Art and Design Technology

ART & DT

This year has once again seen lots of wonderful art being created by the children in the Junior School. Although sadly there have been no inperson exhibitions to enjoy due to restrictions, with a period of remote learning came exciting additional opportunities to widen the creative possibilities available to children. For instance, some were able to work for more time on their artwork without the restraints of lesson times. Children were also given more flexibility on media choices and creative style and with this came some exciting and innovative work.

Year 3 began the year by exploring the work of several different artists and experimenting with a range of media, culminating in an abstract final piece inspired by artist Kandinsky. During the period of home learning some children created really striking rainforest pictures using a range of collage techniques. Some children also made 3D snakes after making their own salt dough. Back at school they each produced a piece of hand-made felt on which they sewed some simple applique flowers. They were truly stunning! How different artists experimented with colour in their work was explored by Year 4. They produced their own colourful rooms with one-point perspective and designed and created their own printing blocks to produce their own piece of Christmas wrapping paper. During the period of home learning, some children created striking mixed-media collage pieces with an Ancient Egyptian theme. Being able to share their creations on Microsoft Teams allowed for constructive peer feedback amongst the pupils and this was a delight to see. Back at school, Year 4 enjoyed creating clay plaques where they developed skills in using clay. Year 5 formed their own dreamlike Surrealist images, taking inspiration from the work of Marc Chagall. Clay skills were developed when the children designed and sculpted their own wonderful Greek pottery. During the period of home learning some children explored artwork by environmental artists Sayaka Ganz and Simone Spicer. They enjoyed creating their own 3D artwork using materials that would otherwise have been thrown away as well as designing pictures with a strong anti-plastic pollution message. The artwork and architecture of environmental artist and architect, Hundertwasser, was looked at in some detail by Year 6 during the first term. They created stunning posters with a strong environmental theme. These were put up around the Junior School for everyone to see. Intricate clay pots were created out of clay using a variety of coiling methods and these were the first clay pieces from the Junior School to be fired in the kiln! Pre-Prep have also enjoyed a mix of art lessons this year in their classrooms,

linked to their IPC learning, as well as skillsbased lessons in our dedicated art space. They learnt a range of skills and techniques and studied artists such as Claude Monet and Kandinsky. All students are so excited to use our new art room for a range of lessons and Forder activities; we are so lucky to have such an amazing space! It has also been an incredible year for outdoor art with our fantastic Woodland Classroom and all the opportunities it brings to create art in the natural world. All in all, a wonderful year of art across the Junior School!