This session, in partnership with The Harley Gallery, is focused upon visual art and design and technology and the network is relevant to all teachers of the arts in primary education.

You will have the opportunity to work with Michelle Reader, whose exhibition Force of Nature features her wildlife-themed installations made from recycled materials. Michelle will guide you around a virtual tour of the exhibition and run a practical workshop creating small sculptures of garden wildlife from recycled materials. The workshop will:

• Demonstrate how to select appropriate objects to create your creature
• Share techniques to join, construct and assemble your sculpture
• Provide an opportunity to share your ideas and problem solve whilst working remotely with your peers

“I love the unpredictability of found materials and enjoy the inventiveness necessary to transform them into a sculpture.  For instance, the hooked shape of a brake lever suggesting the talon of a vulture, or a respirator becoming the face of a bumblebee.  The choice of materials can also be a key part of the story of a piece.  

We’re currently living in a geological age where human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.  Through this series of sculptural installations made from an extraordinary array of ordinary waste, I want to highlight the links between the things we consume and the destruction of wildlife habitats, while at the same time reflecting the beauty and wonder of the natural world.”  

                                                                              Michelle Reader

https://www.harleygallery.co.uk/exhibition/force-of-nature-exhibition-at-the-harley-gallery-nottinghamshire/

This session is relevant for :

• KS 1 and KS 2 arts co-od
• D & T co-ods
• Science co-ods

Following the practical session, Dayle Green, Education and Engagement Manager at The Harley Gallery, will share a new Art Framework –  Lift Off, Making with Materials – to use in conjunction with the practical workshop, and look at how this could be used in school in the future.

The Mighty Creatives Arts Consultant for Nottinghamshire will be available throughout to answer any questions or provide information for interested schools on Artsmark and Arts Awards.

Join us at 1.30pm for the session, but we do invite you to come along a little earlier at 1pm so we can have a relaxed general check in of how things are working in schools for you, over a virtual cup of tea.