Workshops
Taking calligraphy to schools is an important element, particularly as an accessibility for children to an alternative art form as a self-expression, and also as children are quickly adaptable and respond well to the skills of hand and eye co-ordination. Because of our rich heritage of this ancient craft it encourages an awareness of the evolvement of script styles and letter design in realtion to their place in history.
The artist has led workshops at many of her local schools. These have covered a variety of written styles and have introduced a range of traditional and modern tools and materials. They include the introduction of particular scripts and work through an alphabet with demonstrations, leading to creating layouts of texts, additional decoration and working towards a final piece of work. The workshops can vary in theme depending on the style of script that can represent an historical period and therefore would dictate a style of layout and relevant materials and choice of text. A particular favourite, and now a Lottery Funded project, three alternative curriculum day workshops, or as four after-school sessions, taking place in 2007/2008, 'The Medieval Page', using Gothic script, hand drawn and decorated capitals, children work towards a final page layout in medieval style with illustrations and colour using the words of Chaucer. The workshops will culminate in an exhibition of final pages at a local space. However, not all themes are historically based, as many workshops have had a strong contemporary theme including alternative presentation of words and making use of recycled handmade papers rather than traditional materials. Lottery Funded workshops were run in 2006, entitled 'Medieval Banners and Flags', at ten schools in East Kent. These included a basic introduction to Heraldry. Each child designed a paper mock of a Banner or Flag, that connected as symbols and colours to their own school. At the conclusion of each one-day workshop, a winning design was chosen between the artist and class teacher and was then reproduced as a life-size material replica which was then returned to the school to be carried in local processional events.
NOTE: Workshops are very adaptable to each school, in subject, teaching levels and costs (if not funded). A standard cost for an artist led workshop is £150 per day with the addition of materials and travelling expenses.
