Make it in March! (or add it to April...)

I’m sure I’m not the only one who remembers to tell people about amazing events after they’ve happened? Let’s face it, if it wasn’t for the scribbled, criss cross calendar in the kitchen would you really remember birthdays of far flung relatives? 

I struggle remembering what day of the week it is, let alone who’s candles will be blown out next, so it might not come as much of a surprise that I’m one of ‘those’ people who enthusiastically tell others about an art session after it’s taken place, oops!

So to help clear my conscience and keep you in the loop here’s a list of some smashing spring sessions that you can take part in this month and next:

• Wednesday 28^th March: Make a coaster mosaic, Rochdale Emporium
• Thursday 5^th April: Family Creations, Rebecca’s Coffee Shop, Littleborough,  10am-12noon
• Friday 13^th April: Make a coaster mosaic, Rochdale Emporium

And look out in May for an exciting garden mosaic making day in Littleborough, felt jewellery and printing in Rochdale, and as for June and July... crickey, we’ve hardly even scratched the surface...

I’ll still be running my schools sessions, crash, bag and walloping across the classrooms of Rochdale.  I’m still causing chaos in a costume at Touchstones museum and I’m currently creating several illustration commissions for business across the North West.  Without your enthusiastic involvement in my arts sessions I’d be left painting the garden fence.  So get that calendar off the wall and make sure you make a date for an Art.Works workshop.   

Go on, squeeze it in, right there next to great Auntie Mildred’s 76^th birthday!

Out Of The Classroom And Into The County!

Just before the summer term drew to a close and classrooms up and down the country spilled out into the summer I took my characters out of the museum to into the community.  From Liverpool to Bolton, Middleton to Milnrow I had every area covered in my mission to mesmerise the people of Lancashire.
Year six pupils from schools across Liverpool took part in the fast paced performance ‘Oh What a Lovely War’.  They were evacuated, boarded a train, entered the dank and dingy atmosphere of the Anderson shelter, and even joined the home front, all without leaving the room.  

The Pupils adored meeting Margret the land girl, but when Mrs Dylan introduced them to local sheep farmer Mr Hingginsbottom, an evacuee host they were less than impressed.  Who wouldn’t want to spend sleepless nights slept on a hay stack at the back of a barn?  Kids, these days, they’ve got it made!  I took on each character making the pupils laugh, jump, cower and ‘pay attention’ in fine 1940s manner, even if all the characters looked peculiarly similar...

Back on the road again, another costume change and another character as I entertained Year Ten pupils taking part in a Further Education residential at Bolton University.  Elegantly dressed and simply eloquently spoken I played the part of Head of Music, wife to the murdered Head teacher at Hassalholf High School.  Cryptically guiding pupils (many a melodramatic hand to forehead and bemoaned sigh) through clues and information I helped them weave their fragments of knowledge together and find the dastardly culprit.  Lots of dramatic outburst, hot gossip and scandalous accusations rebounded through the day, proving just the right amount of entertainment to engage tired teenagers at the end of their four days away.

But it wasn’t just children and young people who took part in the dramatic events of June and July.  One blistering hot Sunday in early July, I polished my boots; I picked up my cane and scowled a sour glower as I went in search of communities to take part in the infamous ‘Miss Grim Victorian Schoolroom Experience’.
Running the session as part of a day of acting and celebration to mark Middleton’s New Heritage Trail  over 80 adults and children in total entered Middleton’s Old Grammar School.  Immediately they were escorted back in time as I ‘taught’ them the rules and practice of a Victorian classroom.  Even the Mayor was quaking in his boots as his idle chatter was met by an instantly silencing stare from Miss Grim.

Apprehension mounted as more ‘inadequate pupils’ failed to meet the  high standards of the classroom, the finger stocks and close proximity of the cane soon put heed to nervous laughter.  But, I’m told fun was to be had by all, and once the real ‘Miss Grim’ (or a far sunnier Cat) emerged at the end of the session the relief was palpable in the room!

So, Art.Works doesn’t just deal with pictures and painting (which I’ve also been doing with schools this term), and the characters may not just be kept closeted away in the classroom.  Be warned readers, next time you attend a heritage open day, the dunce hat might just be one you!

New Eco Schools Workshops with Art.Works and Touchstones

It might have been all quiet on the blog front but rest assured, the keys on this keyboard have been going like the clappers, all in the name of art!

Last week was an exciting week for Art.Works as we got ourselves in gear for the next school year. Thanks to the extraordinarily generous Education Co-ordinator at Touchstones, Rochdale, Art.Works will soon be featured in their school's programme! Karen Vine, Touchstone's Education Co-ordinator said she was 'looking forward to adding a new eco dimension to the schools programme', not as much as I am Karen!

I've been busy creating innovative workshops to inspire pupils to engage with art, drama and even a bit of eco warrior-ism, all in 2 new ninety minute workshops. From April schools can book, through Karen at Touchstones, the Art.Works sessions 'Fruity Fairtrade' and 'Re-work it'. They will enjoy hands on workshops in the inspiring surroundings of Rochdale's impressive heritage centre, Touchstones. The sessions will be a snip, at around £68 each (this price will be finalised later in the month).

So, to any environmentally aware teachers out there, it's a great opportunity to get out of the class room and into the museum of inventive disarray (that's the Art.Works sessions, not Touchstones in general!)

Art.Works in Africa!

There might be snow on the ground here in Littleborough, but in Africa there's a mosaic to be made! While the rest of us are stamping our feet and rubbing our fingers to keep warm Trish is busy getting creative in Aru, in the Congo. Not deterred by the lack of conventional materails, or indeed the searing heat, Trish has been working with the community to make a fantastic floor mosaic. They've been using stones, pebbles and a curious mix of Tuff Bond and water, how's that for creative thinking?!

I'm hoping Trish's French has improved a little since she flew out over a week ago as the last I heard she was 'going to have to rely on the art and drama of pulling of funny faces!!' to teach the pupils at the local school. oh, dear... but I can't wait to hear about her African adventures, spreading Art.Works to the furthest most points of the Atlas.

Back in frost bitten Blighty I've been busy taking bookings for book week, creating an awesome resource pack (if you've ever wanted to know how to screen print a t-shirt with sticky fingered seven year olds nows your chance!) and freelancing at Touchstones.

I left lots of smily faces puckering up with a huge cheesy grin on Saturday as I facilitated at the family fun day in Rochdale's inspiring museum, Touchstones. We created a pop up paper camera, perfect for capturing all those moments so vivid in the imagination, but the conventional camera lens doesn't always see. Everyone say cheeeeeeeeeese!