'a stitch in time', threaded Stories Commission

The finished piece hangs in my studio this morning.
I've loved working with the community and staff around St.Brigid's Family Resource Centre their stories, memories, fragments, harsh realities and Waterford city's social history from 1984 - 2009.

woven stylised St. Brigids cross, Roisin Markham 2011

These threaded stories were collected from staff and the community that use St.Brigids it is positioned in front of a large montage of artefacts, documents, photographs, newsletters, newspaper articles, annual reports, strategic plans, etc. I ran workshops, interviews and there was an open invitation for people to send in their memories and stories. Staff were invited directly via a worksheet.
Their are two other pieces to go with this work. A poem and a future kit.
I'll be away working the weekend, it is nice to think of the work in my studio space settling over the weekend.
I'm presenting the threaded stories commission, 'a stitch in time' tonight at a Pecha Kucha in Glencree Peace and Reconciliation Centre at an event organised by Bluedrum.
Documentation of the work will be wrapped up and presented formally by the end of June.

Gems from five and six year old's

Sometimes I wonder if it would be enough to show up places with some paper, a couple of pencils, glue sticks and glitter. You know do a version of gorilla art but it would be gorilla glitterarty. Adults, children no matter the age they all gravitate towards it. So much so that normally when I produce glitter I set up a glitter station to try and contain it and conserve some of the waste. But I did n't on Thursday in the seventh of eight after schools art class in Gorey Educate Together National School. The children were so into the freedom of using it I did n't want to cramp their style. I only introduced the glitter last week.
The theme this week was decorating their names, how to make typefaces (try explaining what a typeface is to a five year old!) bubble writing was as far as we got. Love showing the two pencils & an elastic band trick plus three ways to draw different size name with a crayon. We explored small tiny lettering and letters to fill A3 pages. The large one I decorated it with patterns plus took the opportunity to cut it out introducing positive and negative shapes to the artists - I just did n't use that terminology with them.

Happy 'H' and decorated names + fairies, artist, aged 5. 

How confident these letters are now, artist aged 5.

Fabulous 'F', artist aged 5. 

If children in arts education environments rely so much on particular materials what happens when you remove them? or what happens when you offer an interesting array of diverse and different materials?

Curiously uniform in layout, artist aged 6.

Trying it all, artist aged 6.

Some of the class were not seduced by glitter or the variety of art materials on display. But look at the different colour background and the fact that the letters are cut out, fantastic.

So what this is my way, artist aged 5.

Next week is the last class I've promised to put on a little exhibition for the artists and their parents. Should be a nice way to finish off the term.
This week I've had several enquiries about art classes so I'm thinking of running them from the studio again. Easter holidays are coming along I'm considering offering a couple of sessions like Fantastic Choco-tastic. Might be fun to have a dedicated studio day to teaching again. Adults in the morning, children and youths in the afternoons. I've some consultancy work to schedule in and then I'll figure that out. Let me know if you or your children are interested.
Note: I do not publish photographs of children's faces in my classes, workshops or events. This is part of Ballygarrett Art Studio and Creative Dynamix Child Protection Policy which is available on request.

Happy Felting with Camphill Ballymoney Project

Felt making seems to be where it is at right now for the last two weeks I seem to be teaching, demonstrating and selling hand rolled felt, which is all good. I spent some of last week working with Camphill Ballymoney community teaching them to make felt.

I've discovered that an early win in felt making keeps interest and with mixed abilities and age groups that is important. 

Monday morning we started off by making felt ropes, bracelets and balls.  After making a soapy solution from soap flake and setting out bowls of hot and cold water. I started the group off by getting the group acquainted with fleece, felting terms and what we would be doing. We started with getting the amount of fleece right establishing wrist lengths by wrapping the fleece around each of our wrists. Shaping the circle getting the connection of fibers right for a continuous circle. Soaping the fleece and squashing it in a circular rotation. Then moving to rolling it one hand through the circle the other on the outside and moving in backwards and forwards rolling the soapy fleece into felt all the way round the bracelet. Nice solid circles of felt were formed a into circular shapes that after they were rinsed and dried could be decorated with needle felting, beads or stitch work. The idea for some of the ropes was to cut them into small pieces and use alternating with beads to make a necklace.

We spent some time discussing how felt making can be altered and adapted to people with special needs. I think that it is a wonderful tactile craft that can be adapted the challenge is to understand how the individual with special needs comes to the craft and how their abilities can be brought forward so they get the most out of the experience. Felt making can be described in four elements the design and layout of the work, the fleece or materials used, the felting process and the finished item. It is our interaction with the fiber; friction that cases felting. Soap is used to aid the process along with hot and cold water, tumble dyers, microwaves and in some cases sanders!

When working with autistic children earlier this summer I realised that a coarser shorter fiber fleece then merino can make a good rolled bracelet with out using soap. Good for situations when you don't have access to water or participants might have tactile sensitivities.

On Tuesday I wanted the group to learn how to make a piece of flat hand rolled felt. So we started with a traditional approach to layout and playing with surface design. 

Everyone was amazed at the fact that after soaping the fleece and pressing down ones hands the felting process is evident. They were not so impressed by the amount of rolling involved. The whole group produced very individual pieces. 

We were felting outside in warm sunshine and we had to constantly make sure the fleece was not drying out. A wonderful complaint to have in Ireland!

On Wednesday I challenged the group to make light cobweb felt. Another group of five mixed ages arrive in to great excitement to join the workshop. This made things complicated and more fun. I got the younger members of the group to teach the new members to make ropes and bracelets. After all is n't that the way they say you solidify learning? 

Teaching is the highest form of understanding. Aristotle

We had come indoors for felt making so the room was lay out was altered to accommodate more people and have two tables of different activities.

Thursday I was in Dublin busy with other work. But knew I had given enough instruction to let the group continue on. When I arrived in on Friday morning I discovered this group had laid out a piece of felt about 2.5 foot by 5 foot. Talk about feeling up for a challenge! Their second or third piece of felt was to make something this big collectively. 

And what a lovely piece of work it is. When I queried their adventurous approach I was told "you taught us so well, we felt able to take on this challenge", ha! here are some detailed pictures

As this was being felted and fulled, I showed one of the community some techniques for making scarves. We ended up having a discussion on the different quality of sheep fleece. Where I got lost in the detail of fibers; Black Hebridean, Bouchion du cher, Wensleydale, Jacob, Castlemilk Moorit, Soay, Leister... I realised I know far to much about sheep.

Exploring scarf layouts

We also explored the idea of making scarves using the  felted ropes that residents can create and adding them as a basic design to make something further...

I look forward to great things coming from the felt workshop at Camphill Ballymoney Project. They sell their crafted wares at the Gorey Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.

More felt making workshops at the studio tomorrow and then I really need to get back into my studio and make some of my own work!

Gorey Family Play Day and access to arts

Car packed and all items on my list checked I set off into Gorey and picked up a few last things; plastic cups and paper plates for painting, a ream of good value A4 paper for making paper planes and some pom-poms which were great value in the €2 shop, 3 packs for €2.
I was delighted that I had time to go to the new civic square and see the Gorey Market House Craft and Design Festival Showcase and AIB Photojournalism Exhibition. A great start to showcasing world class quality craft in Gorey. Notable piece for me were Becky Knights Stone Swimming Costume, Terry Dunnes Wexford Tide, Louis Mulcahys Cockerels, Ceadogán Rugs and Roísín de Buitléirs Yarn Blue Glass. That is not to say I did n't like the other pieces Evelyn Grants Cabbage Teapots were charming, Peadar Lambs stained glass intense and Diarmuids Murphys Smaoineamh Study desk fluid and superbly crafted. The success of work is for me is how engaged I am in looking at it, if it prompts me to look closer or go back a second time, if the piece of work stays with with me and has piqued my interest, whether mind wonders back to a piece, the quality of the thought and making. I also have strict assessment of work that after I have looked at the work and enjoyed it that looks a bit like

• would live with a piece in my home or studio, 
• purchase it for a corporate client, 
• include it or the artist maker in a show I curate

or not. Well done to Gorey Town Council for bringing such good quality work to the area, I hope this is the start of a new tradition.

We had a change of  venue from the new civic square to the Gorey Community School three days before the event which was a shame. However there was a spot of rain on the day so the indoor venue worked fine - it is one of the challenges for holding outdoor events in Ireland as you really can never be guaranteed of the weather. So this is the hall shortly after I arrived

 and this is the event in full swing

I mentioned some of the activities in my last blog post so I started the set up with putting the easiest ones in place first.

Both of these activities are to based around building and raising awareness of community for people living in Gorey and its environs. They also create spatial and visual awareness of the area and its geographical context.

The next thing to do was construct the cooper pipe 3D cube, the frame for building our Underwater Scene the center piece of community arts section at the Gorey Play day. One of the guys (thanks Clinton!) at the Enterprise and Community Department of Wexford County Council had made the frame.

Funky Junk Area. This consisted of 40 or so cleaned bottles from the recycling Center in Wexford; the contents of my art kit from the studio which includes tissue and crepe paper, coloured card, bubble wrap,  matchsticks and lollypop sticks, pipe clearners, pom-poms, glitter, rolls of metallic pattered ribbon, rolls of wool, swatches of material and anything you can possibly think of that you could use inventively or traditionally to decorate something!

Painting area HQ

Artist Collette Mulready whom I asked to come and facilitate the painting section. She did a great job. Last year she came and did fantastic face painting. The painting and crayon area had it's very own gallery space.

 

Unfortunately lots of the artists forgot to come back and take their work home.

We also had a designated Glitter Station. For those of you who have worked with children (and adults) you will have experienced the fascination with glitter, plus the cost, waste and tidy up of glitter so in an attempt to contain glitter mania

The idea was that if all the glitter was sprinkled in the boxes provided we could reuse the excess sprinkles and it worked.

I did some felt making, fleece hand rolled to felt with soapy water. The idea was to show children how to make bracelets out of fleece but to use them as bubbles in the Underwater Scene.  None of the items made it to the intended destination but hey you gotta go with the flow and the important thing was a group of children and adults got introduced to felt making, had some hands on experience and enjoyed it. I love the way childrens curiosity brings them to a table to watch an activity, once you smile at them and ask them if they want to join in they respond and engage with enthusiasm. It is so important at events like this to be encouraging, engaging, inviting and super nice to children and whom ever is with them. How you greet a child could be significant to how they experience the art materials. In my experience ensuring access to arts materials for all is a lot to how the access happens and how open the invitation is.

Thanks to all the facilitators and volunteers that came worked really hard making sure the kids had a good arts based experience. I love that several of them commented that they "got just as much fun out of it as the children did".
Sherry Nugent of Irish Quilting Magazine came with her six and eight year olds to showcase quilting postcards they were busy and did a great job.

Thanks also to the chess club that came and played chess for the afternoon I saw some serious games going on with adults and children, great to see.

Getting ready for a community arts event

Plans are made, drawn up and change at the last minute. Fluid adaptation and yogi breathing are recommended. I will say no more.
Thought it would be fun to share some photos of todays prep for tomorrow's family fun play day at the Gorey Market House Festival. We are building on Ballygarrett Art Studio's involvement and the development inaugural festival last year. CreativeDynamix was coming into inception right about now last year.
The venue for Gorey's Family Play Day has change to the Community School, 2 - 5pm tomorrow. The Community School is at the end of Esmonde Street moving away from the main street in behind the car park where the organic/farmers market is held.

I live here
Large laminated maps are stuck on the wall. one of the town of Gorey and one of the electoral area and people are invited find where they live on the maps, or are staying and to place a sticker. This worked really well last year. The idea behind it is to build identity and to make a connection to the geographical area and social communities.

Funky Junk
Right now its just junk. The guys in the recycling center are starting to get to know me now. I'm the person that goes their and takes recycling away. Just wait till I start up cycling clothes! Anyway these cleaned bottles will be cut and folded and decorated into jellyfish and what ever else the kids come up with.

I was going to photograph the lists I make. but I'll leave them to your imagination. There have been phone calls, text messages and emails to confirm volunteers, facilitators (the crew) and find new ones!

It is important to be prepared and have a plan but not to get hung up on it and have a certain amount of flow. After all it is going to be fun! Is n't it?

Art projects and Creativity in Context with Children

2010
January – March: After School Art Program for Junior and Senior Infants, Gorey Educate Together National School (GETNS)
February: The magic of Felt, exploring thread as part of the National Curriculum. Demonstration and workshops on making hand rolled felt with Sixth Class GETNS
2009
August: Murrintown Community Summer Camp: arts and craft activity with children aged 5 – 12. Six sessions designed to open up ideas and creativity towards expanding skills and communications. A broad variety of materials were used; clay, paper, paint, glue, crayons, pastels, cloth and fiber, buttons. Techniques included design, collage, group work, team work, individual, colour, reuse and second life for rubbish, make and wear.
July: Gorey Family Fun Day ; devised, project managed and participated in community arts element of the fun day in Gorey with Wexford County Council. A variety of arts experiences were offered; make and do; paper airplanes, felt making and traditional crafts; ‘That’s rubbish! but is it art?’, community circus. Read more.
Make and Do: wrote and illustrated website content for Mykidstime.ie, downloadable easy to follow make and do activity including instructions and illustrative graphics, ages 2 - 12.
Spring - Summer Programme Ballygarrett Art Studios. Weekly Children’s art classes; The art of construction with recycled materials, Choco-Tastic! Edible art and construction. The stay and create philosophy and why parents drove 20 miles plus for an art class.
2008
September - October: ‘Poet-tree’, School arts project, GETNS. Designed and created a tree in the new school library as a place to hang English projects and art work. Worked with 1st – 6th class, teachers and parents. The project work included concept, construction of tree, guided visualisation, decorating the tree in layers with images the pupils created about their ideas of what the tree could be for them, plus using a list of words that came from the visualisation. The words together, imagine and friendship were translated into different languages representing different cultures in the school. Using different typefaces and fabric textures the words were cut out and incorporated into the design of the tree.
April: ‘FISH’ School arts project based on using recycled aluminum cans and foil, Ballygarrett National School, County Wexford. Working with 180 pupils and staff to create fish made from recycled materials. The fish are hung from catgut suspended in air to form a shoal and a fish ball. They are free to move and also generate sound.
April: Being me. 'No table day', Senior and Junior Infants group GETNS. Workshop about being unique, being different being the same and being in a group, with art materials and movement.
March - February: School Community Multi-disciplined arts project, Gorey Educate Together National School (GETNS), County Wexford, street theatre entry for Gorey St. Patrick’s Day parade. Developed concept, co-ordinated and organised pupils, teachers, musician, parents and guardians for the overall wining entry of the parade. Theme ‘Grainne Mhaol’, incorporated music and art workshops for the development and production of street theatre, included musical instruments made from recycled materials.
Spring - Summer Programme Ballygarrett Art Studios. Introduction art materials. Basic techniques for making and creative construction with art and recycled materials, Weekly Children’s art classes in Clonevin School House, Ballygarrett.
2007
Autumn - Winter programme. Introduction to art materials and perspective, Weekly Children’s art classes. Ballygarrett art studios, Gorey, Co. Wexford.
October: ‘Planting a rainbow’ Gorey Educate Together National School. School project planting spring bulbs in the shape and colours of a rainbow. Project taught children how to plant bulbs, practical use of Maths, colours in the spectrum, basic horticulture, value of teamwork, provided a sense of inclusion and developed civic awareness.
March - February: Gorey Educate Together National School (GETNS), Wexford. St. Patrick’s Day parade entry, School Community project, first prize in group section.

2006 May: GETNS, Senior Class (Ages 8 - 12). Team and communication workshop based on creating group clay model, where verbal and written communications were not used.
2005 - 1997: Creative Visualisation, Art and Creative play, Communication and team building, Community Children and Adult workshops. Various locations in Dublin.
2000 July: Whitechurch Summer Camp, (Ages 14 – 17). Community Art Workshop with challenging teenagers. Dublin.