School Art Week

School Art Week

Many schools have a Science, Maths, French or Irish week, However, Art week is much rarer! Luckily, the school where I am on placement, is fortunate enough to have a school Art week, that involves all staff, pupils and the wider artistic community of the local area. Art week was set up to highlight, all the different career opportunities, that can lead from a career in the visual arts, for the pupils who often ask; What job opportunities can they get from studying Art?. People working in the local artistic sector are brought into the schools to show them their own unique avenue of the sector, and how they make a living from Art. Graphic designers, Ceramicists, Painters, Fashion Designers, Print makers, Photographers and Book maker, were all introduced to the Art pupils over the course of one week! Each Professional gave a demonstration of an aspect of their career, and made a mini project with the teachers assistance in class. They also gave a presentation about their career, and answered any possible questions, pupils may have had! It was a unique opportunity for the pupils, as normally many of them would never have had the opportunity to meet such individuals or perhaps ask a question. 

    A graphic designer visited one of my classes, and the class, myself, and the graphic designer, were given the task by the Principal to create some new Art suitable to hang in the canteen. The graphic designer presented a string project idea to the class. Over the course of our classes together that week, everyone collaborated together. It was wonderful to see the class interact with the graphic designer. I think it made Art seem like a much more serious alternative career wise! 

  Large MDF boards were used for the project. Pupils marked out each letter, and designated pupils were supervised hammering in the nails. Pupils voted for what colours they wanted to use, and the whole class under the direction of the graphic designer applied the string in whatever pattern they liked. The graphic designer used this project to demonstrate to the class, the variety of the career and how a degree in visual communications is applied in real life. Pupils got a taster of the career, as they were talked through each step and shown previous examples of work, Many of which some examples were already familiar to the class! 

Participating in Art week, on my placement, is something I defiantly gained a lot of experience from, and it is something I would defiantly introduce to another school.