Outdoor Studios were commissioned by Maidstone Museum and Artswork to deliver 15 workshops to 15 Maidstone Schools in the Summer of 2018.

The Learning Team at Maidstone Museum received substantial funding from Artswork, a bridge organisation of the Arts Council, to deliver an exciting art-based health and wellbeing project with 15 local schools.

The ‘Green Spaces, Natural Faces’ project saw 30 pupils from each of the 15 schools spend a day in the museum investigating different art forms and looking at emotions, faces and expressions linked to emotional wellbeing. They then created their own piece of art with a focus on expressions of ‘self’ with the Museum Learning Team.

In the second part of the project, pupils spent a day in their nearest green space working with one of the Outdoor Studios artists.  Amanda Thesiger, Andy Evans, Gemma Gottelier and Laura Thomas devised a set of workshops which explored perceptions of self, body language and emotions.  Each pupil created art works inspired by health and well being and their response to the outdoor space they were visiting.

Golding Homes supported the project with a donation towards the activities, as well as £500 for each school to apply for Artsmark registration. Artsmark is the creative quality standard for schools, accredited by Arts Council England and provides a clear framework for teachers to plan, develop and evaluate arts, culture and creativity across the curriculum.