How artists can work with schools

There are many different ways in which a school can work with an artist, depending on the aims of the individual school and funds available. An artist can be 'in residence' for anything from a day to two years or they can be asked to work on specific projects. Their work might include:-

• teaching groups and/or demonstrating art skills and techniques, e.g. drawing, designing, printing, weaving
• giving talks to pupils, staff or parents about their own work and influences
• exhibiting their own work
• setting up a 'studio' for the duration of a residency
• making a specific piece with pupils
• making their own work as if for commission to show process
• training teachers (Inset)
• working with parents and the local community, e.g. make a communal piece such as a textile hanging or a large outdoor sculpture
• developing resources through picture research.

The following examples show what pupils and teachers could learn about the work of a professional artist:-

• showing evidence of research methods (sketchbooks, cuttings, maquettes) can demonstrate how artists start new work
• seeing a piece evolve over a period of time can help pupils identify with it, especially if they see evidence of the need to constantly review and modify
• discussing other artists' work, both historical and contemporary, can open the way for understanding the context in which artists operate
• discussing the content of work may raise issues such as race, gender, pollution, multi-culturalism, feminism, religion, etc., and give teachers and pupils the opportunity to explore issues through art and its meaning.

As well as learning about the practical side of making art, pupils and teachers can learn about other aspects of professional practice. Older pupils in particular may be interested in finding out about an artist's career path and training, or about marketing and selling work. The nature of the artist's practice will, to some extent, define how they can work most effectively in a school. For example, if an artist:-

• regularly carries out commissions, they could set a typical brief and help pupils think through the process of designing and executing an individual piece
• has an interest in community work, they could offer to make a collaborative piece alongside pupils
• has an interest in historical art or artefacts they could offer to link a project to a visit to a local museum or gallery
• is knowledgeable about specific subjects (myths and legends, literature, Roman pottery, geology, Oriental textiles, The Day of the Dead) they could suggest a project theme.