Earth, water, air: Children meaning making: Using ceramics to give form to children’s ideas

This research project involved 120 young children aged 5-7 years old in ceramic workshops creating individual artefacts to form a final exhibition piece. The exhibition was curated by an internationally recognised ceramic artist and exhibited in an historic building in a disadvantaged inner city location to encourage social inclusion and access to the arts by the local community. Inspiration was taken from a permanent ceramic window exhibition at Royal Crown Derby Museum, completed by the artist during a residency in 2000. Royal Crown Derby have been producing bone china ceramics since 1750 and are currently one of the original factories still producing bone china in Britain. The children took inspiration from the ceramic window installation and artefacts within the museum for their designs through observations, drawings and photos. Further inspiration was gained from visits to Arboretum Park, the first publicly owned, landscaped, recreational park in England, opened in 1840 using donated land by Joseph Strutt. The project included children from the local community with a history of exclusion and isolation from cultural institutions and local heritage. The aim of the project was therefore to bring together children, community, local business and cultural institutions and university students through engagement in a collaborative arts project to facilitate access to Royal Crown Derby museum and other cultural institutions. The project gave value to children’s own ideas and supported their creativity, identity and agency. Early findings indicate that barriers exist within the UK education system which mitigate against children’s full participation in the arts and cultural activities, including time constraints due to curriculum pressure and expected outcomes. The location of the exhibition encouraged public reconsideration of the value and placing of children’s art by challenging the idea of separate spaces for the display of adults and children products.

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