Today’s session was all about research. Research for the collection and research for Arts Award. We kicked off with a chat about the Made in the Middle exhibitors. Everyone had been asked to start thinking about which maker they might like to research for Arts Award. We launched the Made in the Middle website and together talked about the work that we liked and why we liked it. It was also helpful for the students to talk about what they didn’t like and why, this way it became easier to start articulating a critical view of what was in front of them. Some great comments were made and opinions shared about form and function, about colour and texture and about intricate decoration vs bold minimalism. The next step is for everyone to find out a little more about the maker they are most interested in, about their influences and their career and to record all that they have found out for their Arts Award portfolio.

Then it was time to start exploring the themes for the accessories collection that the students will be creating. Hayley talked more about the inspiration behind her Found in the Forest collection and the group discussed the places that meant something significant to them, that helped them to feel ‘at home’. There was a refresher about the meaning of primary, secondary and contextual research and a discussion about how place might contribute to their sense of identity, whether home was a rural or urban location. Then it was time to get out and about and start exploring the school grounds.

Blue Coat School is fortunate enough to be set within very green and leafy surroundings. A 13th century priory is located within the grounds and a river runs alongside the playing fields, no shortage of material for primary research. The students were very keen to make the most of this and, despite the light drizzle, set off enthusiastically with cameras, sketchbooks, pencils, paints and oil pastels. The plant life alongside the river included a lot of brambles and Himalayan balsam, thistles and Hawthorn were abundant and a backdrop of oaks and poplars created striking shapes against the pale grey skies. Knowing where to start was the challenge for some, but the colours and textures soon drew them in. Samples were plucked from the riverbank and sketchbooks spread out across the playground concrete. Some beautiful drawings and watercolours emerged whilst others stuck to capturing through digital means and transferred to sketchbooks back in the classroom.

Once back inside the creativity abounded and a cross fertilisation of ideas flowed between the students, with a wide variety of approaches, including using the plant life and berries as the medium with which to paint.

1-2-1 chats about Arts Award helped to keep this element on track and ensure that all of the exploration and progress is captured. By the next session it is hoped that everyone will be up and running on Artsbox, the new Arts Award digital portfolio system!