Students develop art piece for Manchester Museum

Pupils explore the concept of culture and identity at The Manchester Museum

The Creative and Performing Arts Department at Wardle Academy has been involved with developing an on-going creative link with The Manchester Museum.

Last week, over a hundred pupils visited the museum to explore the concept of culture and identity.

The link art practitioner, Karen Allerton, will be working alongside our students and art teachers to develop a unique installation piece for The Manchester Museum’s reception, based on the theme of ‘identity’. The scheme is funded through The Prince’s Trust for Children and the Arts.

In early July, the students’ art installation will be exhibited in the new foyer of The Manchester Museum. Students and parents will be invited to a celebration event and the work will be transferred back to school for exhibition prior to the end of the Summer Term. 

Mr Peter Carroll, Director of Creative and Performing Arts, said: "This really is an amazing learning opportunity and a brilliant chance to showcase the creativity of our students.

"The students really enjoyed their recent visit to the museum and the opportunity to handle objects from Ancient Egypt and Greece. It helped them connect the past with the present and understand people’s stories and experiences. Working with artist Karen Allerton will be a wonderful creative experience for our students."

The pupils took part in the following workshops throughout the day:

Workshop 1: CSI Athens
Students solved a crime by investigating Ancient Greek objects recovered from the scene.

Workshop 2: Celebrities and Shabtis
Students used Ancient Egyptian artefacts to explore visual identity today throughout history.

Workshop 3: Portrait Printing
Pupils transformed portrait drawings brought to the museum using printing press. 

Gallery Session 1: Identity in the Animal World
Students explored what defines things in the animal kingdom and the classification system we use to identify them.

Gallery Session 2: Portrait of the self
Pupils were given a range of materials to build up a representational self-portrait. An opportunity for the pupils to contribute to the project’s direction.

Gallery Session 3 Ancient Egypt: Real or make-believe
Students looked at what Egyptian Art really reveals about the identity of Ancient Egyptians.