Explore
Explore is a simple and practical resource for introducing creative multisensory arts activities to your group or setting.
The resource outlines three artist led case studies which took place in three Special Needs Schools. Interactive tactile sculptures were placed in each school as a starting point, exciting and intriguing the children, and then through using movement, textiles, printmaking, collage, colour mixing, clay and plaster the three artists challenged and engaged the children in creating their own work.
The resource consists of 2 parts:
* A fun and user friendly guide with an overview of each case study including advice on how to recreate the activities, planning and reflection advice and guidance on commissioning artists to run workshops in your own setting.
* This web resource has more activities to download, further information on the sculptures and details of how to borrow the guide for your group or setting.
View the guide online via page suite:
*Activities
Here are 10 simple creative activities to download, print off or file away for future ideas!
Dark Descriptions|||
Light|||
Drawings|||
Sense of Place|||
Playing with Food (1)|||
Playing with Food (2)|||
Playing with Food (3)|||
What Smells Where?|||
Connecting Colours|||
Sensory Tray Play|||
*Generic Learning Outcomes
We use the GLO framework to assess creative activities. It identifies:
"Learning is a process of active engagement with experience" www.inspiringlearningforall.gov.uk|||
This is particularly useful when measuring the impact of creative activities which require participants to directly engage and experience something new.
Within the five key areas of the GLO framework, we feel the following were clearly demonstrated within our case studies:
Download Generic Learning Outcomes|||
*Observations
Staffordshire Heritage & Arts Service invited Janette Walton, a specialist teacher for pupils with multi-sensory impairment, to attend some of the sessions and provide feedback based on her specialist background and experience. Here you can view Janette's observations:
Download Observations|||
*Case studies
*Plaster & Pigment
Julie Edwards of Planet Arts worked with Hednesford Valley High. Her workshops encouraged the students to create clay and plaster blocks embedded with organic and manmade materials. Julie reflects, "One of the key staff loved the cause and effect of the process - they loved the sensory qualities of all the materials, and the control the students had." The workshops were so successful that staff are now in the process of creating a sculpture trail in the grounds, using the pieces created during the workshops.
*Collaborative Cloth
Gizella Warburton worked with Springfield Community Special School and devised a series of creative activities based on the idea of fruit as abstract, tactile, sensory objects. Students worked with a wide range of materials to investigate combinations of colours and textures in response to the theme. During the sessions, one Teaching Assistant noted, "'S' in particular was more vocal than I'd ever seen before!"
*Making Moves
Rachael Lines of FRONTLINEdance worked with Wightwick Manor. Wightwick had never had an artist work with them before, and were excited by this opportunity to develop new ways of working. Through a combination of dance, movement and sensory exploration, Rachael enabled all the students to participate and staff were impressed with the results, commenting, "It created focus for those who normally struggle".
*Sculptures
Niedojadlo's three unique sensory sculptures are designed to encourage stimulation through touch, smell and sound. They are constructed from a variety of materials, including foam, rubber, felt and carpet and incorporate sensory elements such as, sound, vibrations and smell. The artist worked in collaboration with sound artist Hew Jones to produce individual soundtracks for each sculpture.
Road near Warwick was inspired by a 19th Century painting of a landscape by Joseph Thors. It includes various sounds and smells of the countryside along with a blowing fan to give a sense of the 'outdoors'.
Wooden Bowl with Fruit was created in response to a still life painting by Peter Burnhill. The work comments on the form, colour, shape and the growing, organic nature of the fruit. It incorporates citric smells, different textures, smells, vibrating pads and the sound of a ticking clock to give a sense of time passing as well as a sense of place.
White Bull was influenced by a painting of a bull of the same name by Thomas Peploe Wood, circa 1830. It was originally commissioned by a proud farmer showing off his prize stock. Niedojadlo's interpretation comments not only rural life and the relationship between man and nature but also about state and society and how the masses are controlled by the government. The work is more abstract and vibrant in colour. It includes various textures, smells and sounds.
Niedojadlo believes his sculptures should be experienced with the whole body rather than with the mind or eyes alone. 'By creating art that communicates directly and indirectly on a grand scale, his work speaks across generations and understandings of art, by taking work outside of the gallery space he reaches audiences that may not engage with art in more formal settings'. [Artist statement, www.podules.org|||]
The sculptures are part of the County Council's collection and are available for long term loan.
*For loan
*Explore guide
The Explore multisensory guide is available to borrow for short term loan from local libraries and each Special Needs School in Staffordshire has been sent a copy.
The following libraries each have a copy of the guide available for loan:
Burton
Uttoxeter
Leek
Biddulph
Newcastle
Kidsgrove
Stafford
Stone
Tamworth
Lichfield
Burntwood
Cannock
Rugeley
Codsall
Perton
Clayton
The School's Library Service also has copies.
For more information or to borrow the multisensory guide for your setting, please contact:
Tracie Meredith, Arts & Project Liaison Officer
tracie.meredith@staffordshire.gov.uk|
Tel 01785 278571
*Partners
Staffordshire's Heritage & Arts Service would like to give special thanks to the following people who helped make this project such a success;
Wightwick Manor School, Wolverhampton
Springfield Community Special School, Leek
Hednesford Valley High School, Hednesford
Gizella k Warburton
Rachael Lines www.frontlinedance.org.uk|||
Julie Edwards, Planet Art www.planetartsculpture.co.uk|||
Adrienne Frances & Multistory www.multistory.org.uk|||
Eleanor Babb, Photography
Jannette Walton, Specialist Teacher
Born Communication www.borncommunication.co.uk|||
The project was supported by Arts Council England, West Midlands
-
-
-
-