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Virtu a l ly T h e r e
An artist in schools virtual residency programme across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
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Virtually T h e r e An artist in schools virtual residency programme across Ireland and Northern Ireland
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Learning cannot be compartmentalised, it does not come in the form of subjects. It is a journey that is cleverly guided by professionals who are also learners and who understand what needs to be done to feed children‘s imagination and their capacity for invention and problem solving. Finding a partnership that works is as much about the fusion between teacher and artist as it is about artist and children ... if that happens ... many children for years to come will benefit under the influence of these educators ...and isn‘t that a real legacy for education in its widest sense and for this Kids‘ Own project ...Virtually There -
Vine Haugh, Curriculum Adviser.
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“Cauliflower Cross-Section”, April, 2012 • Ann Henderson – artist’s solo practice, preceding Dismantle collaborative work • Cauliflower, entomology pins, archival paper, mites
Virtually There © Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership Ltd. 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written authorisation. ISBN 978-1-90243291-7 Published by Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership Ltd. Carrigeens, Ballinful, Co. Sligo, Ireland. (+353) 719 124 945 ̷ ̷ http://kidsown.ie Charity number: 20639
̷ ̷ http://projects.kidsown.ie
Editors: Orla Kenny, Ann Donnelly, Jo Holmwood Design: Karina Nachbar, Orla Kenny Printed by: Nicholson & Bass Ltd. Text & images: All text and images by participating artists, teachers and children. Visit the project journals for original documentation of the work: http://projects.kidsown.ie
̷ ̷ http://kidsown.ie/virtuallythere
Acknowledgements: Kids’ Own would like to thank all the children that participate in Virtually there. We would like to thank the following people and organisations for their support and involvement in the Virtually There project: Gavin O’Connor and Fionnuala Walsh at Arts Council of Northern Ireland; Claire Doyle, Head of Visual Arts at the Arts Council; Emma Drury, Arts Development Officer, Craigavon Borough Council; Orla Scannell, Arts Officer, South Dublin County Council; Vine Haugh and Southern Education & Library Board; the AmmA Centre, Armagh; Marie O’Donoghue, Creative & Expressive Advisor, Belfast Education & Library Board; Avril Allen and Adrian Lavery at C2K Northern Ireland; The artists: Fionnuala Conway, Joe Coveney, Ann Donnelly, Julie Forrester, Ann Henderson, Maree Hensey, Sharon Kelly, Vanya Lambrecht Ward, Andrew Livingstone, and Triona Ryan; Wilson McMullan, Judith White & Julie Orr at Ballydown Primary School; Stuart Harrison and Marcella Wilson at Donaghey Primary School; Michael Madine, Elaine O’Sullivan, Una Carolan, Teresa Fanthorpe and Dearbhla Bennett at St Patrick’s Primary School; Mark Vallelly, Alison Brown, Karen Flack and Kathryn Johnston at Bocombra Primary School; Mr McClenaghan and Vanessa Patton at Strandtown Primary School; Tony Boyle at Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School; Damien McAnespie at St. Mary’s Primary School; Joanne Murray at Cookstown Primary School; Fionnuala Wallace, Meadhbh Murphy and Fran Myles at St Thomas Junior National School, Jobstown, Tallaght; Louise English at Dromore Road Primary School; Paul Moore at Derryhale Primary School; Our tour partners: Aoife Ruane & Hilary Kelly at Highlanes Gallery; Anne-Marie Morrin at Mary Immaculate College Limerick; Caítríona Ní Chullota at The Education Centre, Tralee; Siobhán O’Malley & Laura Mahon at The Dock; Sally Murphy & Maoliosa Boyle at Void, Derry; Deirdre Quail at FE McWilliam Gallery; Catherine Martin at Carrick-on-Shannon Education Centre. Exhibition partners: Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda; Mary Immaculate College, Limerick; The Education Centre, Tralee; The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon; The Void Art Centre, Derry; FE McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge. Exhibition curation: Ann Donnelly, Sharon Kelly, Orla Kenny Cover image: Digital Drawing by Sharon Kelly and Robin Price from project phase 'running drawings‘ 2014 pg 100. Centre image • Documenting Collected Specimens, Watercolour and Pencil, 2014, P4 painting as part of work with artist Sharon Kelly
CONTENT
08–09 Foreword
10–13 Kids' Own Introduction
by Jo Holmwood & Orla Kenny
14–17 We could be on the moon
by Roisin McDonough (ACNI)
The nature of a ‘virtual’ technology
18–19 A virtual practice
18–19
by Ann Henderson
How to use this book
by Ann Henderson
Project Extracts
20–35 Ann Henderson
36–39 Maree Hensey
40–47 Andrew Livingstone
48–53 Joe Coveney
54–69 Ann Donnelly
70–75 Julie Forrester
76–81 Fionnuala Conway
82–87 Vanya Lambrecht Ward
88–101 Sharon Kelly 102–103
Epilogue
by Marie O‘Donoghue (Belfast Education & Library Board)
1 02–106 Artist Biographies 1 02–107 Participating schools and teachers 1 02108 More Kids‘ Own titles
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“Dismantle” • February 2013 • P5 • Miss Orr • OHP imagery • class photograph
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“Close up far away, as part of “Intrepret“ P4 class with artist Sharon Kelly
Foreword by Roisín McDonough Chief Executive Arts Council of Northern Ireland
Children are blessed with boundless imaginative energy. All too often, however, for many children that impulse somehow gets diverted; their imaginative horizons start to narrow and the potential for selfexpression diminishes. This impacts on children’s skills and confidence in language and communication and, critically, the development of lively, inquiring and creative minds. Happily, this trajectory is not an inevitability. Schools play a singulary important role in how we learn to value and encourage creativity. The primary schools that are participating in the Kids’ Own ‘Virtually There’ programme are taking the nurturing of their pupils’ (and staff’s!) creativity to another level. The introduction of actual artists to the classroom introduces an entirely new, dynamic and innovative dimension to the learning experience. The artists are enabling the children to develop art works, in a range of media and over a sustained period of time, which are more challenging and experimental than might otherwise be approached in the school environment. ‘Virtually There’ cleverly harnesses modern technology so that schools, particularly in rural areas, are not disadvantaged by access issues. The technology removes physical barriers to access by creating a shared, virtual space between the classroom and the artist’s studio. The democratising potential of the technology is being inventively exploited so that the arts are brought closer to young people and the young people are able more fully to realise their own artistic abilities. Interventions of this kind, particularly in our formative years, are the special experiences that we cherish and remember most vividly and whose deep impression endures long into our future lives. ‘Virtually There’ is discovering compelling new ways to engage this generation of young people in the arts; an engagement that has every chance of continuing to grow into a lifelong enthusiasm. We are proud to be associated with it.
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Photos and paper, whiteboard, Donaghey, from Precious Objects phase with artist Ann Donnelly
Introduction by Jo Holmwood & Orla Kenny Kids‘ Own Publishing Partnership
Through a range of residencies and publishing projects, Kids’ Own seeks to support the individual creative expression of children across Ireland, north and south. Kids’ Own has a long history of working with artists and children in schools. Over seven years, Virtually There has evolved from an experimental pilot project that connected one artist and one school, into an unparalleled model of engagement between artists, children and teachers in eight schools across Ireland and Northern Ireland, through the use of virtual technologies. A pioneering idea in 2007, led to artist Ann Henderson choosing to connect from her studio on Rathlin Island with children in Ballydown Primary School, through the use of video conferencing technology. The engagement that followed was a sheer experiment, with all the ups and downs that art practice habitually encompasses. Ann Henderson, and teachers Judith White and Julie Orr, embraced this challenge and the process that emerged led to a unique path of enquiry that was wholly emergent and collaborative. The work also had a distinct aesthetic. Seven years on, the project continues with thanks to ongoing funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Now, with additional funding from the Arts Council’s Touring & Dissemination of Work Award – in partnership with Arts Council of Northern Ireland, a selection of work from the project has been drawn together for a north-south touring exhibition and event programme.
continues impacting on her ongoing practice. The subsequent nine chapters each provide a snapshot of the collaborative process that took place between one artist and school, in some cases over several years, and in other cases, during one short phase of the project. These pages aim to capture the essence of the investigations that were happening between artists, teachers and children, and in that sense are only representative of a small part of the work that took place. Marie O’Donoghue–Creative and Expressive Advisor with Belfast Education & Library Board, ends with a reflection about the project. Marie has worked with Kids’ Own over many years and since her involvement with the Trading Places/CR.E.A.T.E project, which started back in 2003, she has seen how the integration of technology into the Kids’ Own process has impacted on classroom practice and supports and enhances artist-in-school collaborations.
The tour has also provided us with an opportunity to publish this book, which aims to give an insight into the project during its many phases over the past seven years. We hope that it gives a flavour of the investigations that the artists, children and teachers have embarked on together. Naturally, it is not exhaustive and only shows extracts of the work that took place in each school. In compiling this publication, our primary source for text and images have been the online journals, where the artists, children and teachers documented their work throughout the course of the project.
As the initiator and the manager of Virtually There, Kids’ Own has developed a strong sense of the main concerns and challenges that are presented by such a project as Virtually There. As the project extends, it becomes apparent that the relationships are crucial to the “success” of the process. The long-term nature of the project heightens certain core elements that should be at the heart of any artist-teacher collaboration, and highlights their importance: Planning, communication and reciprocal trust, all become key. With time, the artist and teacher can slow things down and trust in the process, which becomes more organic.Artist Ann Henderson in her journal reflects on the value of this: “I’ve worked with teacher Judith White for over 10 years now and it has taken us until now to be able to begin to really address the issue of the pace of things, and it has been no coincidence that this has come about eventually within our virtual working process…” Kids’ Own’s role is to support the artist and teacher through this relationship in the understanding that the strength of their partnership impacts on the experience for the child, who is at the heart of the process.
The book begins with an overview about the structure of the project and its main components, which is followed by an essay from artist Ann Henderson about the specific nature of working ‘virtually’ and how this
What excites Kids’ Own as an organisation is the potential for children to formulate their own individual responses, for them to be encouraged–through a collaboration with professional
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practicing artists–in their own individual creative expression, and to collectively inform the direction of a project: Where can we go with this? What happens if we…? The artist sets out a series of ‘propositions’ to the children in the form of discussions, ideas, images, thoughts… and waits for the children’s responses to guide the direction of the project.
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What value do artists bring to classroom environments? Through the Virtually There exhibition and through this publication, we hope to demonstrate the richness that arts practice can bring to the learning experiences of children who engage wholeheartedly in a ‘real’ artistic process. It is about thinking and slowing down; being immersed in a new realm of learning, where the child is looking with new eyes, through a lens provided by the artist. It is about co-construction, continually feeding back and forth between the artists’ practice and the experiences of the child. The most meaningful journeys are the ones that have a starting point, which is exciting both for the artist and for the child.
The work undertaken in Virtually There is open-ended and seeks to ignite more questions and ideas. The artists, teachers and children are engaged in an ongoing learning process. In the same way that our personal growth and development never comes to a conclusion but is a process of continual exploration, the participants in this project are always only touching the surface with this work, which never reaches a definitive ‘end’. Arts practice provides a strong context for the ethos of open-ended learning to be reinforced and for the enquiring mind to be nurtured. Here we show what seven years of such activity have given rise to. We optimistically say, to be continued…!
Why fight so hard to provide a framework within which artists can return again and again, year on year, to the same schools? For Kids’ Own, it is important to sustain this practice and explore what can be achieved through long-term engagement. In a culture where sustained arts-in-education practice is rare, this project becomes increasingly important as it continues on. The longevity is about giving depth to the work and bringing children, artists and teachers to a place of enquiry that is meaningful and considered. Kids’ Own sees the value of embedding this way of working within schools and communities in order to elicit a sea change in attitudes, so that arts practice is recognised, not as an elite practice, but as a fundamentally holistic process that reaches across the curriculum and supports children in all aspects of their personal development. Within this book, the specific learning outcomes for teachers, children and artists are not explicitly highlighted, but these are manifold. Here, we aim only to showcase the processes and investigations, from which the potential for learning and concrete outcomes can, we hope, be deduced and intuited. For us, the fact that this work takes place within the school environment and within a curriculum framework means that it connects on many levels – explicitly and implicitly – with the learning agendas of all participants.
Studio explorations from “Time, growth and potatoes”, artist’s project-response work, March, 2009, Ann Henderson, Celery base, cotton wool, water, photography
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We could be on the moon The nature of a ‘virtual’ collaboration
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What is the difference between a ‘virtual’ art project and a ‘real’ one? How does the technology actually work? And how can creative things happen between people who are not physically present in the same room? In 2007, Kids’ Own was able to pilot the ‘virtual’ residency as a new form of engagement between artists and children, with thanks to software called Marratech that was made available to schools through C2K – an agency responsible for the support and development of technology within Northern Irish schools. Nowadays, almost all classrooms have access to an “interactive whiteboard”, a huge screen through which web-based programmes can be accessed and viewed by all. Much like video-conferencing platforms, the Marratech software allows people in different locations to meet via an interactive screen, to see one another through the webcam, to hear one another using microphones and speakers and to type text. This means that basic communication between an artist and a class group can be achieved in real time. The role of the teacher in this situation is often to clarify, support or enhance the communication back and forth between the artist and the children, as well as to support the children in following through on any activities as guided by the artist. An additional function of the Marratech software, which has proved particularly rich for the artists and for the documentation of the emerging work, was the ‘whiteboard’ within the software itself. Children from P4/P5 Donaghey, talk about working with Ann Donelly online; 'We worked online. When we were talking over the web-cam on the computer, we were in our classroom and Ann was in her art studio. When the first lesson started the P4’s weren’t used to talking to our artist through the internet [but] we got used to it. We used different types of technology like microphones, computers, e-mails, web-cam, scanner and cameras.To communicate we use web-cam, text and e-mail. Or [sometimes] we scan photos then send them to Ann.“
screen – the whiteboard is a place where text, images and drawings can be added. appear immendialtely and can can be workd on colaborately. The importance of this is that it is shared between the artist on one side and the children on the other. Each can see and add to the whiteboard – it is a collaborative screen. In the first instance, it might be seen as a ‘thinking space’ or quite literally, part of the means of communicating from one side across to the other. Although artist and children can hear each other, the typing of words or showing of images concretises what is being discussed or contextualises it. Capturing these ‘canvases’ through screenshots, means that they also provide a very rich form of documentation. But in addition to that, the whiteboards capture a special aesthetic, which is representative of these authentic dialogue-based collaborations. Find examples on pg..... With the newer technology, Elluminate and now Collaborate, the whiteboards are a less prominent feature, but other enhanced functions and applications have been added, such as file sharing, and session planning. Online journals As part of Virtually There, Kids’ Own developed a micro-site where the project could be documented online. Artists, teachers and children are all asked to contribute to this ‘blog’ on an ongoing basis so that the three perspectives can be captured. Over the seven years of the project, the journal has always been there as a support, and has developed into an authentic blog because it has been used extensively by all involved in the project. In any given phase of the project, the journal is used to greater and lesser degrees by participants, for a variety of reasons. This is the nature of a long-term project. In any given year different things take priority. In some phases, documentation is strong and in others, it does not take priority. The journal – like the project itself – presents a challenge within the mainstream school environment. It represents a different way of working. What’s important for Kids’ Own is to provide a structure that supports each participant to document, reflect and process. If used well, the journal becomes an exciting live space, representing a multitude of voices and experiences.
Whiteboards The whiteboards from the project have emerged as ‘collaborative canvases’, capturing the thinking process, dialogue, and journey of activity from both sides. Essentially – like any document on a computer Partnerships and supports
Kids’ Own’s primary role within the Virtually There project is to support and nurture the artist-teacher partnership. Creative planning meetings provide a space for artists and teachers to meet and to establish a rapport prior to the start of the project. Artist Ann Donnelly comments on the importance of this relationship by saying, “I keep coming back to the importance of the relationship between the artist and the teacher. I can’t over-emphasise how crucial this two-way communication is to the overall experience. Having worked together through this medium for some time now, Mrs Wilson and I can trust each other enough to let the project breathe.” Teacher Marcella Wilson reiterates this in her project journal: “I am constantly being challenged about my expectations of the children, my teaching methods, my classroom practice, the experiences being offered to the children, their learning experiences, the improvements in their skill set…I now expect this from Ann. I expect her to make me challenge myself and the children. I expect her to push me into new things.” Marie O’Donoghue, in her epilogue, also alludes to the importance of the artist-teacher relationship: “The success of the creative process still relies heavily on the dynamics of the relationship between the artist, teacher and the pupils. The greater the degree of openness, the more innovation and risk-taking are evident in the responses.” In order to achieve this “openness” that Marie refers to, communication and planning are vital. This cannot be achieved without a facilitated space, which is provided by Kids’ Own. Throughout the project, the artists and teachers have also benefitted from a variety of supports provided by Kids’ Own, including mentoring – for those joining the project for the first time – technology training, and online supports outside of the project journals. What is highlighted by this ‘virtual’ process is that while such structures and supports are valuable in any collaboration, here they become twice as important due to the special nature of this engagement. In the long-term, the value is in continuing Screen shot of artist Maree Hensey connecting Virtually to with Children to provide opportunities for artists and teachers meet in a in St. Thomas SNS 2012
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A virtual practice by Ann Henderson
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I initially stepped into working virtually purely as a means of solving a practical problem. I was already committed to living on and working from Rathlin Island, located off the North coast of Ireland, at the same time as having a young family, and I was searching for a way to satisfy a real need to continue the collaborate element of my work as an artist. It was suggested that I work remotely. Initially, I had reservations about how I, as the artist, might function within a virtual collaborative process. But even so, by 2007, in a bid to solve this practical problem, I had joined forces with long term work partners; teacher, Judith White at Ballydown Primary School and Creative Director, Orla Kenny at Kids’ Own Publishing, to take our first steps into an uncertain virtual territory. For 7 years now I have been investing in this virtual practice, which along with its many challenges, continues to present ongoing and unexpected opportunities for experimentation and extension of practice. Whilst practical and technical demands do play their role in shaping the development of the practice, it is for me more the virtual aspect itself, which underlies this - not least in that it calls for a particular manner of communication and thinking. With this in mind I’ve noted down a couple of aspects, which have been significant to me as the artist within this virtual experience. N.B. The collaborations described are occurring between three parties: the pupils and teacher in the classroom and the artist in the studio. The teachers are long-term virtual partners, Judith White and Julie Orr, and the pupils, their respective P2 and P5 classes from 2007 to 2014. Head Space There is something about “not being physically there” which can offer the artist a different kind of thinking space. I first became acutely aware of this when Judith, P2 and I were taking 5 minutes out from the intensity of our online exchange. We agreed to use the 5 minutes, at either end, as we felt appropriate. I knelt down onto the studio floor, consciously within webcam view, to lift a brush and pan. Using rhythmic and slow, considered movements, I brushed my reach of the studio floor, again and again. During this time, the floor where I was working was being crossed by a shaft of brilliant sunlight. After, when we met online again, I found P2 had used their time to put their heads on their desks in silence - some with eyes open, some closed. We proceeded then to have a truly engaging discussion about what we thought it was we had been doing during those 5 minutes.
Studio Speak So much of the artist and their way of working can be communicated through the direct access to the studio. My practice as an artist is built upon relentless investigation into natural processes and this is evidenced all around me in the studio. Within virtual communications, the web cam facility allows me to draw an entire class, of 30 or so individuals, into small and intimate studio processes, some of which have been ongoing for years! The virtual aspect not only facitates the sharing of studio processes in a practiucal sense but also in a conceptual sense.This significant studio activity would not be explored collaboratively were it not for the virtual nature of the exchange, and neither then would the dialogue and colloraborative thinking around it have had its opportunity to develop. The tangible conversation Dialogue is a very important part of any collaborative process I partake in. Within virtual communication this took on the unexpected attribute of becoming tangible! The software allows the users, at either end, to type and put up instant web cam stills onto the whiteboard and so the conversation develops a tangible facet. This tangible aspect extends beyond the documentary and can function as part of the thinking and exploration within the practice. See whiteboard on page 27. The 3rd Space Amid virtual interaction there is an added layer - that of the 3rd space. This is the shared place that exists between the participants and between their physical worlds. The exchange is drawn back and forth, and in and out, as well as developed within this 3rd space. Dual Locations and Tandem Activity One of the tantalizing characteristics about working virtually is that both parties are located in two separate physical locations. As an artist I am fascinated by the idea that we can explore these two separate places simultaneously through tandem activity. This is further highlighted in the “Co-ordinates. Dual Locations” section on page ?. 7 years on, as the potential within the virtual keeps on unravelling. My intent to experiment and invest further as an artist within this type of
practice simply keeps increasing.
It seems so normal to work with Ann whilst she is sitting in her studio in Rathlin we are in our classroom in Banbridge, but it is actually something incredibly special. -Teacher, Judith White
“Dual Locations”, December 2009, P5, Miss Orr, Ann Henderson, P5 directions - P5, Ballydown /artist, Rathlin location photographs
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How to use this book... The information in this book is drawn primarily from the project journals, which developed as an online space for documentation, representing the experiences of all participants – artists, children and teachers – in their own words and images. The extracts in the following pages therefore include a combination of artists’ work, children’s work, images from teachers, webcam images, screenshots of whiteboards, written reflections and work made by artists and children through the collaborative process. As extracts, these only give a flavour of the work that has been developing over the past 7 years but we hope that they convey the essence of the virtual process and communicate the shared virtual experiences of artists, children and teachers. We hope that readers of the book will feel the richness of dialogue between participants, the parity of esteem, the spirit of enquiry and investigation that emerged through this artistic process. Who is this book for? As artists, teachers and arts sector professionals, we hope this book will invite you to question and consider what lies at the heart of a meaningful creative process between artists and children and to allow this to inspire something new in your own work. “ Wall Drawing“ November 2013, Sharon Kelly, Solo work preceding “Interpret“
project extracts Ann Henderson Artist
Ballydown Primary School Banbridge, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
Judith White Julie Orr Teacher
P2 (age 5–6)/2007– 2014 P5 (age 7–8) / 2007–2014 Children/Year
'Dismantle', November 2012, Katie, P2, Cherry tomato dismantle-drawing. Class photograph
Ann Henderson
Mapping ⌈ 2007-2008 ⌋
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Dual locations and Tandem activity... With the opportunities arising through the use of remote communications. I was dying to introduce P5 to the studio. I emailed a ”mystery studio location“ to Miss Orr who printed and cut the image along the grid lines. P5 completed a large scale mystery studio location drawing. We busied ourselves with metre sticks, compass and the plan and set about directing each other to certain points within the classroom. The investigation to uncover 'the extraordinary' began. As an artist I am fascinated by the idea that we can explore these two geographically separate places simultaneously through tandem activity. —Artist Using acetate sheets over the classroom plan P5s had been drawing in the journeys they‘d made within the classroom through the day. They also marked in anything of interest along the way.—Artist
Above - Mapping, Classroom journey x 30, P5. A4, acetate, permanent pen Above right - Studio photograph, mystery-location. Artist photograph Below right - P5 studio mystery location drawing. Charcoal, paper
Ann Henderson
As P5 expressed they‘d like to explore a bit more within my studio we took our central concepts of mapping and space a little further. I‘d asked P5 to select 5 locations within their classroom and then type up the directions to these points on a whiteboard: Group 3: NNW, 3m, high Group 2: S, 5 metres and 2 metres high Group 5: NNE, 2.5 metres, WNW, I metre, SSE, 50cm, down, 50cm Group 4: SSW, 4.5 metres Group 1: 4.5 metres, N, 1 metre, high
I put up on a whiteboard a list of words I associated with objects within the studio. P5 were working in groups and each selected a word. Using the web cam and Marratech I then took three still images for the word. Spineless Carnivore 1 Wingless Trimmings 1 Belly buttons Boxed Heart Carnivore 2 Map Cased Trimmings 2 Dog
Top right - Image of paper mache object/magnifying glass, classroom/studio, P5, directions Below right - Whiteboard conversation with P5. Studio webcam stills
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Ann Henderson
time, growth & potatoes ⌈ 2009-2010 ⌋
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Potatoes… The pupils and I are collecting information from our respective places, Co. Down and Rathlin, about growing potatoes, from people we know who have grown their own. I have always been involved in some form of promoting growth within the studio. —Artist We looked at the potatoes. We saw roots and shoots. Thankfully we listened to Miss White’s daddy and Rodney the caretaker who said we shouldn’t plant until after St Patrick’s Day. —Nathan I planted my potatoes on 20th March 2009 and Ballydown theirs on the 19th. —Artist We planted our potatoes then we patted the soil with the spade. —Jay and Thomas I found a little worm when digging the ground. Let’s cross our fingers and hope the potatoes will grow.—Katie and Joy
Collaborative Drawing... The idea of sharing the actual act of drawing is new to me. The virtual element is permitting me to enter an arena, which before as an artist I quite simply viewed as out of bounds. P2 liked the idea of us working on the same drawing. I do think this is exciting P2. I hope we are destined to draw together again. — Artist
The idea of sharing the actual act of drawing is new to me. Above - Collaborative online whiteboard drawing, P2, Miss White, Ann Henderson. Marratech whiteboard
Ann Henderson
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May 2009... P2 go out to check on their potatoes at Ballydown and I check mine on Rathlin. Rathlin - Still no sign of the 'second eye' coming up… Ballydown - P2 discussing if they should water theirs… Should we water our potatoes? – Ask God, Rodney, my granny, Miss White’s Daddy. Hooray! The potatoes have got a little bit taller. I can see the little leaves. —Whiteboard conversation
Above - Final whiteboard conversation, P2, Miss White, Ann Henderson. Instant webcam still montage
Ann Henderson
seeing ⌈ 2010-2011 ⌋
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Looking down – Ground coverings... We made a seeing frame to look through. Then we went outside and looked down onto the ground. P2 went on a ground hunt. We identified the different coverings that we saw on the ground. Using the seeing frame helped us see exactly what was on the ground. We described the different ground coverings: leaves, moss, stones, bark, man hole covering. —Teacher (Judith White) P2 had taken these photos a few weeks ago as part of their ‘ground hunt’. Each group was responsible for taking one photograph of their selected ground covering. Today we had the room well darkened down and we took time to really look at and talk about the photographs. The next three pictures are “zoom-ins” taken from one of the P2 ground covering photos below. We had a fantastic discussion about these three pictures. P2 were responding to the question, “What does it remind you of?” I was excited about this imagery and the dialogue that followed was exhilarating…What beautiful words P2 came up with: “a star fallen out of the sky” and “soft
Top right - Exploring ground coverings, P2, Miss White, Ann Henderson. Whiteboard conversation Below left - Exploring ground coverings, P2 photographs
Ann Henderson
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'Inside the hedge', P2, Miss White, Ann Henderson. Whiteboard conversation
Ann Henderson
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Seeing through - Deep, Dark, Dense… We set about identical quests (I, on Rathlin and P2, at Ballydown) – to go to our hedge and search within, for places which were deep, dark and dense. The telescope was positioned to pinpoint the chosen spot. We then took two photographs. For the first, the camera, with the flash on, was to be held lens down into the cardboard telescope and focused upon the view at the end. For the second, with the flash off, the camera was to be carefully maneuvered into the deep, dark, dense place to take the photograph. —Artist It‘s a different world inside the hedge. Parts are going every direction and it‘s spiky. It‘s hard to move about in the hedge. — Joshua P2 had been asked to imagine themselves as small creatures, the size of their little finger nail, living in the deep, dark, dense places within the hedge. The previous week they had visited these places and had been asked to answer two questions “What can you see?” and “What can you hear?” They made reminder drawings and notes. This week again, as they imagined small creatures, they made drawings and notes in association with the senses of smell and touch. An intake of breath with excitement as the images came up at their end!—Teacher
It‘s a different world inside the hedge.
'Seeing Through', P2. Cardboard viewing tubes. Teacher photograph
Ann Henderson
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'Through', Group 1, P2 photograph taken using camera and cardboard
Ann Henderson
layers ⌈ 2011- 2012 ⌋
Layers... Ann, the artist, was on the computer. She asked us what we thought the word layers might mean or what it made us think of. She typed on the whiteboard as we spoke. Layer something up –Scott Layers of clothes – Sam Lots of sleeves –Naima Layers of hairs – Daisy
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Layers in the landscape... First we drew in all the layers we could see in the landscape. We talked about making marks, lines and shapes. Then we had to choose a symbol to describe what was inside each layer. — Children peeling drawing... I am inspired by the life and works of the 'secret photographer' Charles Jones. I had become quite fascinated by the unravelling process and continual changing of state of the object in question–as well as the physical activity involved around that. —Artist The children carefully removed each layer of their chosen vegetable and as each layer was removed then the vegetable was carefully and closely drawn around.—Teacher
[Ann] gave us an object out of a bag and we had to see it with our hands and keep our eyes closed. —Child
Ann Henderson
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Time to discover... We made a video...We put a rope on the floor to show what the camera could see. We put an x on the floor with chalk where we tried to keep the cabbage. “It kept getting smaller and smaller.” —Children We peeled each layer of the purple cabbage off, one at a time. It was hard. —Megan Some layers were stuck together. —Lana Some people’s nails turned purple. —Koebe
Opposite above left - Layers in the landscape, P2 Opposite below left - 'layers drawing‘, preparation for red cabbage. Whiteboard Opposaite below right - Seeing, P2 Above - P2, preparation and making of 'Peeling Drawing' video piece Above right - 'Peeling Drawing' video still Bottom right - Viewing tent, for viewing and discussion of video piece
Ann Henderson
dismantle ⌈ 2012 -2013 ⌋
⌈34 ⌋
Each group was given three of one of the following; bananas, kiwi, spring onions, brussel sprouts, and small oranges. They were then charged with the task to list as many different ways as they could think of to dismantle their object. When it came to the act itself, the dismantling, P5 simply lost themselves in the pure joy of it! What a privilege it is to work with young people for whom the joy of it is inescapable! The learning and investigation we invested in throughout the day, far from lost or diminished, was simply unleashed in a pinnacle of pure excitement!—Artist We had to whisper together to work out six very different ways to dismantle a cherry tomato–and keep it a secret from the other groups! —Children
When it came to the act itself, the dismantling, P5 simply lost themselves in the pure joy of it!
We dismantled a banana by squishing it. It was gross and fun. We drew around the banana and the juice marks with pencil. After a few days the banana turned brown. —Lucy and Genna
Above - 'Dismantle Drawing', P5, Banana, paper, pencil. Webcam stills whiteboard Above right - P2/P5 dismantling-pairs explorations. Teacher photograph
Ann Henderson
50 ways to dismantle a cherry tomato! roll it roll on it break it up/tear it into pieces jump on it stamp on it pressed throw it
⌈35 ⌋
chop rip peel squash it slice it cook it puncture and squeeze smash it explode it drop it from the top of the stairs explode it between your hands eat it roast it burn it dry it boil it mash it through a masher microwave it blend it squeeze it through a hole leave it for 1000 million years until it rots drive over it drop it into a fan – put paper round the fan whizz it hammer it grate it shout at it drop a rock on it dissolve it
'Dismantle Drawing', cherry tomato, Katie, P2, Cherry tomato, pencil, paper
Ann Henderson
⌈36 ⌋
It was up to the group to carefully plan how they were going to dismantle their object. They had to think about the different parts, which they could identify – skin, flesh, seeds etc. –and also what they would use to separate these parts. The noise level rose dramatically!! Being allowed to dismantle something in class was such a novel and exciting idea! The banana group decided to peel and slice their banana to find the tiny seeds inside. Each group tried to separate and identify the different parts of their fruit/vegetable as they dismantled it. We placed our ‘pictures’ on top of an overhead-projector, which we used as a light box. The light shone through our dismantled objects, creating beautiful patterns and colours!—Teacher (Julie Orr)
Above left and right - Dismantling processes and OHP viewing Opposite - 'Dismantling Drawing', Banana, OHP viewing, P5.
The noise level rose dramatically!! Being allowed to dismantle something in class was such a novel and exciting idea!
Ann Henderson
⌈37 ⌋
project extracts Maree Hensey Artist
St thomas Junior National School Jobstown, Tallaght, Ireland
Meadhbh Murphy & Fran Myles Teacher
Junior & Senior infants (age 4–6) / 2012 Children/Year
Class drawing lines and marks over beach trip image on the interactive whiteboard
MAree Hensey
grooves.ridges.folds ⌈ 2012 ⌋
⌈40 ⌋
I am working on a series of drawings marking the movement of sheep in a field. I deliberately chose to eliminate the element of colour and to concentrate on how the mark-making process alone can define form and space within a drawing. The children have grown in confidence and there is a constant stream at the camera ready to show their work and an eagerness to have a chat…I was taken aback by the depth of connection established with the class virtually. We looked at how folding and layering the drawings made it 3D and not flat. I felt surrounded by the energy of the 30 or more personalities. —Artist Maree has created sessions that are really capturing the childrens imagination and they are working to their absolute full potential, which is wonderful to see. I understand the ‘why‘ of
all the activities and their benefit to the children is very apparent to me. —Teacher iPad on Tour… A very direct way of communication leaving me a bit dizzy at times. Meadhbh with the other iPad is taking images, which can be streamed directly to my iPhone so I can see immediately the work as it progresses. It is great to be independent in our means of virtual communication. The moving camera allows intimate connection with the participants on a one to one basis, drawing in the children who might not have the confidence to come to a
MAree Hensey
⌈41 ⌋
Looking closely, very closely, we looked at our hands and talked about the skinny scratchy curvy squiggly darty fat straight lines we saw. —Artist Opposite top - 'Field lines' Photograph and drawing, Artist Maree Hensey Opposite bottom - Ipad on tour, children connecting with Maree from the classroom Above - Mark making in the classroom. Teacher photograph
project extract Andrew Livingstone Artist
Strandtown Primary School Belfast, Northern Ireland
Vanessa Patton Teacher
p5 (age 8-9) / 2012–2014 Children/Year
'Stiched House', Artist Andrew Livingstone, Artist photograph
Andrew Livingstone
storms & weather ⌈ 2012 -2013 ⌋
⌈44⌋
Andrew talked to the children about extreme weather and the effects on the environment.They had watched various news clips about flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons etc. Some had personal experiences that they were keen to share with Andrew. This session was linked to our extreme weather topic. Using the artist Do Ho Suh’s work as inspiration the children were going to create a house out of fabric. They were split into four groups. Each group drew a side, front or back of a house. Then they transferred these drawings onto large pieces of fabric. We then had a discussion about who could sew or even thread a needle. Quite a few of the boys and a few girls hadn’t done either. The children got started onto their sewing.
What an eventful and exciting time in the studio and classroom today! Gathering of torches, candles, fans to assist in the creation of storm effects. I suspended my fabric house from the studio roof, then linked up with the children. First task: create silhouettes of objects that get blown around in a storm. These were to be used to project onto the fabric houses with a torch. Once the components were ready I performed my storm in the studio…and the children created their storm in the classroom. They made a great performance and rehearsed sounds made with their voices…very good wind and some loud screams. —Artist
The sense of achievement the children have gained is amazing, they all felt that they had taken part in something special and something that was of their own creation. Brilliant! —Teacher
Left to right - P5 children stiching their fabric house; Fabric house suspended; Storm in the clasroom
Andrew Livingstone
⌈45⌋
A piece of performance art in the classroom. —Teacher
Above - hurricane in the classroom
Andrew Livingstone
change & duration ⌈2013 - 2014 ⌋
⌈46⌋
The children started this session with the challenge of making sculptures of themselves with clay. Though they have all had experience of working with clay, they had to tackle lots of different technical problems. Their figures had to stand so a firm base was needed. They had to think of the weight distribution of the figure and the strength of the limbs. As these were portraits they had to include details such as their facial features, hair, details on their clothing and shoes. It was interesting to see how they overcame these challenges to produce their sculptures. — Teacher
The children’s clay portraits have been placed in the courtyard and these will be documented week to week. Humans age and change overtime – this notion will be captured by the unfired clay, which will change and be eroded by the weather.— Artist We left out figures in the courtyard and we have documented them as they have changed - Children
We have had a lot of rain and they [our clay figures] have nearly disappeared. —Children Above and right - P5 children document their fgures eroding
⌈47⌋
Andrew Livingstone
⌈48⌋
Transmogrification: To change into a different shape or form. Today we worked with clay and drawing. We got a piece of paper and a piece of clay shaped like a cube. We drew the cube and added bits of shading. We did one side one way and the other side a different way. Then we took a rubber and pulled a piece off the clay. Then we got the rubber and on the drawing we rubbed out the piece of clay. We did that until there was no clay left. After that we got all the small pieces of clay and put them together bit by bit. Every time we put the clay on we drew the big lump of clay. —Children The children were totally engaged. We discussed how to draw the form of a cube from different viewpoints. This was also an opportune moment to revise the properties of 3D shape: 'a teachable moment’! Resulting drawings had a variety of tones and textures. Each child’s drawings were individual and quite unique. A really absorbing task!—Teacher
Above - cube drawings and cubes of clay
A really absorbing task!
Andrew Livingstone
⌈49⌋
Using chunky graphite sticks the children drew their portraits. Once they had completed their portraits they then began to mould their heads from clay. We wanted to watch the effects of water and time on the heads. To do this they were going to be submerged inside plastic bottles. It was exciting pouring the water onto the finished work and beginning to watch the features of the head disintegrate. —Teacher
We then got a block of clay and moulded it into our faces. We made them hollow so they would disintegrate faster. Then we had brought bottles in and we set the figures in and poured water over the top of them. I wish we could make a mould that we didn’t have to kill. —Children
After spending all that time making perfect heads we will now watch them dissolve in water. —Teacher
Above - Making and dissolving, clay heads. Teacher Photograph
project extracts Ann Donnelly Artist
Donaghey Primary School Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Marcella Wilson Teacher
P5, P6, P7 (age 8–11) / 2009–2011 P4, P5 (Age 7–9) / 2011–2014 Children/Year
Collaborative photogram, Drawing with light,
Ann Donnelly
looking closely ⌈ 2009 ⌋ Kirsty’s cut up poem wet green grass singing birds children on the football pitch white and yellow daisys soft washing clouds and blue sky heat of the sun school gates cars
⌈ 52⌋
We cut a small square hole in a sheet of paper to use as a viewfinder. Looking closely at a natural object the class painted a detail of its texture. An unexpected tangent into colour mixing became the other main theme of the sessions. —Artist What colour is a leaf? Green, red, brown, yellow, orange, gold, purple –there’s loads of different colours of leaves. You changed your mind after painting: why? Because I saw different colours of leaves looking closely. — Whiteboard conversation How to mix different browns: red, yellow and blue. White and more yellow made it lighter brown and more thicker.— Amy
I saw different colours of leaves, looking closely Above left - Camera viewfinder, Artist Photo Above right- Kirsty‘s cut up poem Right - Class colour palettes, P5 Opposite - Viewfinder squares, P5
Ann Donnelly
⌈ 53⌋
Ann Donnelly
myself ⌈ 2009–2010 ⌋
⌈ 54⌋
What makes us who we are? face, family & friends, outside and inside feelings, happy, sad, furious, scared, body bits, heart, lungs, brain, blood, organs, veins, bones, messages, blood pumping, signals, thinking — Whiteboard conversation Everything starts and ends with dialogue. Some of it’s recorded, some of it’s ephemeral but quite often a session would generate pages of exchanged text. In the virtual situation you don’t have any baggage. The work becomes very pure and focused. —Artist Portraiture... We explored portraiture through charcoal, trying various poses, making drawings bigger so that web-cam images were easier to interpret. What you learn from this kind of work is that everyone’s perception is different. Part of what I do in my practice time is to ask: “How do I get the children to look at that again?” — Artist
colours, white and black were provided. The colours on the testing pages are fantastic.They were encouraged to look closely and fill their card. The children have been working on this idea for a while now and they have become more comfortable with “filling“ rather than a tiny image in the middle! We are getting better at looking closely!! —Teacher We are all used to drawing with lines. It‘s tricky to use blurs and smudges and think about black and grey- — Whiteboard conversation In [one] painting the black outline didn‘t make sense when I saw it online. It looked really strong in the painting. Only when I saw the original photo did I see that the flash had created a shadow behind the head and this shadow was the strong black line. It was a real lesson for me about the difference between lens-based sight and the naked eye—Artist
The children took a photograph of themselves and then were painting part of the photograph. They were looking for colour, tone, light and dark. As in previous sessions they were cautious when it came to the mixing of the colours - only the primary
Above - Blurs and smudges, whiteboard Opposite - Self portrait, Roan
Ann Donnelly
⌈ 55⌋
Ann Donnelly
(can’t see the) wood for the trees ⌈ 2010–2011 ⌋
⌈ 56⌋
tree Old English treow Old Norse tré Indo European deru doru In this phase of work we thought about trees: native and nonnative species in the landscape; seasonal change; the presence and use of wood within the home environment; woods and forests in imagination and literature. —Artist Blackthorn... prickly weird spiky dark sharp pointy dead —Whiteboard conversation Whitethorn... On my journey through a broadleaf plantation I photographed a thorn hedge. I wanted to return to this and see if the class [recognised] the trees that they had drawn and painted and to acknowledge the ongoing changes. No-one was sure at first what tree we were looking at. The children contrasted the softness of the whitethorn hedge covered with blossom and its previous harsh blackthorn spikiness.—Artist Blossom soup/ Blossom salad... The class collected samples of blossom from the previously bare trees around the school. We talked about the impermanence of the blossom. Inspired by Chinese and Japanese watercolour techniques, we spent a long time looking at the blossom without painting. Then with the blossom out of sight, we tried painting it. —Artist Plants and trees. Flowers and buds. Blossom and pink. Details, texture, colour, smell, different views – close up and far away. Painting, charcoal, chalk, pencils and strangely enough bread!!!! —John, Robert and John
'Can’t see the woods“ series, Ann Donnelly Blackthorn/ Whitethorn, from whiteboard conversation
Ann Donnelly
⌈ 57⌋ I went to the woods and I found… In trying to make a connection between trees and their uses and byproducts, the class had to look for objects within their home environment that had a connection to woods or forests. Some people made lists and others took photos. I became immersed in making my own list of wooden objects, going through each room, evaluating, pondering the visible and invisible presence of wood. -—Artist Looking for native species, evergreen trees and leaves, things we knew and things we didn’t. Such excitement. The children were busy and active and probably didn’t even think or know they were learning. —Teacher If there are a lot of people there probably aren’t a lot of trees. Forest is dark. Sun doesn’t get through. Trees are close. It can be really quiet. Remote locations. Woods: dark big forest lost risky dangerous roots thistles nettles foxes badgers deer —Whiteboard conversation Where have all the trees gone? The term “temperate rainforest” can be applied to oak forests that used to cover the countryside. Now many of those woods are conspicuous by their absence. We searched for their traces. doire [Irish] oak wood: a wood.... We looked for placenames on the map including this word in various forms: derry/ derragh. The class cross-referenced their finds by first using map view to find selected locations containing the word ”derry” and then switching to satellite view to see if there were any trees or woods left in that area. —Artist Deryykeighan Derryloran Eshnadarrahgh Derrycrin Derrylin Derrynoose Derrytrasna Derrybeg Derrygonnelly Londonderry Upper Ballinderry The symbol for trees on a map is a fir tree not an oak tree. —Whiteboard conversation
Top right - Cherry blossom, Courtney, P7 Bottom right - Using watercolour wash, P7
Ann Donnelly
drawing with light ⌈ 2011–2012 ⌋
⌈ 58⌋
At the begining of this phase of Virtually There I was also starting a residency called Camera Obscura, experimenting with early photographic processes and cameraless images. This coincided with the curricular theme of light; so this phase was about the physics behind photography, experimenting with lenses, shutter speed, translucence and opacity. A fascinating aspect was the freshness and excitement involved in returning to first principles and experimenting with 19th century techniques. Using the digital camera the class made long exposures of 6 seconds while they moved torches. These worked best in the darkest part of the room with blinds closed and using people to help block out the light. The Elluminate programme allowed us to share software so that I could review the images with the class later in the day. We were able to ooh and ahh as their experiments appeared. —Artist
lights than others and some torches produced light in broken lines – which gave a completely different line structure to the photos. Some of our torches also projected a more orange/ golden tone to the light. I remember thinking to myself that the project couldn’t possibly get much better in terms of the skills being taught and used and in terms of the end results - how wrong was I – this was just the beginning.—Teacher
The excitement in the classroom was fantastic when we reviewed our photographs. Everyone in the class was able to create a light drawing. We came to various conclusions – some torches had brighter
Postal photograms were extremely exciting. The children exposed their photograms in a pop-up darkroom using a range of light sources including torches, placed the undeveloped images in a light-tight envelope and Mrs Wilson posted them to me. I developed them in my darkroom
When I saw Ann’s drawing with light it made me want to do it myself and see what shape mine would come out. I was so excited when she said we were going to have a turn ourselves. Ann explained how to work the camera so we could slow the shutter speed down to allow us to do this. I learned that for this to work the room needed to be really dark. We had some fantastic pictures because all our torches were different. —Alice
When I saw Ann’s drawing with light it made me want to do it myself.
I like the different shades on my photogram – I think my light was good and the paper was exposed for the correct amount of time. Next time I would like to add more objects. —Grace
Bottom left - Postal photogram, Grace Opposite - Light drawing, P5
Ann Donnelly
⌈ 59⌋
Ann Donnelly
dwell ⌈2012 - 2013 ⌋
⌈ 60⌋
The children were inspired to connect with their home area and family history through art, creating a body of work that connects the past and the present. —Artist We are mainly doing about places around us or where we live… We worked online. We researched about families and signs and places. This project helped us all to find out different things about our family that we never knew…We used techniques like painting, writing, pen and wash, watercolours, charcoal, photography, collage with different papers, typing and pastels. —Children Last week we had drawn plans individually but the children also had to organise themselves to make a group map. The children naturally organised themselves into their locality – those who were nearest to each other and those who passed friends’ houses on the way to school. Once again discussion with Ann was a central feature. The parents had been invited in to see the beginning of the project and to talk to Ann about the whole process and the thinking behind the virtual aspect of the project. Also, a fabulous opportunity for the parents to talk with the children about our locality and the maps, which the children had drawn.—Teacher
Griffith‘s Map...My Great Grandfather has always lived in this area. When he got married, Great Granda Bob rented a farm in Ardtrea. In the early 1940‘s the opportunity arose to buy a farm at Tullyconnell from Thomas Hogg, which became the homestead. Seven out of his nine children were born at Tullyconnell. —Jake A Gortagammon...Field of the camans or hurleys – is my townland. At the top of the hill behind our house we can see far far away: Antrim hills, Sperrin mountains, Mourne mountains and lots of drumlins. —Kate Rockdale House... is the oldest house in Sandholes. It is very close to me. Captain Lowry lived there and his family before him. He was very wealthy and owned lots of land locally. There are ruins of a walled garden at this house. There is a cellar and a gate lodge here too.—Samuel
Ann Donnelly
⌈ 61⌋
Above -‘Rodney Morton (Dad)‘, Abbie Top right - 'Rockdale House', Samuel Bottom right -'Court tomb near my home', Kate Bottom left - 'Griffith‘s Map', Jake A
Ann Donnelly
precious objects ⌈2013 - 2014 ⌋
⌈ 62⌋
This phase was a continuation of Dwell, examining personal history through selected items from family archives. Through the weeks the children looked at their objects very closely, thought about their value and told stories about their meaning and significance. The work combined various media including photography, text and drawing and has close links with my own practice over the years. I have been developing my own new body of work in parallel with the class. Objects have been selected from my personal archive in response to the conversations I had been having with the children. Collectively they are a self-portrait through “things” and I am interested in how different combinations tell different stories.—Artist
Introductions and some discussion around the whiteboard – this will become an important feature of our contact sessions with Ann. It is here we communicate with Ann and show her our work. We can also use the whiteboard to type our thoughts and ideas and to share them with Ann. As usual the children learned how to operate the equipment quickly and it wasn’t long before they were using the camera, typing on the board and talking to Ann. We began by looking at photographs the children had taken last week. Ann and I felt that this was important so they could all see each others’ work and be able to constructively comment on the photographs.—Teacher 'Untitled', Photographic memory series, Ann Donnelly,
Objects showing wear and tear... Isn’t soft anymore Wee tiny chips up the side Colours are wearing off – faded Bit of wool poking out of teddy Wee bit rusty Starting to lose its fluffiness Some of the porcelain is chipped off Looks as if it’s rusted - tarnished A wee bit of stuffing coming out A bit dusty inside Label is getting ripped —Whiteboard conversation
Ann Donnelly
⌈ 63⌋
Clockwise from top left, Precious objects from home: 'Radio' , Jodie; 'photo', Rhys; 'Book', Isaac; 'Cameo Ring', Lydia
project extracts Joe Coveney Artist
St Mary’s Primary School Cabragh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Damien McAnespie Teacher
P7 (Age 10–11) 2011/ 2012 Children/Year
P5 Stick sculpture shadow drawing. Teacher photograph
Joe Coveney
interconnectedness ⌈2011- 2012 ⌋
⌈ 64⌋
I put a statement to the class: We are in the universe and the universe is in us. A really interesting conversation followed about interconnectedness. A lovely response was:
The sun keeps the universe living… like our heart in our bodies. “Interconnectedness” – I could see this theme underlining my sculptures and drawings and wanted us as a group to start making sculptures based on this theme. Looking at the shadows cast by the models is a way of exploring these ideas. Fortunately it was a beautiful sunny day up in Cabragh so the class could take the work outside and trace the shadows. The drawings were so beautiful...—Artist
Top and Bottom right - Stick sculpture shadow drawings, in the playground
Joe Coveney
⌈ 65⌋
The movement of the sun and the clouds made the shadow wobble a bit. —Artist Above - Hugh and Brendan take their work outside
Joe Coveney
⌈ 66⌋
I tried to make my sculpture as futuristic as possible. It was very fragile and it soon fell over. —Ronan
I just didn‘t know what to do at the beginning but gradually it became this abstract creation. —Caoimhe
I thought it was a bit hard because it kept falling down. I put more plasticine and it started to stay in shape. —Hannah
I would like to look at this again, working with a lot more materials to form a big interconnected collaborative sculpture! How could we organise the work so everyone was engaged? We figured out together that it was best to work in teams first, and then try to join the work together. Amazing problem solving abilities! The work remained about the materials and process as opposed to it becoming representational. —Artist My structure tried to represent an explosive star in the solar system. It was difficult to keep the structure upright and it collapsed! —Jude
This photograph demonstrated its instability, but it still looks good!
Above - Children‘s sculptures.Teacher photographs Opposite - P5 making their big interconnected collaborative sculpture
Joe Coveney
⌈ 67⌋
project extracts Julie Forrester Artist
Our LAdy Of Lourdes Primary School Park Lodge, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Tony Boyle Teacher
P5 (Age 8– 9) / 2013-2014 Children/Year
Following 'random drawing' instructions in the playground P5. Artist photograph
Julie Forrester
recipes for drawing ⌈ 2013-2014 ⌋
⌈ 70⌋
Tony talked about Cave Hill – the place, the imagination, and C.S. Lewis. I talked about diamonds, geometry and fractals through the screen. So Cave Hill Diamonds is the starting point for us. One of the recurring themes in my work is rhythms and patterns in the way we do things, habits, gestures and interactions. An extension of this is a search for patterns in geometry and nature, especially looking at self-generating patterns as expressed by fractals and order/chaos. —Artist A fractal is a shape which stays the same whether it gets smaller or bigger. —Child We made equilateral triangles out of A4 paper. We joined them together to make hexagons and we joined the hexagons to make a bigger shape. The class were busy behind the scenes folding triangles again and again. We counted 40 at one point but I think we folded more…we were looking at Sierpinski’s Fractals… we noticed, as we folded our triangle up to the previous fold lines, that the triangles were all equilaterals and they were getting smaller and smaller. All very ordered and systematic. What might the opposite be? The class came up with words like disordered and chaos.—Artist
I drew a crystal using just triangles and different shades of pink. I first started off by drawing 22 dots on the page; next I drew lines to connect the dots. —Ellie
What other ways can we create random patterns? — Artist
Below rightt: Ellie‘s crystal. Digital drawing Above right: Connecting with artist Julie Forrester. Whiteboard
Julie Forrester
⌈ 71⌋
A Recipe for a Random Drawing one piece of A4 paper a handful of washers a pencil 1. Close eyes 2. Drop washers one by one 3. Keep going till one falls on the ground 4. Mark the places where each washer landed
Above: Random drawing by artist Julie Forrester
Julie Forrester
⌈ 72⌋
Drawing Recipes (REal Visit)... Outside…working in self-organised teams, the children devised “recipes” for making drawings. The ingredients for this recipe were chalk, people and playground. The instructions were another matter…. Instructions were quite ambitious. Building time machines and portals were part of the equation.The children tested instructions and passed them on to another group. They made drawings by following the instructions given by each group. There was plenty of room for interpretation. —Artist
Above - Our lady of lourdes playground, covered with P5‘s 'recipe' drawings
Describing our work a stone in water creating ripples frog spawn the rings of a tree (which were drawn going in and spreading out – as one artist put it, ‘going backwards and forwards in time’) hopscotch hypnotic circles footsteps and stepping stones repetition a journey
Julie Forrester
⌈ 73⌋
Drawing REcipes (Virtual)...I have asked each student to send me an instruction, which I will attempt to follow – that’s 29 individual drawings – and send back digitally. —Artist
Drawing Recipe from Luca 1 Use lots of shading techniques 2 And lots of dark thick lines 3 And shading inside the dark lines 4 Draw shapes in shapes in places that feel sweet 5 Use lots of smudging and brushing
Above - Artist Julie Forrester follows Luca‘s recipe in her studio. Video stills
project extracts Fionnuala Conway Artist
Bocombra Primary School Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
Karen Flack Teacher
P6 (age 9-10) /2012-2013 Children/Year
Sound file from P6 class performance, https://soundcloud.com/fionnuala-conway/group-improvisation-based-on
Fionnuala Conway
soundscapes and scores ⌈ 2012-2013 ⌋
⌈ 76⌋
Real Visit... Some physical work and making quiet sounds using the body. The focus…to explore the sounds that are possible and listen carefully to them. The structure of a musical bar was established through a count of 1 2 3 4. Also, some funny gestures. It’s hard not to make movements when performing. Each group learned a different rhythm: ...Kadacaboom ...Boom ba boom ba boom boom bim bim ...Chk Chk Chk Chk —Artist
A listening exercise… We listened out for sounds that were representational and where the location might be. The children were excellent at spotting the sounds. Drawing their individual responses the stories that began to emerge from the children were really beautiful and imaginative. Capturing the stories as digital versions, each child had their own iPad for the exercise. Next we moved onto looking at Garageband and recording a narration of the stories. Delighted to see and hear that the stories and resulting soundscapes have gone on their own imaginative journey. — Artist Learning about how to make music by using our body. We learnt about loud and soft sounds, coming in on different beats and we produced our own song as Fionnuala conducted. The children were very impressed that their song could be written as a score. —Teacher
Wheeee! Click clock Kadacaboom Chk chk chk chk
Fionnuala Conway
⌈ 77⌋
Opposite - Musician/Composer Fionnuala Conway conducting P6 children during a real visit. Above - P6 class working in groups making scores
Fionnuala Conway
⌈ 78⌋
Creating graphic scores and legends of sounds…How might your idea translate to a stranger? Do your graphics clearly communicate your ideas, sounds and instructions? Making sound using voice… We studied the techniques used in the Honda advertisement video. Some of the sounds identified include: ...the car accelerating (in the video, the accelerator dial goes up) ...turning key to start engine ...car rolling across gravel (the choir use 2 sounds to perform this) ...car going fast on road ...car going into a tunnel ...roof opening In small groups, the class performed the sounds and described how the sounds were made. Then we tried performing the piece as a class. We are gathering techniques for vocal performance that will feed into the next composition and performance piece. Sonic meditations... We gathered audio from our sonic meditations and listened to it. Some of the sounds noticed by the children include: Sounds from the body: heartbeat, breathing, sound of the wind in their hair. Sounds within a 12-foot radius: wind in the trees, a ladder dropping on the ground, people talking as they walk by, birds singing. Sounds far away: traffic going by, truck going over a bump, children shouting inside the school.
We blew as the wind and whistled like the trees…we made sounds like cars and cans being blown by the wind. Megan did really good sound effects. I liked doing the cars and lorries. —Grace
Fionnuala Conway
⌈ 79⌋
Above - P6 class working in groups making scores
project extracts Vanya Lambrecht Ward Artist
Bocombra Primary School Portadown, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland
Kathryn Johnston Teacher
P6, P7 (age 9 –11) / 2011-2012 Children/Year
Artist drawings exploring the theme of movement.
Vanya Lambrecht Ward
thaumatropes & other magic ⌈ 2011-2012 ⌋
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Motion, Movement and Making things move...will be our loose theme. We have been looking at movement and the traces it leaves behind. We looked at the lines it creates. How do we make things move on paper? A flipbook…this would be similar to the way we might go about it if you were to draw moving things, objects or people. I showed the class a little thaumatrope I had made when I was testing some of the ideas we were talking about. Our first experiment…to do some drawing with all the things we had discussed. I showed the class a tracing I did of my dog when he was running in his sleep. Keeping in the spirit of investigating movement we tried to trace our own movements. Artist Tony Orrico makes his huge beautiful drawings with both his hands at the same time while lying down, by making the same move over and over and over and over and over again. We thought about some moves we could make that would make different shapes. Then we tested our theory of how this would work. We tried our simple moves again and again and again. —Artist
Vanya Lambrecht Ward
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What was hard about this experiment? ...that you had to use both hands ...the way we held the pencil ...if one hand wanted to do something else
Opposite top - Movement drawings. Children connecting with Vanya online. Webcam images Opposite centre right - Artist‘s drawing of her dog Opposite bottom - Magic turning device–Thaumatrope Above - P6/7 two handed drawings. Webcam images
Vanya Lambrecht Ward
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The idea was to build some sort of device or machine that can move in some way! We looked at the work of Alexander Calder and Jean Tinguely who made wonderful kinetic sculptures and fascinating machines. How are we going to make things of the sort and with what? We had to think up some shapes and then also discuss and think about how we were going to build them and in what ways we could make them move. How best to hang, stick and place the different works while keeping in mind the idea of motion and movement? We split into four groups and each group tackled a section of the work. One group made a pillar from all the acetate sheets that we had used for tracing. Another group started working with the thaumatropes. Another group got to work on the mono prints and the drawings we made, and tried to think of shapes and movement and motion that had inspired us. The last group worked out the structure of the sculptural shapes so that we could use it like an obstacle course for the ball to travel on in the animation. —Artist
Above - Getting objects ready for animation. Webcam images Opposite - Movement animation, P6/7. Still image,
Vanya Lambrecht Ward
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Set up the objects and take lots and lots of pictures of every little move and then concoct it into the animation. —Artist
project extracts Sharon Kelly Artist
St Patrick’s Primary School Crossmaglen, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
Elaine O’Sullivan Teresa Fanthorpe Una Carolan Dearbhla Bennett Teacher
P5 (age 8–9)/2011-2012 P2 (age 5–6) / 2012–2013 P4 (age 7–8) / 2013–2014 Children/Year
'Wall Drawing', 2013, Sharon Kelly, artist solo-practice, preceding Interpret phase.
Sharon Kelly
pattern & pulse ⌈ 2011⌋
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We thought about patterns that our own bodies make. The children came up with some very important ones: Our own Earlier that morning they had run some laps of the school and used a stethoscope to listen to hear heartbeats. After our body symmetry, breathing, heartbeat and pulse. discussion we tried to find another beat from our bodies – our Miss O’Sullivan encourages the children to complete 5 laps of pulse. We tried to draw our pulse, by thinking of how it felt. the school regularly and so on hearing this, I was interested to Some felt a soft beat, others described it like a mini heartbeat. know what the children noticed about their run and the effect Some wonderful drawings were made. on their bodies. What effect does running have on our bodies? Breathing gets faster Tired! Hot
These were the resting pulses, so in order to shake things up a bit we needed to be really active. The children were very enthusiastic to the idea of another run. Next thing they were heading out the door with their teacher, while I jumped up and down here in the studio to get my heartbeat raised! —Artist
Heading out the door... Slowly get faster... Draw your changing heartbeat... —Artist
P5 child running. Teacher photograph
Sharon Kelly
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Above -Whiteboard conversation
Sharon Kelly
changes ⌈2011- 2012 ⌋
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Journey detectives... The virtual aspect of this project enabled me to continue working with the children even while travelling further afield. I showed the class some pictures of what I saw when I woke up and had a look around the next day. Not only did I take photographs of my travels but I also kept a sketchbook. I was working on a small sketchbook called a CONCERTINA sketchbook, which has all the pages joined together and can open and close like a concertina. The children were all set to bring their own concertina sketchbooks to life. They all made their own record of a journey from the classroom to the outside playground. They recorded things very quickly that they saw on the way. It‘s different making fast sketches, yet the children returned with some really wonderful drawings. I reminded the children to draw the view in front of them as if they were ‘on their way’. The children set off to record their journey, making drawings and taking photographs. Making a drawing takes time and we DO notice more when we stop to observe. When I am out and about I take my sketchbook – here’s a picture and the place where I made a small sketch - a small harbour scene near the Lake.– Artist Thanks to Sharon the children feel that they have travelled with her sharing all the lovely experiences along the way! – Teacher
I really enjoyed being out of the classroom space and somewhere else. —Malachi
Above right - Artist sketch, Bronte, Ontario, Canada. Artist photograph Bottom right - P5 Sketching, recording details outdoors/playground
Sharon Kelly
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Can you guess where I am? —Artist Top - Detail of artists concertina sketchbook Bottom - Travelling to Canada. Artist photographs
Sharon Kelly
distortion detectives ⌈2011- 2012 ⌋
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Real Visit… I arrived down to St Patrick’s PS in Crossmaglen in warm sunshine to seek further distortions and ways of recording these. We very quickly found ourselves outside armed with underwater cameras and lots of energy and enthusiasm. What beautiful school grounds, with small gardens, pitches, trees and a pond area. We decided that we would take it in turns to photograph an object under the water, using an underwater camera. These were single use cameras and the film inside would need to be processed and printed out as photographs. We would have to be patient to see the results of this! The act of trying to get the camera into the water and take pictures as well as hold something there was very tricky.
Look at those reflections!—Artist peep-viewers... We had time to look through the peep-viewers that create such strange distortions. In order to take a photograph we had the peep-viewer wrapped in foam so it would fit over the small lens on the digital camera. The children took it in turns to look through and take pictures. —Artist We looked through the peep viewer. It made everything longer. Then we drew what we could see. —Michael
It was a beautiful day, just perfect for getting your hands wet. Sharon took P5 on an adventure. —Shauna Top left - Recording distortions, P5. Class photograph Middle - Object taken with disposable under- water camera, P5. Class photograph Far right - Homemade fish eye lens. P5. Class photogrpah
Sharon Kelly
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Testing out a homemade fish-eye lens, p5,.Class photograph
Sharon Kelly
who has seen the wind? ⌈ 2012-2013 ⌋
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What if we tried to trace something we could not see? Something like the WIND! How can we track the wind direction? Working hard to blow bubbles…we blew…and blew… and blew… —Artist
Ribbons... By tying ribbons to the tree, we can see exactly which way the wind is blowing.—Artist It’s blowing that way!—Children Kites... Before we set out to make the kites, I introduced the idea of wind resistance. They enjoyed the free exploratory nature of the activity. The boundaries and the confines of the classroom were gone and they had a freedom to explore and investigate in a unique way. —Teacher
What do we need? More wind!
Above left - P5 Blowing Bubbles, Right - Working together, making kites, Opposite - Paper ribbons,
Sharon Kelly
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Sharon Kelly
interpret ⌈ 2013-2014 ⌋
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We are all very excited to be meeting again with Sharon next Distance... week, to discuss where we go next in our ‘interpretation’ of the What do we notice about things that are close to us and those things that are far away? Work in groups to observe friends… world around us. —Teacher draw the shape of your friend or photograph them with an iPad. Observe their shape and create a sort of silhouette – a solid, I made lots of drawings about the experience of running, filled in shape. because I like to run. The children made responses to my drawings… —Artist How do we see shadows? We need light, but where do we need to stand to create a shadow? In front of, or behind the light? In front, We agreed. Make a silhouette of your whole body and find a way to suspend it in the grounds of the school. We used EVERY spare piece of floor... Positive & negative shapes created. Ready to discuss how we could suspend the silhouettes. —Artist
Above left: 'Breather' solo-work, Artist, Sharon Kelly Right: Creating Silhouettes, P4. Artist photograph Opposite: 'Blue Floaty Silhouette', P4. Artist photograph
Sharon Kelly
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Sharon Kelly
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running drawings ... I was exploring the idea of running drawings further with another artist who uses computers and digital media to create artwork. I asked each child to go out and run around the space. They made a drawing of the shape of their run onto a piece of tracing paper…the drawings were laid one over another and each trail was visible through the tracing paper. What a lovely effect!
I liked the first time that we did it. And after I felt hungry and happy. I was hot and cold.—child
We invited the children to make a drawing by hand in response to the digital image. We took it in turns to add something to the drawing and also at the same time to erase a little. We used a large chunk of charcoal and an eraser to do this. The drawing is changing by adding with charcoal and rubbing out with an eraser. We used a stills camera to take photographs of the Robin (the digital artist) explained how the Wii remote controller stages of the drawing. Lots of drawings were made based on detects movement made by the hand and feeds this information the runs made and the data collected. —Artist into a computer programme, which can interpret it as a linear shape – like a drawing. The children needed to hold the Wii remote in their hand and carry a small computer in a backpack when they moved or ran. Each child would make a run. Back in the classroom Robin transferred the data. When we looked at the digital data we saw lots of runs marked in different colours. —Artist The grass was wet and it needed a grass cut. —Child
Above right - 'Artist Drawing,' re-interpreting digital drawing lines, Sharon Kelly collaborating with Robin Price Centre -'Shape of Run', P4 layered drawings. Pencil on tracing paper Far right -'Running with Wii remote', P4. Artist photograph Opposite - P4 Child drawing, re-interpreting digital drawing lines
Sharon Kelly
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Above - 'layers‘ 2011, Ann Henderson connecting with Ballydown PS. Whiteboard image
Epilogue by Marie O‘Donoghue Creative & Expressive Advisor Belfast Education & Library Board
Ten years ago I wrote a short piece in response to a number of artists’ residencies within schools, facilitated through the Kids’ Own project. The importance at that time centred on artists working alongside children and teachers in the classroom to promote the creative process. Ten years later new residencies have taken place and once more I am reflecting on the effects of this type of collaboration in the classroom. Does it support the creative process and encourage our children to think more creatively, and more importantly, how are we embracing technology as an integral part of this exchange? Do the new technologies influence, help, hinder, and most importantly inspire children to learn in the classroom? We have all witnessed within what seems a relatively short space of time how our world is changing and how our lives are continually being revolutionised by the development of technology. How do we, as educators, engage with it meaningfully and use it to facilitate learning rather than allowing our young to become captives of it? As an educator and mother to two children I have witnessed both in schools and at home how our world has become wrapped in a chain of digital devices: the internet, the interactive whiteboard, smart phones, iPads, and so it goes on… Yet still within all this manmade phenomena our power as individuals and our ability to think, make decisions and understand the world around us stays the same. It is against this backdrop that I revisit the question that I asked ten years ago – how can a collaboration between artists, teachers and children promote the creative process? The focus still has to be on the learning but what becomes very interesting is to see how the technology has become an integral part of the arts practice between the children and the artist. Significant changes have taken place within this collaboration – no longer is the artist physically in the classroom. Now they remain in their own studio linked to the children through a virtual environment. Our new generation of children have been reared on a diet of digital technology and are at ease with it. Their methods of learning have changed and accessing new and exciting information is an everyday occurrence. It is extraordinary to watch the speed at which technology is impacting on our lives and that of our children. So how do you engage with these digital natives and keep them as excited and captivated as
when they have an iPad on their lap? The answer for me is the human dimension, the connecting with an artist, being able to interact and work alongside an established professional – someone for whom the creative process is central to their work. Every child that I spoke to agreed that the artist was the driving force of this collaboration. It was interesting to hear their perceptions; they thought it was amazing that they could watch the artist at work on the interactive whiteboard, that they could ask him or her questions and share their work through the webcam. They weren’t so intrigued by the technology, but more by the opportunity to communicate, watch and learn with a “real artist”. There have been similar connecting threads from the projects from ten years ago. But dwindling budgets and time constraints within schools have meant that the exchange in the classroom has taken on a whole new form. The cast are the same: the artist, the teacher and the children. Their roles have slightly changed. The artist once more is to the fore, bringing with them their own particular dynamism. But instead of being the physical facilitator demonstrating new skills and drawing out the children’s ideas, the artist stays within their own environment working in parallel with the children. The success of the collaboration still depends very much on the relationship and trust between the artist, teacher and pupils. Being able to see, hear and exchange ideas and work enables the relationship to develop. For me as an observer it was interesting to view how both parties worked within their own safe environment, taking the time to connect when they reviewed each other’s work and wanted to seek advice and ask questions. The artist’s studio becomes a temporary extension within the classroom. The creative use of the interactive whiteboard and webcam provides a means to exchange ideas. It is interesting to note that ten years ago the technology was being used more as a means of recording what had happened in the classroom whereas now it has become integral to the process of the learning; another vital tool within the child’s world. It’s slowly emerging into all aspects of the learning but we still need to be in control of how we use it. The technology brings immediacy to everything. The internet and other digital devices are powerful tools, opening up new opportunities for everyone. In the classroom there has been a shift in the balance of roles within the collaboration;
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before there was more responsibility placed on the artist, this time the primary facilitator is the teacher.
he loved when the technology wouldn’t work because he wanted to see how or by what means they were going to access the artist.
It is they who have to enable the translation of the ideas into practice as well as manage the technology and manage our most precious resource: the children. This type of collaboration is not for the fainthearted. It takes a particular dedicated educationalist who believes in experimenting and who values the learning process rather than the end product. The teachers who have engaged with this programme are highly creative and committed individuals who are visionary in what they want for their children. They believe in creating a highly stimulating learning environment for everyone and are willing to take risks and see the value in this type of approach. Both the artist and the teacher engaged in meaningful evaluation between themselves following each session as well as evaluating the work with the children through informal discussions, whole class sessions and the updating of online journals. Some of the children also kept individual diaries noting how their work was progressing.
These latest collaborations have certainly challenged our children, both in their thinking but also in encouraging them to look and see how other thinkers and artists have interpreted their ideas across the globe. New possibilities were created and the children were able to gain great confidence when talking and discussing other artists’ work. They were able to make links with their own work and that of the artist. As one child said it was a great experience to have their work and ideas valued by the artist. I think the fact that they were working on similar themes meant that a synergy flowed between them. Both parties were working continuously on developing ideas while enjoying the opportunity to experiment and play. It is this imaginative, unknown, risk-taking path that is at the core of education. Working alongside the artist, the children began to understand and realise the importance of developing their own voice.
The teachers enjoyed connecting online as it meant that they didn’t have to worry about getting their classroom physically ready for a new visitor to work in. The children too expressed that they much preferred working online rather than the artist coming in physically. Although I must admit that when the two schools in my area had the opportunity to welcome the artist for a real physical visit it was like a super hero had arrived! This collaboration has certainly benefited from the exchange of ideas, the sharing of work and the ability to be able to access everyone else’s experiences online with the blogs and visual journals, something that ten years ago would have been inconceivable. Another major influence on the learning has been the huge contextual resource, which can be accessed online within the classroom. I saw how the work was enriched and informed by looking at the work of other artists and how everyone was able to use these works of art both as a stimulus to promote discussion and also as a means of learning new techniques and ways of doing things. Of course there have been hitches on the way. One of the biggest concerns was what do you do when the technology lets you down? This is where you are dependent on having a versatile teacher who can problem solve and come with creative alternatives. Although one child commented on that fact that
The integration of the technology has strengthened this collaboration. Flexibility in approach and a willingness to share the steering of the project between the three parties worked well. Once more there is a need to value the process rather than the end product. From watching the partnership develop I think that the success of the creative process still relies heavily on the dynamics of the relationship between the artist, teacher and the pupils. The greater the degree of openness, the more innovation and risk-taking are evident in the responses. Certainly the work that I have seen through these collaborations has been highly creative. Everyone has been challenged and much has been gained from the children interacting with and watching how the artists approach their work. The children’s responses and reactions can also excite the artist…Being able to view the world through new young eyes can open the mind of the adult. What makes this collaboration work is a commitment to creativity and a value being put on the need to develop minds, personalities and giving the children the confidence to grow and explore.
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Above - 'Introducations', Julie Forrester connecting with Our Lady of Lourdes PS. Whiteboard image
Artist Biographies
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Fionnuala Conway...is a musician, composer and multimedia artist. With a background in music and music technology, she has worked as composer and performer on a number of theatre productions and produced work in a wide variety of forms, from traditional materials to interactive digital media, wearable technology, installations and theatre presentation, including Art of Decision and Urban Chameleon. She has been lecturing on the M.Phil. in Music and Media Technologies course at Trinity College, Dublin since 2002 and was appointed Course Director in 2006. Joe Coveney...Since graduating from Winchester School of Art in 2006 with an MA in Sculpture Joe has worked internationally as a visual artist, both on personal studio projects and in a collaborative/community context. In 2013 he was awarded a scholarship to study an MA in Product Design at Domus Academy in Milan, which he is currently completing. The course has offered him a way to bring together his various interests and skills in a very focused way and a structure to develop professionally. Ann Donnelly...is a Northern Irish artist working mainly with video and photography, often in response to a sense of place. She has been involved in this project since the Further Afield phase in spring 2009 and recently received an ACES award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to support and develop her work with the Kids’ Own Virtual Residency Programme. In both solo practice and collaborative projects, she continues to explore themes of being and belonging and her work has been exhibited internationally. Julie Forrester...holds a First Class Honours Masters Degree in Art and Process from CIT Crawford College of Art and Design, Cork and a BA (hon) degree in Fine Art from The Slade School, UCL, London. She also holds a qualification in Community Arts Practice (C.R.E.A.T.E.) and a BTech level 5 in Multimedia from Colaiste Stiofan Naofa, Cork. Julie has been working in the area of participatoryarts for more than 20 years, working with organisations such as Cork Community Artlink, Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership, The Crafts Council of Ireland, HSE, Arts and Minds, Triskel Arts Centre, The Crawford Gallery, Foroige and the City of Cork VEC.
Ann Henderson...is an artist based on Rathlin Island, off the north coast of Ireland, who has an established practice both locally and internationally. For over twenty years she has been investing in a combination of solo and collaborative work - the majority of the latter, over the last seven years, being developed through virtual means. Ann’s practice is built upon relentless investigation into natural processes and her approach is both open-ended and experimental. Working as an artist within formal educational contexts is of particular importance to Ann. Maree Hensey...is a visual artist. She draws, paints and works with wood, clay, steel and plaster. At the heart of her work is engagement and participation with young people. She has successfully completed a number of public art commissions, site-specific installations and residencies. Sharon Kelly...In over 20 years as a practising artist, Sharon has enjoyed studio-based practice; exhibiting nationally and internationally; collaborative projects with other arts practitioners (poet, dancer, choreographers); and has participated in educational projects in a spirit of exploration. She likes to draw, paint, use photography, video, collage things, sew and she likes to run! Vanya Lambrecht Ward...is an artist working with photographs, objects, paint and books. Her work is most often about perception and the way we look at and understand our environment. She loves to discover new ways of looking and these explorations can take many forms. She worked on the Virtually There project in 2012 and with Kids’ Own on several projects since 2008. Dr Andrew Livingstone...holds a BA (Hons), MA and a PhD. He is an academic at the University of Sunderland where he leads both MA Ceramics and CARCuos the Ceramic Arts Research Centre. His exhibitions include The Smithsonian Institute and the Garth Clark Gallery, New York. His work is held in many private and public collections internationally, including Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taiwan and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Andrew
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS
Ballydown Primary School ̷ ̷ Banbridge, Co. Down Ballydown’s relationship with artist Ann Henderson stretches back more than 10 years, to the Trading Places project, which began in 2003. Since that time, Ballydown has worked on an ongoing basis with Kids’ Own and with Ann. The extent to which Ann’s work has become a part of the whole-school consciousness at Ballydown is a testament to the commitment and vision of Principal Wilson McMullan and the teachers who really value and recognise the impact of Ann’s work. Two teachers in particular–Judith White and Julie Orr–have worked extensively with Ann and continue to show a real passion for these ongoing investigations. Other teachers have also been involved at various stages, including Jo Duke and Beatrice Glass. Bocombra Primary School ̷ ̷ Portadown, Co. Armagh Bocombra Primary School has worked with Kids’ Own on the Virtually There project for the past 3 years. Each year has seen a different artistteacher partnership. In 2011–12, artist Vanya Lambrecht Ward worked with teacher Kathryn Johnston. In 2012–13, a new partnership began between musician/composer Fionnuala Conway and teacher Karen Flack. In 2013, artist Joe Coveney began a new phase of work with teacher Alison Brown. Donaghey Primary SchooL ̷ ̷ Dungannon, Co. Tyrone Teacher Marcella Wilson has been working with artist Ann Donnelly on the Virtually There project since early 2009. Marcella’s interest in the project was sparked by a discussion forum at the AmmA Creative Learning Centre in Armagh in 2008, where she saw the work that Ann Henderson was doing with Ballydown Primary School. Marcella and Ann’s close working relationship has really strengthened over the period of time they have been working together, promoting an excellent learning environment in the classroom, not just within the area of art but throughout the whole curriculum. Principal Mr Stuart Harrison, staff and parents all value the hard work of Marcella and Ann and the opportunities given to the children of Donaghey through this programme. Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School
Teacher Tony Boyle from Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School in Belfast, joined the project in 2013. Tony’s enthusiasm and interest stemmed from his own background in art training. He worked with artist Julie Forrester in the most recent phase of the project. St. Patrick’s Primary School ̷ ̷ Crosmaglen, Co. Down St. Patrick’s Primary School joined the Virtually There project in early 2011. Since that time, a number of teachers have worked with artist Sharon Kelly on the project, including Elaine O’Sullivan, Una Carolan, Teresa Fanthorpe and Dearbhla Bennett, with continued support and commitment from Principal Michael Madine. Strandtown Primary School ̷ ̷ Belfast Having worked with artist Andrew Livingstone on two earlier Kids’ Own projects–Multimedia Maps and Trading Places–Teacher Vanessa Patton came back to begin a new partnership with Andrew as part of the Virtually There project in autumn 2012. Other teachers /schools that have participated in Virtually There: Joanne Murray, Cookstown Primary School–working with artist Joe Coveney (autumn 2012–spring 2013) Damien McAnespie, St Mary’s Primary School, Cabragh, Co. Tyrone– working with artist Joe Coveney (autumn 2011–spring 2012) Meadhbh Murphy & Fran Myles, StThomas Junior National School, Jobstown, Tallaght–working with artist Maree Hensey (spring 2012) Louise English, Dromore Road Primary School, Warrenpoint, Co. Down–working with musician/composer Fionnuala Conway (autumn 2011–spring 2012) Paul Moore, Derryhale Primary School, Portadown, Co. Armagh– working with artist Triona Ryan (spring 2011)
̷ ̷ Belfast
Overleaf 'Dismantle Drawing', OHP viewing 2013, P5, Kiwi fruit. Photograph Teacher, Julie Orr
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More books by Kids‘ Own Publishing Partnership
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Beneath the Surface Teachers and artists share ideas for developing arts projects in the classroom. A book from Trading Places/ CR.E.A.TE, developed through a three-year residency programme with Kids’ Own.
Practice Journal The Practice Journal is an annual publication that promotes and celebrates the very best of professional arts practice with children and young people in Ireland and beyond.
ISBN-10: 1902432274
Issue 1
ISSN: 2009-2563
Issue 3
ISSN: 2009-2565-15
Issue 4
ISSN: 2009-2563-35
Lullaby Project A book about creating a space of shared connections between babies and their carers. ISBN: 978-1-902432-90-8
The Nature of Sligo A book of artwork and ideas from children, artists and teachers from County Sligo, Ireland.
Opening The Door Experience, learning and legacy from the Kids’ Own Being and Belonging Project. ISBN: 978-1-902432-85-4
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V i rtual ly Th ere How can technology support meaningful and long-term arts experiences between artists, children and teachers in schools?
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The VirtuallyThere project has been challenging conventional models of arts practice since 2007, by engaging artists in their studio with children and teachers in the classroom, through the use of video-conferencing technology. Through a selection of journal extracts recorded by participants on the project, this book offers an inspiring insight into long-term collaborative processes between artists, children and teachers. The Virtually There project has been made possible with ongoing funding from The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, through its Lottery Grant Programme.
ISBN 978-1-90243291-7
© Kids‘ Own Publishing Partnership 2014
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