Zart Extra Term 3 2011
Stitch In Time
Ivanhoe Grammar School
Each year at Buckley House we aim to provide the students in Years 5 & 6 with the opportunity to work with a visiting artist. It is a project which brings so many benefits to our children and school community. Previous projects had included the areas of painting, mosaics and ceramics. In 2010 we were introduced to Amy Carr Bottomley, an enthusiastic and inspirational young textile design artist. Amy graduated from RMIT University Melbourne with a BA in Textile Design and a Major in Weaving. She has won awards for her work in recent exhibitions and is currently lecturing at RMIT in textiles.
After consultation, we decided on a textile project in which the children would be involved in both needlepoint and weaving, to produce a large textile wall hanging, approximately 3 metres by 4 metres, to be installed on a feature wall in the recently redeveloped Buckley House Library at Ivanhoe Grammar.
Amy’s project was based on colour, pattern and texture, centred around the design theme of Optical Illusions. Each student designed an individual 12cm x 12cm square, carefully considering pattern and colour combinations. Students were introduced to various threads and textiles and used needlepoint techniques to stitch their coloured piece. Some students also took the opportunity to produce some squares using the rug hooking method. All students also worked with Amy on her loom to help weave two long cloth panels which were incorporated into the finished piece. When all squares were completed, Amy assembled over 120 individual squares to produce a truly beautiful textile art work which was unveiled at our annual Art Show.
Our Artist in Residence Project provided the students with an insight into how artists plan and execute their creative ideas. Amy shared her portfolios and visual diaries and was an enthusiastic supporter of the students, supporting and encouraging them to express their creative ideas. It was a rich learning experience for our young artists to work with a skilled artisan who happily shared her expertise. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm with which the children tackled the new techniques and skills, and the perseverance they displayed to complete their work. In fact some children continued to develop and pursue their new skills in their own time.
Our 2010 Artist in Residence project resulted in the creation of a lasting work of art that is admired and valued by the whole school community. It is a joy to see children proudly pointing out their special square to family and friends, and of course, in future years they can also come back to visit the school and remember their treasured contribution.
Helena Swain & Kym Leon
Art Teachers – Buckley House
Ivanhoe Grammar School
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Key words: Zart Extra, newsletter, article, teacher resource, School Projects, Primary
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