Nearly 30 school Coventry school pupils have this week brought the local art world to life with resin castings inspired by a Herbert Art Gallery exhibition.
Brought to Light, which showcased artworks from the Herbert’s permanent collection, ran at the gallery last year.
Now, as part of the of the Museums and Schools programmes funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education, pupils from Ash Green have made resin castings, taking inspiration from Brought to Light.
The group artwork is the culmination of a four day project that involved Year 9 students working with local artist Luisa Freitas.
The students were encouraged to make connections between the Herbert’s collection and their own lives and experiences of living in Coventry.
They then made sketches of ideas for their own artworks with the overarching themes of Past, Present and Future.
Finally, working with a variety of materials, each pupil produced up to three resin castings that reflected their interests, hopes and aspirations.
In addition to working at the Herbert, students also visited Leamington Art Gallery & Museum for a special one day creative workshop, and they will also be attending the V&A Museum for a workshop and celebration of the project at the end of the summer term.
Talking about the project, Head of Learning and Engagement Lisa Ford said: “Working on a more long-term project, like this, with secondary school pupils enables us to build up a stronger and more meaningful relationship with the pupils, who then gain a bigger sense of belonging to the museum and pride in the work they have achieved.
“This particular project has enhanced their skills using a method of art making (resin casting) that was new to them and not available to do at school. It’s been fantastic to utilise the funding we receive from Arts Council England in this way.”