Kids’ Own explore linen

03 November 2006

An exhibition of artwork produced by primary school children involved in a cross border creative project exploring the linen industry in Ireland will run in Dublin next February, complemented by a series of workshops with artists and teachers.

The Trading Places/CREATE (Creativity through Arts, Technology and Education) project was a three-year artist-in-schools programme with a strong focus on professional development that took place in ten schools north and south of the border and involved 11 artists. It was funded by the European Union’s INTERREG IIIA Programme though the ICBAN Partnership and managed by Kids’ Own, an independent art organisation that provides creative, cultural and educational opportunities for children and the professionals that work with them.

Supported by the artist and their teacher, the young artists produced a remarkably wide range of work on linen related themes. They visited the Linen Museum in Lisburn, local mills and art galleries, made innovative use of computer and technology tools as they worked, and invited their families and local communities along to see the end products.

A Kids’ Own book on the project, Beneath the Surface, has been published. It shares the experiences of the teachers, artists and children, shows the quality of the creative work produced by each of the school/artist partnerships, and encourages others to work together in partnership.

Orla Kenny, Creative Director with Kids’ Own, is delighted with the project’s achievements, saying, “The level of interaction between the children, teachers and artists was groundbreaking.”

At Sooey National School in County Sligo, for example, artist Anna Reitberger and teacher Elaine McHugh worked with 9-12 year-old pupils on ‘Untangling/Caught in the Web’. Among other activities, the group explored weaving large webs themselves with strips of fabric.

One of the school’s young artists, Ronán Mac Tiernan, describes this experience, “It was unusual but it was really cool. It was really amazing all the shadows we made. Anna brought in a digital camera and a tape recorder and we took images of other weavings such as a spider’s web on fencing.” Summing up the project, Ronán added, “I learned a lot from the Linen project, but overall it was totally brilliant fun.”

Endorsing Ronán’s verdict, teacher Mary McCann of Colmans Bann Primary School in Banbridge said: ”The project has been a wonderful journey of discovery – indeed re-discovery – of the great experience of art.” One project artist commented: “The project has had a huge impact on how I view the work that I do, and how I validate the work I do in schools.”

For more information on the project and on the exhibition and workshops that will take place in the Ark in Dublin between 1-24 February 2007, visit www.linenireland.org or www.kidsown.ie