Students take part in the ultimate art experience

MEDIA RELEASE – 20 October 2006

School students can take part in the ultimate art experience at Auckland Art Gallery’s newly opened Art Studio - complete with its own dedicated art teacher. Gallery educator Kate Sellar has been appointed thanks to a partnership with the Ministry of Education.

Four hundred children a week now attend the gallery’s Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom (LEOTC) programme, which includes a one hour gallery tour and an hour-long practical lesson in the Art Studio. A subsidised bus scheme means 22 schools a term, from as far afield as Kaipara to the Waikato, can take advantage of this excellent resource. Kate says the programme not only links directly to the school curriculum, but expands and extends it.

“The children have a richer experience here because they’re inspired by real works of art. It’s not the same as looking at books or DVDs. We use the gallery’s wonderful collection as motivation while achieving set learning objectives,” she says. Activities include learning about warm and cool colours, primary, secondary and complementary colours, learning how artists use symbols in their work, using a viewfinder to draw detail and illustrating journeys between home and school. So far the programme has focused on students aged 5 to 12, but is now being expanded to include 11 to 15 year olds.

Schools taking part in the Art Studio programme next week: Mt Carmel Primary School, Meadowbank, Tues 24 Oct, 10am - 12.15pm Maungawhau Primary School, Mt Eden, Wed 24 Oct, 10am - 1.30pm New Lynn Primary School, Thurs/Fri 26/27 Oct, 10am -12.15pm Te Huruhi Primary School students

Feedback from teachers: "The children thoroughly enjoyed the session and produced interesting work they were proud of. It also maintained their interest throughout very successfully." Marie Peterson

"The children really enjoyed the hands-on component. The variety is great. Engages the pupils." Trisha Dennis, Epsom Normal Primary School.

"This was fantastic. It was an excellent follow-up to the discussion of artworks and related very well to the painting we will be doing at school." Kathy McKenzie, Te Kowhai School.

ENDS

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