, which was attended by artists from Sligo, Estonia and Hungary as part of a new initiative, funded by the Arts Council’s EU Local Partnership Scheme. The two-day meeting involved presentations from 8 participating artists, who shared and talked about their work with children and young people across a variety of contexts. Deeper discussions also brought to light themes and questions that were emerging in relation to the artists’ practice, for example: What different pathways are there for reaching new audiences? The adult-child relationship and the ‘Pedagogy of Mutuality’; Skills versus conceptual approaches; How important is pedagogical and developmental knowledge for artists working with children? Developing children’s independent critical thinking; How do artists self-reflect?

Following these discussions, the artists devised a programme of online exchange that took place over the next two months, and which aimed to support them in their existing work. There was a range of positive responses from participants, who described the process as “empowering” and “fluent”. One participant said, “It will be interesting to do and in my mind has the potential for an innovative result and strong network… Collaboration and discussions were quite free and open, especially on the second day. I personally felt secure to talk.”

Working with Kids’ Own, Sligo Arts Service and The Model are two European partners: the Ludwig Museum in Budapest and Sally Stuudio in Tallinn. Each of the coordinating partners is committed to professionalising, supporting and showcasing models of engagement and arts practice with children and young people. The Ludwig Museum has an extensive education programme to support and enhance public engagement with its exhibitions, while Sally Stuudio is a private art school for children of all ages, and co-ordinator of Eksperimenta! The international triennial of young people’s art work.

As a pilot, the project aims to explore the potential for a wider network in the future, including the development of a Europe-wide platform, building on Practice. ie, that will support artists from different European countries to connect, share and 18

Images © Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership 2013

the cleverer you’ll be - sounds the unwritten phrase. And those are the smartest who could gather other’s experiences.

Social networks strengthen us, complete us and help us in our everyday life.

Our Irish partners found us through the museum’s website (www. ludwigmuseum.hu), and a range of possibilities opened. The question was if some Hungarian artists represented by the Ludwig Museum-Contemporary Museum of Art from Budapest could enter into a creative common exchange project with Kids’ Own, Sligo Arts Service and The Model, Sligo, as well as Sally Stuudio in Tallinn, Estonia. Can the common purpose exceed hundreds of kilometres and may it be sustainable online? The joint work is aimed at the inspiration that the participants will get from each other. In the team, there are different kinds of art teachers, and artists (with various cultural backgrounds), who work with various age-groups, so that their experience can impact on one another’s self-development.

The participants from Budapest are Hajnal Miklós painter and Rita Farkas graphic artist, who work regularly in the Ludwig Museum as museum educators.

We asked our two partners from Tallinn and Budapest to comment on their experiences of this project so far.

Jane Remm, Sally Stuudio, Tallinn, Estonia I find the project very promising, enjoying the combination of freedom and active participation. The results of the project are not defined, they develop during the project, which makes it a free and open platform. It is a good start for collaboration: open discussions between members who have similar interests and experiences offer a lot of inspiration. Participants who share similar background and interests need only a short discussion to understand each other, like it was on our first meeting.

The main challenge of the project is the online collaboration. It is interesting to test online collaboration – will it work, will it be thorough, will we understand each other? So far there has been active sharing and feedback.

Zsuzsanna Bulbuk, Ludwig Museum, Budapest, Hungary We may as well declare that we are living in an era when human networks are very important: to share experience, to learn from each other, to build a huge international partnership with a common purpose. The more experience you have

“For me it’s a challenge to work in group with Irish and Estonian artists, because it’s hard for an artist to be able to critically look at her own work, but if there are some other external professional eyes it could help me to develop myself as an artist and also as a teacher. Great art-educators are involved in this project and we could learn from each other a lot.” (Hajnal Miklós)

“This project provides inspiration and new possibilities to enlarge my educational work, giving me a helping hand to search and find new ways in my artistic practice. Crossing the boundaries of countries, getting to know other cultures and getting insight into other educational systems perfects and completes those methods that I have used in my work up to now.” (Rita Farkas) Our vision for this partnership is a long-term collaboration, big international projects, like an exhibition including the works of Hungarian, Estonian and Irish children’s artworks, or even an exchange programme for the artists and children of the different countries.

Long-term vision We see this as a unique opportunity for members of the Practice.ie community to gain insights into European models of practice and to have the opportunity to connect with their peers in other countries. In the longterm, as this network broadens and develops, we see great potential for Irish artists to connect and share with a wider European community of artists who work with children and young people.

Watch this space!

The participating artists in the Practice European Artists Network are: Naomi Draper (Ireland), Rita Farkas (Hungary), Anna Leask (Ireland), Hajnal Miklós (Hungary), Jane Remm (Estonia), Hando Tamm (Estonia), Kristina Tamm (Estonia), Kate Wilson (Ireland).

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Photo from Young Makers?

International Focus: Canada PAONE Network: A way in

By Amber Ebert I am the Outreach Programs Manager at Soundstreams, a contemporary music organization in Toronto, where I facilitate education programming for patrons, students, and emerging artists. I have worked as an arts educator in the professional arts community in Toronto for 6 years and I currently sit as a board member for the Professional Arts Organizations Network for Education (PAONE).

the companies, networks, organizations and individuals providing arts education activities, advocating on their behalf, creating shared learning opportunities and facilitating broader partnership opportunities with schools, government and communities.

In August 2012 I attended the First International Conference on Teaching Artistry and Arts Education in Oslo, Norway. The conference was an invaluable opportunity to develop new professional relationships and gain a broad understanding of innovative education programming from around the world. Attending the conference in Oslo also gave me the time and distance I needed to reflect on the arts education community that I am part of in Toronto. When I met Orla Kenny, Creative Director of Kids’ Own and Practice.ie at the conference, I knew very quickly that we shared very similar sensibilities in regards to tackling the issues around what was needed to help support the individuals and organizations that deliver professional arts education activities.

Although there have been teaching artists and arts organizations serving young audiences and communities since the 1970’s, there was a shift in the role of the education manager at arts organizations beginning in 1999. This is due to a number of correlating factors:

What is happening in Toronto?

I believe that as arts education develops as a professional practice in Canada, it is essential that we take every opportunity to learn from our peers across the country and internationally. It is essential for Canadian-based artist educators and organizations to have access to a network of peers and stakeholders (arts education organizations, professional arts organizations, community arts organizations) to enable resource sharing and awareness of all of the incredible work that is being done. Toronto is a vibrant city where arts and culture is supported by three levels of government funding from ‘arm’s length’ arts councils. Findings from the Ontario Arts Council based on 2009/2010 reporting state that the 207 Ontario arts organizations that receive operational funding present a total of 24,466 arts education activities for all age groups, involving 3,090,707 participants. Of these, 13,390 activities and programs were directed at or designed for children or youth – with a total of 1,522,532 participants.

What is lacking is a network to share information. This fact is highlighted by my status as the only delegate from Canada at the SENSE conference. When asked, the organizers of the conference mentioned that they didn’t know who to connect with in Canada to disseminate the information about the conference. I learned about the opportunity to attend via an email newsletter from an arts education organization from the USA. In Ontario there are individual networks that serve various parts of the arts education community: Canadian Network for Arts and Learning (CNAL) for academics and educators; ANCY, an arts network for children and youth; ASSITEJ Canada, for theatre for young audiences; the Neighborhood Arts Network, to support community arts education programs; and PAONE, for professional arts educators and arts education administrators. However, there is currently no funded organization nationally, provincially or municipally that binds together 20

Growth of a network

• • •

An increase of arts education as a granting priority at the provincial and federal level of funding; A decrease in operational funds available from the arts councils, and therefore the need among arts organizations to diversify their audiences and revenue opportunities; and, A change in the provincial curriculum to mandate drama education for the first time.

Arts organizations dealt with this shift by hiring individuals to manage and develop community outreach and education departments. This shift also affected the activities of many arts organizations from solely producing and presenting performances to providing support programs that deepen the audience/artist relationship in anticipation of audience growth. Organizationally, arts outreach has shifted from selling tickets to student matinees to focus more on using professional arts education as a means to support community development.

PAONE began as an informal network in 1992 when 8 professional arts education administrators got together to discuss their work. They were the outreach and education directors of the National Ballet of Canada, The Shaw Festival, The Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Theatre Direct Canada and the Canadian Opera Company. The challenges of developing and maintaining education programs were many, and these individuals wanted to create a foundation of support for each other and a means to share information resources.

PAONE currently represents more than 45 professional arts organizations and has 60 individual members, all with a shared commitment to professional arts education. Our members include all disciplines – dance, theatre, theatre for young audiences, orchestras, opera, film and independent artist educators. The board, led

by Executive Director Patty Jarvis, is made up of seven individuals who all work as professional arts educators or hold education management positions within arts organizations. We host three meetings or mini-conferences each year that provide networking and professional development opportunities for the membership. We have a small website and distribute a quarterly electronic newsletter that is sent to the membership and stakeholders.

We have come to believe that PAONE plays an essential role in providing professional development and networking opportunities for arts educators in arts organizations.

As the organization grows it is our goal to become a collective voice for advocacy in the sector. The past two years have been major ones for the growth and visibility of the PAONE network. The organization has formally incorporated as a not for profit, undergone a strategic planning process, and has been a key player in major initiatives that focus on new partnerships and growing the network, as well as providing research and training for the professional arts education community.

A major project that made the largest impact on PAONE’S growth was our participation in the Performing Arts Education Overview. In 2009 PAONE was invited

by Creative Trust (a collaborative capacity building organization) to implement the Performing Arts Education Overview (PAEO), the arts education component of Creative Trust’s Audience Project. Under the guidance of Hill Strategies Research and with support from the Province of Ontario’s Strategic Investment Fund and the Minister of Tourism and Culture, this was the first ever study of the scope of practice, methods and impact of the arts education programs offered by Toronto area dance, music, opera, and theatre organizations.

It was a goal for both PAONE and Creative Trust to use the findings and recommendations from the PAEO to help music, theatre, opera and dance companies: • • • • •

Share, learn, and improve their professional practice and impact; Discuss the current challenges companies face in their educational initiatives; Raise awareness of the leadership role of creative performing arts companies in arts education and their communities; Demonstrate the level and importance of partnerships within the arts education sector; and, Develop information and methodologies that can be widely shared with arts organizations throughout the province.

This research for the PAEO was undertaken in three phases and involved various community and education partners. The research phase included reviewing key studies and resources in the field internationally, as well as organizational statistics for activities and programs. The information gathering phase consisted of creating a survey designed to generate clear and accurate data regarding the arts education programs and activities provided by arts organizations located, for the most part, in the City of Toronto. The survey was sent to a list of over 100 organizations and contacts within the Toronto area. Of the 100 surveys sent there were 50 respondents. During the interview phase, though the primary goal for the PAEO was to gather statistical and practical information, importance was placed on including perspectives of leaders in the field across disciplines and examples of key activities.

The significance of the PAEO report for PAONE lies not only in the findings, but also in the capacity of the organization to produce such a project. It has become the starting place for an interesting movement, a talking point that gives validity to the activities and work that is being done by our community. The PAEO report has acted as a tool for PAONE to organize community roundtables to address some of the key needs that emerged from the data collection and interview processes. Over the course of last year PAONE, in partnership with Creative Trust, led three round tables on the topics of Community Building, Advocacy, and Evaluation. The outcome of these meetings has been the formation of constellations: working groups of individuals who are committed to being part of a team that works on achieving a specific action item. Quickly, a group of 7 people working together has grown to over 30 people who are all committed to bringing their expertise to the table and tackle a small piece of the greater puzzle.

Building momentum Over the past year there has been greater recognition of PAONE as a resource, among our peers and our broader community. We are seeing this shift reflected in invitations to speak about PAONE at various provincial conferences and panels, requests for partnership for upcoming research projects, and continued support from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

The challenges of formally building a network are many. The board is made up of seven volunteer members who, while dedicated to the cause, all have full time jobs that are creatively draining and time consuming. Although PAONE has been successful in securing some project-based funding, we have yet to receive any operational funding and so rely almost completely on member fees. It is a goal for the organization to have a full time staff member to take on the administrative duties of the network in the near future.

Most of all we would like PAONE to be thought of as the key resource and the entry point to learn and connect with the professional arts education community in Canada: a way in for international colleagues and organizations to connect and learn about projects and artists; as a tool for information exchange with the academic community; and, a vehicle for recognizing the high standards of practice of the programs that our members are delivering. It is an exciting time for the organization as we move forward, working on new projects and toward achieving the objectives of our newly developed strategic plan.

Resources Hill Strategies Research, Creative Trust, PAONE, (2001). The Performing Arts Education Overview.

The full PAEO report and study can be downloaded here:

McLauchlan, Debra, (2009). Ontario teachers as targets TYA audiences. Youth Theatre Journal, 23,116-126.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/75826519/Paeo-Report-Final

Links

PAONE: www.paone.ca || Creative Trust: www.creativetrust.ca 21

Project Focus: Whitechapel Gallery (London) ‘Better a Broken Arm than a Bruised Spirit’

By Jean Tormey Gathering Experience “We do not always create ‘works of art’, but rather experiments; it is not our ambition to fill museums: we are gathering experience” Joseph Albers.

Recently I attended Bauhaus: Art as Life at the Barbican Gallery and was struck by the genuinely collaborative and interdisciplinary locus of learning the Bauhaus had been – with students working together on everything from homemade birthday cards and costumes for musicals staged at the school, to furniture and architectural designs. Photographs of the students in the exhibition spoke of the Bauhaus’ unique environment for learning, where work and play were interchangeable, and the importance of experimentation and collaboration (instead of competition) was crucial. Joseph Albers encapsulated this philosophy in his words above, and believed that learning how to invent through the process of discovery was the basis of ‘training for every kind of design’, beginning by working with the material in a ‘purposeless, playful’ way with the hands. This made me think not only of the artwork and approach of Simon and Tom Bloor, with whom I had been working with for the past year on one of the Whitechapel Gallery’s Artists in Residence in Schools programmes at Hermitage Primary School, but also the kind of environment that needs to be created to make this kind of programme have maximum impact among the children who participate. With this ideal in mind, the following case study considers, from the points of view of the 3 different perspectives involved - the artists, the school and the gallery, how a creative, collaborative and experimental environment can be arrived at in a school.

‘Better a Broken Arm than a Bruised Spirit’ When considering the impact and effect of an Artist in Residence programme on a school and the children involved, ‘Better a broken arm than a bruised spirit’, a quote from Simon and Tom Bloor’s print work of 2009 came to mind. Inspired by Lady Allen of Hurlwood (1897-1976), a pioneer of adventure and ‘junk’ playgrounds who wrote extensively about post war children’s playgrounds and asserted the importance of adventure and risk over preventative health and safety laws, the quote represents the Bloors’ thinking on children’s play. Twin brothers born in 1973 in Birmingham, the Bloors live and work in London and Birmingham. Currently, they are working on a large-scale public art project developing embedded ‘Art & Play’ sculptures in new developments in London and Cambridge that encourage informal play and interaction for all ages. The artists work in a variety of materials and formats – from drawings and sculpture to installation and public art. Much of their work is inspired by found images and existing texts gleaned from a variety of sources which are appropriated and re-presented ‘combining a ‘design’ sensibility with lo-fi materials, simple processes and pop production values’. Never having worked in a primary school before, the opportunity to work at Hermitage Primary School was seen as a challenge for the Bloors, and an opportunity to engage not only with the 22

central concerns and starting points of their practice, but with more diverse ways of thinking in a school environment, from both the artists’ and children’s points of view. From the outset, a key aim for the artists was to expose children to skills and activity outside the formal Art & Design Primary Curriculum, to get them to start thinking differently about the meaning of art, in an abstract way and on a large scale, together. They wanted to ‘experiment with production, and develop new ideas for playful, useful art’. Their approach was influenced by the philosophy and books of educationalists such as John Lidstone (‘Working Big’, 1975) and Kurt Rowland (‘Learning to See’, 1968), and was achieved through a variety of workshops in the first and second term linked to their practice. Growing progressively in scale and ambition as the year progressed, workshops included expansive collaborative constructions with sticks and elastic bands, 3D paper constructions inspired by the modernist mobiles, and patterns evolved from rubbings taken in the school yard.

The view from the school A creative place, with titles of classrooms such as ‘Ai Wei Wei’ and ‘Mondrian’, Hermitage Primary is a school with an interest in the visual arts, which benefitted the residency from the outset. Residencies can create upheavals in schools to the usual rhythm of planning, timetabling and adhering to the curriculum, so the school had to be fully committed to the programme for it to work. Head Teacher Zoe Howe’s reasons for getting involved were that she wanted children to collaborate directly with professional artists, to get to know them as people and for their curiosity to be piqued in a way that it wouldn’t usually. Teachers involved wanted the residency to challenge children’s concepts of what art was, and to push the boundaries of what they usually do in the classroom. Outcomes were important for the school, such as a chalkboard with colourful geometric designs created by the artists in consultation with a group of children from the school; a Plydome created that was displayed for a parents’ evening; and clay pieces moulded by students that will eventually be cast in chalk, and which will form part of an exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery.

Overall, a wider engagement with families from the school by the Whitechapel Gallery and a lasting legacy of access to the visual arts were major objectives of the programme. This aim was enhanced through additional ‘After School Club’ activities and contributions to the school bulletin undertaken by support artist Ella Phillips (who also documented the programme), visits to the Whitechapel Gallery with the artists, and by linking the family programme at the Gallery with the residency as much as possible.

The Gallery’s role The Gallery’s role is key in relation to counteracting the degree of the unknown when it comes to working with artists in schools. As mentioned, it can be a new environment for the artists and a new experience for the schools; and no matter how much good will is present at the outset, the meeting of independent professional

artists who have their own motivations for undertaking residencies at schools, with public schools that are hardwired to adhere to established curricula and physical outcomes, can be tricky. The Gallery needs to ensure that communication is flowing consistently and that both parties are achieving what they want and need from the residency. Much of the unknown can be counteracted at the outset with clear aims and a framework for how the residency will work, planned in consultation with all parties. The framework needs to be extremely tailored, but also flexible as the year goes on, and responsive to discoveries made by the artists or objectives identified by the school. Evaluation is also the role of the Gallery. For Simon and Tom’s residency, evaluation was continual, in the form of documentation, feedback at meetings, and interviews with artists, teachers and children that fed into the final film created by support artist Ella Phillips. Final evaluation occurred between all parties involved, and identified many aspects that may alter the future progression of the Primary School Residency at the Whitechapel Gallery: Planning: More advance planning and further communication and evaluation meetings organised by the Gallery and artists could have counteracted the lack of information that teachers often had about artists’ workshops in advance, preventing curricular links being made. In future residencies, the school curriculum will be shared with artists, and any overlap in terms of themes or skills identified early on in the process.

Structure: Rather than the fortnightly engagement of one day that was pursued by the artists and Gallery, shorter blocks of time where artists worked consecutive days will be explored. The Bloors’ work could have become more embedded in the school if this had happened, and the artists felt they were only skimming the surface at times, preferring more intense periods of working at the school with smaller focused groups.

Studio space: Although a notice board was continually visible about the project and artists increasingly created work with children that was seen by parents, both the school and artists noted that somewhere permanent and outwardly visible in the school for the artists to use as a studio and store materials would have benefitted the project; creating a consistent visibility in the school.

relationship with schools in the Gallery’s borough, Tower Hamlets and neighbouring boroughs in London is important for the Gallery in order to keep in touch with the local audience for exhibitions and events on its doorstep in a consistent and effective way. The Gallery, as a resource for modern and contemporary art in the area, is interested in putting schools in contact with professional artists who have an interest in the environment of the school and want to bring new ways of looking at and making art into the classroom. This not only benefits children in terms of experiencing vastly different teaching styles and different types of role models, but can enhance critical thinking and visual analysis skills, while giving children the opportunity to achieve something with other children outside of the curriculum and where the focus is, in general, on ‘gathering experience’, as the Bauhaus put it. Partnerships like the Bloor/ Hermitage one, brokered by the Gallery, continue to happen and to work for many different reasons, but the core of why they work and the energy that drives them is the ‘similar enthusiasm among children that artists get from engaging with art’.

Jean Tormey, Curator: Schools & Families at the Whitechapel Gallery, London.

References Art and Playgrounds by Simon and Tom Bloor, an interview with Paige L. Johnson from Playscapes – A Blog about Playground Design, Thursday July 19, 2012.

Bauhas: Art as Life Learning Resource written by Emma Ridgway, Creative Learning Curator, and Cathy Haynes, independent curator and educator created for Bauhaus: Art as Life took place at the Barbican Art Gallery, London from 3 May 2012 - 12 August 2012.

Pringle, Emily, The Artist as Educator: Examining Relationships between Art Practice and Pedagogy in the Gallery Context, Tate Papers, Issue 11, 2009.

Exhibition: Similarly, holding an exhibition of the fruits of the collaboration at the Gallery within the school year would have been desirable in relation to visibility and connecting the residency with the Gallery. (The exhibition took place December 2012 – March 2013).

Martin Rewcastle, the Whitechapel Gallery’s first Education Officer, initiated the Artists in Schools programme for the Gallery in 1978, following a conference he organised looking at American models of this kind of activity (where it had been happening since the 1960s). Its continued presence in the programme shows a commitment to this kind of activity at the Gallery. An in-depth, long-term

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The full article is available to view online on Practice.ie: http://www.practice.ie/ interviewarticlepage/36 23

Practitioner Focus: Richard Bracken (Scotland) Room 13: The long-term thing Guest Editor, Ann Donnelly interviewed Room 13 Artist in Residence Richard Bracken about his perspective on the longest established Room 13 studio in the world.

familiar with –it’s not “me the teacher and you the pupil”.

When you are trying to build a relationship and children are getting older and moving on how do find that?

What is Room 13?

I’ve never worked in any Room 13 for more than a year. After one year in Africa we felt like we’d hardly done anything. Even now after a year here I can see how I have grown and the kids too. A year – it’s hardly anything: just a prelude. I really feel that you need the long-term thing – three years, four, five – to achieve all the things that Room 13 has to offer.

Room 13 is a room in Caol Primary School, Fort William. Since 1994 it has operated as an artist’s studio that is shared with and managed by the pupils that use it.

From this original studio a worldwide network of Room 13 studios has developed, consisting of creative people of all ages that have embraced the ideas that sprang from Caol Primary School’s Room 13. In 2009, Room 13 International (also based in Fort William) was set up to oversee the development of the growing network.

How do you know things are working?

these through Room 13, which has a more established reputation than a younger, individual artist for example. So I think Room 13 offers support – which is a form of security.

What keeps you inspired?

I keep doing this for a number of reasons. One is the fact that Room 13 originated from Fort William. There’s not a lot going for Fort William apart from the surrounding areas beyond the town –it’s not on the map in terms of the arts. The town grew from all the industry –the aluminium smelter and the paper mill –but much of the activity in Fort William has diminished leaving it quiet. The remarkable thing is that Room 13 has grown out of this and has been an idea that has spread globally. In my opinion it is the best thing that has come out of Fort William.

I’m Richard Bracken. I studied at Edinburgh College of Art. I’m from Fort William and I was in brief contact with Room 13 pre-college. When I finished college I had the opportunity to work in Room 13 Tomintoul for one year and then I spent six months in Africa on a Room 13 project over there and I’ve been in this one in Fort William for a year. I work within a primary school in a shared studio space. They [the kids] have their own materials and space. My corner is kind of separate but I like to keep it open enough so they can wander over and see what I’m doing.The view from the school

When there are questions. When there is more self-motivated behaviour, more confidence, I suppose. Today was quite funny. They came up at lunchtime and took out all the canvases that they had done before and laid them out for critical appraisal. The whole floor was just filled. They had a good fresh look –some of these canvases are from way back. It was a good conversation. One canvas was just red. I think that the artist had planned to do something about it. Some people including the artist thought it was rubbish and others thought there was something about it.

But then we talked about Rothko. That’s when it’s working when I can sit back on a comfy seat and let things take shape.

How does Room 13 work?

How do you describe your practice?

I work five days a week roughly during school hours so the studio is available to me 8.30-6. My timetable is flexible and I have very little routine. The studio is available to the kids at break times and lunchtimes as a minimum but there are other times throughout the week. I always have to be there for the studio to be open. I work with P4-7 (that’s 8 or 9 up to 11), Monday to Thursday. Wee ones on Friday. We’ve worked that out – it’s about whatever suits us. Every Room 13 figures out its own way of working. There is a wide range of materials. Ideas are developed through talking about them. We have heaps and heaps of paper, paint, all kinds of paint, charcoal, pencils, pens –just a bombsite really –books as well as specialist materials. The kids are actually really excited today –it’s our first day back. They are talking about buying a 3-D printer. A travelling gallery has visited and it showed a sculpture made on a 3-D printer. The kids were amazed. I’ll wait to see how many of them remember it and take it forward. You’re encouraged to aim as high as you like in Room 13.

I make my own work but I share my space with the pupils of the school. It’s a shared space with an artist working alongside the kids. I’m not just an artist in residence: at the best of times we are working alongside each other – I’m making my work, they are making their work. It’s like being in a shared studio. If they want an opinion – I’ll not always tell a person that their work is wonderful. You’re allowed to say what works and what doesn’t – if it’s asked for.

Does Room 13 offer security as an artist?

It’s a bonus having a particular artist long-term. Every time a new artist comes in the relationship has to be built back up. So there’s definitely a strong argument for the artist staying on. School is cyclical –they repeat the curriculum each year.

Room 13 is more linear. It allows the children and the studio and the artist to keep developing.

What kind of skills and techniques do you offer – is it always something that is within your comfort zone?

At the moment, with the position I’m in I have the freedom to develop my work whilst fulfilling my obligations to the wider organisation of Room 13. The work that is produced by the various artists-in-residence is seen as an important part of the whole thing. So making the work is valued and I have a free studio space to work from. It’s a good base to be allowed to grow from. There are also advantages to running workshops and things during weekends or holidays, as we are able to run

At the end of each year in the classroom they take down all the work and start each year with blank walls. With Room 13 there is a constant build-up of ideas and activity. It’s densely layered. In here there are canvases that go back to 2001. Some of the kids rake around in the archival stuff –there are boxes with press clippings and other archive material –they gain a sense of where they are in the history of the room. And some of them have an appreciation of that history and what it means.

Tell me a bit about yourself.

Things come up. Today a girl was just introduced to Andy Warhol. She was then interested in screen-printing so we’ll see how that interest develops. Together the pair of us might start researching the methods as it’s not something that I’m too 24

Is the content of your artwork affected by the school setting?

My work can be viewed by anyone. It’s very landscape based – rocks and stuff. It’s hard to say just how much my artwork might have been affected by the setting but there are some new drawings I’ve been doing which actually incorporate block paint applied with the same technique a 5 year-old might use.

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The other thing that keeps me interested in Room 13 is the philosophy. There is so much potential in the way that an artist can work with kids and the way that they can produce work. This isn’t something I envisaged doing when I was at college.

When I was at college I hadn’t spoken to any kids at all. I had no idea how I was going to work with young people. Everyone is learning at every level all the time.

This is a very unique set-up –it’s not something you will find everywhere and there is potential for it to keep developing, for both parties’ work to be influenced and develop in parallel. Artists should work within a community. They shouldn’t work inside a bubble. For the young people it’s about having another adult –not a teacher or a parent –in the space, which is different.

As an artist you see things and have experiences and interpret them in your own way –things you might walk past every day but you see them differently. This is a good position for an artist to be in. It wouldn’t necessarily work if I was a joinerin-residence or athlete-in-residence –not knocking either profession –but I believe you can get into any subject through art.

Teachers might work in a school for a long time. That’s not so common with an artist.

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Community Focus: Practice.ie Our community continues growing all the time, and as the only dedicated professional network for artists working with children in Ireland, it continues to be a unique online database of contemporary arts practice across the country.

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Coming up…

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