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European Innovative Teaching Award
Project

Enhancing Visual Arts Education

School/Coordinator: Scoil Mhuire Fatima

Topic(s) addressed

  • Creativity– the inspiration of artists and artwork 

  • Sustainability– mutual learning (school staff, community and experts in Art Institutes) 

  • Transformation of spaces and well-being 

  • Inclusion of pupils of all ages learning together

Target groups

  • 140 pupils

  • 28 school staff 

  • 600+ parents and community

Methodologies

  • Visual Arts identified as an appropriate means of addressing multiculturalism, diversity, inclusion and literacy (School Self Evaluation- SSE)

  • Intensive training at the European level proved advantageous to all staff due to the high percentage of pupils needing English as an Additional Language (EAL) interventions.

  • Various digital, creative, sustainable and mutual learning possibilities (the influence of the Architectural Biennale in Venice and Covid-19 limitations)

Environments

The Walk-About Gallery:

  • making the pupils’ artwork accessible despite Covid-19 restrictions

  • re-imagining and re-purposing the school corridors

  • installing good quality notice boards and checking ventilation

The school will continue to hold five Walk-About Galleries annually, with nearly two hundred metres of accessible gallery space.

Teachers

  • Coming up with innovative ideas aptly reacting to the Covid-19 challenges (Walk-About Galleries)

  • Teachers introduced paintings relevant to the themes of climate change and sustainability

  • Pieter Bruegel's Hunters in the Snow used as an illustration of the potential effect of the sea level rise on the local area

  • Discussion spurred by the painting led to creative problem-solving.

Impact

  • Building bridges between education and the wider community through contact with local galleries and Colleges of art

  • Making visual arts a vehicle for change in the school through sharing information on the project with the wider school community

  • Investigating the ways to promote students’ environmental responsibility through artistic processes

  • Pitching the arts as a viable career path to the parents via school-based creative careers talks & workshops programme.

Enhancing Visual Arts Education - Ireland
Project category
Primary education
Project year
2022

Stakeholders

Coordinators

European Cultural Academy, Venice

Address
Italy