5 x 5 x 5 = Creativity

Museum of East Asian Art
Edwina Bridgeman (local artist)
Batheaston Primary School

5 x 5 x 5 = Creativity is an innovative project which enables artists, educators and cultural centres to work with children aged three to five, encouraging creativity and innovation, initiated by Bath and North East Somerset Arts Development Agency. In the project, emphasis is placed on the creative learning process, rather than achieving specific targets and outcomes as regularly required by the curriculum. Utilising both the artist and cultural centres, educators can explore how ideas, thoughts and feelings can be expressed through different art forms and child initiated learning.

The project draws inspiration from the ground breaking work of Reggio Emilia nurseries in northern Italy where each school employs an artist as a fulltime permanent member of staff. Here in the UK, the 5x5x5 project supports and deepens creativity by encouraging artists to work together with schools in collaboration with cultural centres. The Museum is currently working is association with local artist Edwina Bridgeman and Batheaston Primary School.

Inspired by the work of the Museum's 5x5x5 project and encouraged by Museums and Galleries Month to support a Focus on Art day, the Museum will be holding a workshop in May, entitled Recycling Connections. Using the 5x5x5 project as starting point, children of all ages will explore how we can tell stories without using words. Exploring stories and themes associated with East Asian art, children will then be encouraged to make their own three-dimensional sculpture from found and recyclable items. This workshop is founded upon the idea of future sustainability in art as well as the environment and all objects created within the workshop will be shown as part of an online exhibition.

Recycling Connections - Part of M&GM Connect Five
2pm - 3.30pm. All ages; Cost £4.00
Children under 6 must be accompanied by an adult

The project so far…..

Time spent outdoors was the initial starting point. Artist, Edwina Bridgeman observed the children's enthusiasm and delight at throwing leaves into a stream situated in the school grounds and set about making paper boats with the children to sail down the stream. Unfortunately none of the boats make it back to school, however the next week the children found a boat and a crew of small people which was stranded on the stream bank. Edwina had made parts of the boat and crew out of items the children had found outside and along the stream. The children felt that they needed to guide the crew to the safety of their classroom through the use of a leaf trail. Since then the children have made homes for the boat crew out of sticks and other natural material and have been encouraged to explore the idea of how we look after people and the environment.

Through listening to stories, exploring environmental issues, experiencing a Museum handling session and exploring Edwinda's studio work, the children became interested in the idea of the value we give to certain objects. Edwinda's work uses found items, which are often worthless however as she recycles them into a sculpture or 3D figure, objects of valuable. The Museum is full of valuable items and treasures and nature similarly holds many important things which we take for granted. Using these ideas the children are currently working on the theme of ‘Treasure' and ‘Trails'. In Edwina's last visit the children connected birds with nests through the use of coloured pastels and paint trails. Using lining paper the children painted lines connecting the birds at one end of the paper to the nests at the other end. As well incorporating the idea of a trail, this also fostered ideas of a birds nest as a home and holding found items which the birds have come to treasure. The Museum has recently donated some silk covered boxes which once housed a collection of bronzes to the project and these may be used as treasure boxes to be filled by the children.

Please contact the Education Officer for further information.