Saturday 30 June 2018

SJB SCHOOL: MASK MAKING WITH ALEX BLACKMORE.

The thread running through each of our session blocks at SJB  has been process. The idea that there are steps to be worked through, which involve measuring, cutting, and finding out about the material you are working with as well as developing an expressive design.


 Alex ran three mask-making sessions for Year Two, each a development from the last,  repeating certain stages of the process and adding a new one.





The children designed their own cardboard templates and nets, and developed their ideas, sketches and constructions to layered lightweight foam constructions.
Keep an eye  out for a link to the school's own blog and some images from the first session.










Wednesday 27 June 2018

ELLIE CHANEY AT THE COTTAGE : DRAWINGS AND VISITORS.

Ellie is working towards a book and a resource for schoolchildren. She is building a folder of drawings and has been working in the garden and in the cottage itself..

In her blog she talks about the
garden and the response of visitors to her work and to the cottage.

https://tinyvoyagesofdiscovery.wordpress.com/

While Ellie worked around the cottage and the garden with our photographer Lindsay Ward
I was editing some recordings made around town in the
early hours, and greeting visitors.

Among yesterdays visitors was Dennis Metcalfe, a friend of the cottage and the project and a keen
Ulverston photographer.  You may have seen Dennis's work on Facebook.
He had strong recollections of the
cottage from its time as a shop, and, being a builder, wanted to see the upstairs floorboards.

Another good day, come and see what Alex is up to on friday, and
enjoy this historic sun-trap of ours.

Photos: http://lindsaywardphotography.zenfolio.com/











Tuesday 26 June 2018

LEX BLAKEWAY, SJB SCHOOL TEXTILE SESSION TWO

Lex returned to Sir John Barrow school today for her second session with Year 6, and she sent these photos along with a note about the children and their work..Lex is clearly passing on some valuable skills and
it sounds like everyone is having fun too.

"They worked really well, nearly half of them finished their needle books, the rest are going to finish off before the next session so we can start the bags. They are doing really well I think, they can all back stitch and cross stitch now so that's great.."

"awesome work Lex..glad you are inspiring the next generation of makers."
Hannah, on Facebook

Thursday 21 June 2018

STORYTELLING AT SJB SCHOOL. A MESSAGE FROM DOMINIC KELLY.

I called in today to say hello to Dominic and Year 3 at the start of their project, and it was soon very clear from the atmosphere in the room that something special was happening.
This is Dominic's report...
followed by the school's own blog.  

"Today the storytelling project kicked off with me telling the children five fun traditional folk tales from around the world. They were a fantastic audience, enjoying the stories hugely. We talked about how these stories are found in different versions in many different places, and that they change over time. These sorts of tales almost demand to be played with, the storyteller adapting the story to themselves and their fancies until it is really theirs, and a new version is born – the same and yet quite different.
I introduced the questions: “What if these stories happened in Ulverston? What would they be like then? Where in the town would they happen?”

The central theme of the project is to explore Ulverston through storytelling. Yet until this moment there was no way of knowing if this approach to the stories (‘Ulverstoning’ them!) would be interest the pupils or not. But the idea was greeted with smiles, widened eyes and ‘ooooohs’. They are definitely up for the challenge and the fun of it!

The children are working on stories in groups, and have chosen which of my folktales they would like to work with. Tomorrow we embark together on the journey of getting to know the tales and adapting them before we prepare to tell them in front of live audiences next month…"

https://sjbprimaryblog.com/2018/06/21/story-telling/

Tuesday 19 June 2018

BLEAT AND GREET. SJB SHEEP AT ULVERSTON LIBRARY.


The SJB Year  Five flock is in residence
at Ulverston Library.
You can meet, bleat and greet with 25 of them as they graze the non-fiction section thanks to librarian Hannah Clarke.


Ellie and John herded them into place today, had a catch-up regarding Ellie's work and arranged her next session at the Cottage for June 26th.

Earlier John was at the cottage listening to field recordings made at roughly 1-2am at various weekends for his Ulverston By Night piece. 

You can hear his progress at the cottage on the 26th.






Monday 11 June 2018

AT SIR JOHN BARROW SCHOOL. TEXTILES WITH LEX BLAKEWAY.

Our programme of sessions at Sir John Sir Barrow School has begun, we have a flock of sheep made by Year 5 with John, and today Lexi Blakeway (right) begins a series of textile sessions with Year 6.

Lexi will be providing each member of her group with needles, yarns and fabric including some donations from the Scrap Store,and together they'll be making some decorative and functional work over the next few weeks..




The sheep sessions were great fun, and the work produced was very good indeed...Here's a couple of sheep at the end of the first session..

...and here's the school blog, with some photos from later in the process,courtesy of Mr Maher..more images to follow,


https://sjbprimaryblog.com/2018/05/23/year-5-art-afternoon/

Lexi will also be at Barrow Library in July demonstrating her felting techniques
alongside an exhibition of her work.