Tiny Turtles Project Sharon Chen
A participating class from the Australian International School, with their teacher Mr Theo Mandziy and Ms Michaela Iivonen, Elementary Art Teacher Assistant
Students from Bukit View Primary School and Pathlight School working on the coiling method
A Greenwood Primary School student with her design and reflective writing
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Tiny Turtles is a display of artwork by students from eight schools in Singapore and the Torres Strait. Held alongside the Asian Civilisations Museum’s Au Karem ira Lamar Lu / Ghost Nets of the Ocean, the students’ exhibition centres around a creative arts project that aimed to raise awareness among the young of the environmental damage caused by ghost nets. The Australian International School, Bukit View Primary School, Greenwood Primary School, Melbourne Specialist International School, Pathlight School, and Whitelodge kindergarten at Phoenix Park participated in this project. In addition, two schools from the Torres Strait, Erub Erwer Uteb Tagai State College (Darnley Island) and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School (Thursday Island) also joined in. In January 2017, Australian artist Lynnette Griffiths shared her methods and the philosophy behind Ghostnet Art with a group of teachers from these schools and staff from the Asian Civilisations Museum at a workshop in Singapore. Over the next four months, these teachers embarked on weaving environmental awareness and the ghost net art project into the schools’ curricula. Participating students Students from Melbourne Specialist International School ranged between four to put the final touches to their work eleven years of age and included children with different abilities. Younger students from Whitelodge kindergarten were guided by storytelling sessions and educational displays. At the Australian International School, teachers used an inquiry-based learning approach where older students researched the environmental impact of ghost nets. Bukit View Primary School partnered Pathlight School, a school offering mainstream academic and life skills for students with autism. Students from both schools not only learned about ghost nets but also gained valuable lessons on inclusion and acceptance of people with different abilities. At Greenwood Primary School, students watched documentaries and reflected on what could be done for the environment. Participants included students from its unique art elective programme, initiated in 2010 to nurture young people with a flair for art. Melbourne Specialist International School developed a visual artsbased curriculum to enable children with special needs to participate. Similar workshops were planned by Lynnette Griffiths and conducted by Jimmy K. Thaiday for children at Erub Erwer Uteb Tagai State College. The emphasis here was on creating an artist-mentor learning environment for the younger ones to learn about traditional weaving techniques and contemporary art. At Our Lady of the Sacred 55