Touching Art
In this multi-sensory workshop, pupils look, listen and touch artworks, to help them create a sculptural piece made from soft, spiky or shiny materials.
Aims (Skills, Knowledge, Activity, Result)
- By touching and discussing a range of different materials pupils will explore how artists use form and texture in their work.
- They will build appropriate vocabulary and confidence in their own interpretation of painting and sculpture.
- Pupils will develop visual literacy through drawing, sculpture, role-play and discussion.
- By the end of this workshop, pupils will have used their gallery research as inspiration for their own textural sculpture.
What happens in a workshop
Pupils begin to build vocabulary about how things feel through warm up activities and exploring the sculptural touch trail in the Gallery of Craft and Design. Each pupil will produce an observational drawing of one of these sculptures.
We then examine a painting where pupils use role-play to imagine how the story might develop. We use appropriate vocabulary to describe how the textures and materials in the painting might feel. We look at contemporary sculpture, discussing how the artist has used materials and texture in her work and how it has been made.
Back in the studio space, pupils each create a sculpture inspired by the work they have researched in the gallery.
Prepare for your visit
- Before the workshop, explore a range of objects made from different materials, using both their hands and their eyes and prompt discussion to build vocabulary.
- Look at paintings or photographs and ask, ‘How do you think this would feel if you could touch it?’
- Take a look at www.susiemacmurray.co.uk, the website of the artist that has informed and developed the workshop.
- Find out how to plan your visit, including booking information, parking, facilities and a downloadable risk assessment.
What people are saying about the workshop
“It was really impressive that you directly engaged and challenged so many children and it was superb to see the human apple tree, for example, when all were involved.”
Teaching assistant, Beaver Road Primary School.
“I now know that art can make you imagine!”
Year 1 pupil, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Marple.
