Pupils lead way with nature-inspired art
Pupils from two Kintyre primary schools took inspiration from nature as they built up a collection of artwork before launching their own exhibition.
Children from Glenbarr and Dalintober primary schools used materials including stones, driftwood, sea glass and shells to create a range of artwork as part of a land and sea art project.
The schools, which are linked with a shared head teacher, launched the project in mid-January, with about 12 children taking part.
The youngsters enjoyed getting out and about during the project, thanks to funding from Tesco’s Stronger Starts scheme which helped pay for transport.
Trips to Bellochantuy, Killegruer and a dovecote near the school were among the locations that inspired the pupils to create pictures, keyrings, ornaments and wind chimes, which they exhibited for sale in the greenhouse at Glenbarr Stores last Friday.
Teachers built the project around the school curriculum, challenging the children’s literacy skills by asking them to write poems, which were arranged inside glass bottles, and their numeracy skills by asking them to decide how much to charge for their artwork.
Parents, carers and members of the community were very impressed by the youngsters’ creativity, and their maturity and confidence when hosting the exhibition, and were quick to snap up the pieces that caught their eyes.
During the project, the children were visited by Rosalyn McKenna, Reconnected project manager at Argyll-wide culture, heritage and arts network CHARTS, who brought a selection of artworks from the Argyll Collection to lead a visual literacy session.
Rosalyn selected a variety of seascape-themed works, including textiles, prints and paintings, and spent the day with the teachers and children exploring the artworks through discussion and practical art-based activities.
Some of the Argyll Collection artwork was taken to last Friday’s art exhibition by Muriel MacKaveney, CHARTS project facilitator.
“The children have loved the project and it has been great for me, as a teacher,” said Colette Quinlan, who coordinated the project alongside learning support teacher Elizabeth Nimmo.
“At Dalintober and Glenbarr we like the children to lead the learning, so we listened to their ideas and discussed what we could and couldn’t do. Each week, we had a plan but it was very much led by the children because their voices are important.
“Their skill-sets have built over the course of the project, as well as their confidence in what they were doing, the way they led the project and led the ideas of learning, and this exhibition is the outcome.
“We were influenced by Andy Goldsworthy [sculptor, photographer and environmentalist] quite a lot because we wanted to get out into the community.”
All pupils said they were sad to see the project come to an end but were proud to share their creations with parents, carers and members of the public at the exhibition.
The schools hope to work on a similar project in the future, this time with pupils travelling from Glenbarr to Dalintober, and the project focusing on urban landscapes, rather than rural scenes.
The schools thanked Glenbarr Stores and Tesco for their support of the project, as well as parents for allowing their children to participate, and teachers for executing the vision of the project so well.
They also congratulated pupils for working hard every week, as they built lasting friendships and inspired the adults involved with the project.