rainbows

Last weekend I ran felt making workshops with the amazingly energetic volunteer Hilary at The Hepworth Wakefield (Hilary is a legend). Here I let you into a secret - felt making doesn't interest me much (gasp). This is my own personal attitude that I keep under wraps and again during the weekend I was reminded that my personal feelings are not important one jot. I was carried along by the publics reaction to the process and alchemy of creating a felted fabric using fleece and energy, transforming light and fluffy into a hardwearing and fixed (almost) ‘object’. 

My belief is it’s not always important for the creative practitioner to favour the subject they share. In this case my ‘distance’ from felt making allowed me to cut corners, making this a child friendlily and relatively quick activity. What a creative practitioner does need is joy in process, of clearly staging the learning journey, of encouraging and supporting exploration and learning by the individual at their own pace in their own way. In my own way I give guidance, 'listen’ to body language, and at times I consciously hold back to create a space for the participant to discover by thinking and doing. 

This is the workshop I notice the most heartfelt thanks at the end... it fires up something in people, I’d call it wonder, they really value the gift of the experience.

This little girl was about 6 and was wearing a beaded rainbow headband, her mother told me she loved rainbows. Here her dextrous and careful hands are expertly laying down her design onto the rolling mat. I was struck by the care she took and delicacy of her hand eye coordination. 

We are felt making again on the 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th of December - so come along and work off the Christmas stupor!

consider, discuss, select

The final days of our project, A September To Remember at The Hepworth Wakefield have flown by. Last week we spent a day on the Yorkshire Moors with walk leader Pete, learning about compass readings and taking bearings. This week we've worked in the learning studio with a focus of making, considering and selecting work for exhibition. The consensus is our show is not about an end point, it celebrates how far we have come and hints at continuation. With this in mind the title Until The Far Distance suggests onward momentum and facing the future. During an intensive three weeks we brought together a group of people who had never met before, who were not aware of Richard Long's work and challenged them to create artworks in physical and exciting ways - walking, looking, listening, responding, measuring, making, taking photos, drawing, creating text, discussing. This week we designed and distributed invites, considered curation and marketing, created interpretation text and planned skills sharing workshops led by the young people during the celebration event for the show. Seven participants started and seven remained for the whole process, an amazing journey with learning for all of us, not just the young people.

Until The Far Distance opens in Gallery 6 on 2nd Of October and runs until the 7th October (gallery open 10am-5pm). Join us on the 5th October between 4pm-7pm for a celebration event with refreshments and art activities led by the young artists themselves.

 Getting our bearings

 Recording the landscape

What could go where? Visual thinking for our exhibition

 Word clouds created with Wordle

Flakes of clay fallen from the groups drawings

Working wall - to be exhibited in the picnic area next to the learning studios

until the far distance

I've been working with artists Gillian Brent and Bryony Pritchard engaging an inspiring group of young people with the work of Richard Long at The Hepworth Wakefield. Their show, Until The far Distance, opens in Gallery 6 on October 2nd and runs until October 7th. Join us on the 5th between 4pm-7pm for a celebration event with refreshments and art activities led by the young artists themselves. 

act, intervene, observe

Our project, A September To Remember at The Hepworth Wakefield is in full swing engaging a dedicated group of young people in making art. These pictures show local explorations, actions in the learning studios and our visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. All interventions, recordings and tweaking's sparked by Richard Long's concepts and methodologies. Ta Richard.

 Exciting intervention in the everyday - but is it art?

 Clay = action, stick = contemplation - moods induced by process

 The artist making her mark

 Walking the line

 Tools for art making

 What could it mean?

 Not us, but I wish it had been

One for me... I'm always drawn to these memorials, and today I learned the story behind this one

young people's project

Myself and colleagues from the Creative Practitioner team at The Hepworth Wakefield are currently planning an intensive three week programme of creativity and experimentation for young people inspired by Richard Long's exhibition in the gallery. Artist Rooms: Richard Long continues until Sunday 14th October 2012.

richard long

On the opening weekend of Richard Long's exhibition I ran drop-in workshops for families using pebbles, cobbles and slate to create spirals, circles and sinuous lines that traversed the learning studio floor. The seriousness with which the children took in decision making, arranging and careful positioning of stone next to stone delighted me and led to interesting conversations with parents sharing our own memories of absorbing childhood play. 

The particularly wet June meant we worked indoors but I dearly hope we can use the marvellous outdoor green space that runs the length of the gallery (near to Long's grass work) in future drop-ins.

space

In the peace and quiet before a workshop I take great pleasure in setting up the workspace, focusing on how to help my group feel welcome and considered within the studio. As I was doing this a colleague walked in and said Oh, your spaces. I like to think of this space as mine, it travels with me and I can make anywhere home for a while.