Shipley Art Gallery Image & Identity Project 2005
At Heworth Grange School I worked with year 10 students holding the first session at the Shipley Art Gallery, where we looked at the renowned collection of craftwork by both national and international artists. This was the initial starting point for students work on the theme of “Image and Identity”.
Back at school the students produced portraits of themselves using digital cameras. These were then manipulated using ‘Photoshop’ software into simple ‘Pop Art’ style black and white images, inspired by Archie Brennan’s “The Runner” and a quilt by Dinah Prentice seen in the Gallery. After seeing work by Michael Brennand-Wood which uses non-traditional materials such as flowers and wire we decided to use buttons and metallic hooks and eyes to produce the portraits, creating an almost abstract highly textured mosaic effect.
The project has helped develop creative thinking skills for the pupils, raising their awareness of how to experiment with new techniques and different media. It has been a valuable experience working outside the usual learning environment incorporating challenging tasks.
The Image and Identity project allowed the students to explore new ideas, discovering different methods of presenting images and expressing personal identity in a variety of ways. This Art project has shown us the diverse and ever changing culture we have in our North East society.
A. Hudson
Head of Art and Design, Heworth Grange School
“Image and Identity” provided an extremely positive and worthwhile experience for our students. Working with “real” artists and works of Art instead of just using secondary sources always gives better results. It has been a really exciting project to be involved with.
J. McGonagle
Art and Design Teacher
Working with the artist in the classroom has not only inspired the students but the staff as well. It has encouraged us to experiment with different media and explore more exciting ways of representing ‘the self’ in the medium of textiles.
Back at school the students produced portraits of themselves using digital cameras. These were then manipulated using ‘Photoshop’ software into simple ‘Pop Art’ style black and white images, inspired by Archie Brennan’s “The Runner” and a quilt by Dinah Prentice seen in the Gallery. After seeing work by Michael Brennand-Wood which uses non-traditional materials such as flowers and wire we decided to use buttons and metallic hooks and eyes to produce the portraits, creating an almost abstract highly textured mosaic effect.
The project has helped develop creative thinking skills for the pupils, raising their awareness of how to experiment with new techniques and different media. It has been a valuable experience working outside the usual learning environment incorporating challenging tasks.
The Image and Identity project allowed the students to explore new ideas, discovering different methods of presenting images and expressing personal identity in a variety of ways. This Art project has shown us the diverse and ever changing culture we have in our North East society.
A. Hudson
Head of Art and Design, Heworth Grange School
“Image and Identity” provided an extremely positive and worthwhile experience for our students. Working with “real” artists and works of Art instead of just using secondary sources always gives better results. It has been a really exciting project to be involved with.
J. McGonagle
Art and Design Teacher
Working with the artist in the classroom has not only inspired the students but the staff as well. It has encouraged us to experiment with different media and explore more exciting ways of representing ‘the self’ in the medium of textiles.
