Art Engagement Sessions

The Art to Mind contemporary art engagement sessions are 1 hour long and theme-based. They are brought to you either on Zoom or in the classroom.

 

Art Engagement Sessions

The Art to Mind engagement sessions are 1 hour long and theme-based. They are brought to you either on Zoom or in the classroom. The theme is attuned to the interests of your audience. An A-level art history class? We will pick a theme that is current in the curriculum and use contemporary artworks to shine a new light on preconceived ideas. An organisation with immigrant learners? We can talk about artworks by immigrant artists and how their rich experiences of being part of different cultures forms the basis and strength of their work. Whatever your interest and needs, Art to Mind aims to make the art experience relevant for YOU.    


Examples of Previous Themes

The Politics of Craft

 

Why do artists embrace certain materials? Is there a difference between ‘Fine Art’ and ‘Craft’? What are the power structures that determine artistic value?Traditional craft media, including textiles, tapestries, embroidery and ceramics, have recently undergone a kind of renaissance in contemporary art. We will explore what it means to reclaim visual languages that have typically been coded as feminine, domestic, local, or vernacular.

Image: Nicholas Hlobo, Balindile I, 2012

The Female Gaze

How do women portray themselves and other women? How is this different now and in the past? What exactly is the female gaze? We will look a female artists and how they approach femininity in their artworks.

Image: Hannah Starkey, Untitled, 1997

Migration: The African Diaspora in Britain and the US

How does African culture and history influence their work? What does it mean for an artist to migrate? To find an absence of representation? We will look at artists from the African and Carribean diasporas and see how their work reflects their affinity with two cultures, and how they have managed to make Britain their home.

Image: Lubaina Himid, Two Women, 1994

Black Portraiture

Can portraits ever convey the truth? How can portraits help to heal communities? What does it mean to see yourself represented in art? We will discuss the portrayal of black identity in the media, and explore how portraiture can be used as a means of quiet resistance and contribute to a more truthful canon of art history.

Image: Njideka Akunjili Crosby, Dwell: Aso Ebi, 2017

Art and Climate Change: Can Art save the World?

What can artists do to fight climate change? What is the distinction between art and activism? Can art save our planet?

Image: Katie Paterson, Totality, 2016

Digital Natives: Art in the Virtual World

What is real? What is virtual? What happens when the two become merged?
The internet, video games, social media, VR: digital technology does not merely give artists new media to work in; it also provides an aesthetic and conceptual framework for how we see and feel the world. We will explore how artists navigate the complexity that constitutes our 21st-century digital life, and how artists use technology to help us imagine a better future.

Image: Otobong Nkanga, The Weight of Scars (detail), 2015

Modernism Revisited

Modernism has been dominated by male, white artists, but slowly female and non-Western artists are starting to enter the art historical canon. We will explore some of these artists and we’ll also look at the difference between the terms Modern and Modernist, and whether it really matters who painted the ‘first’ abstract artwork.

Image: Hilma Af Klint, Group 4, No. 3. The Ten Largest, Youth, 1907


Prices

Existing Themed Session
In person or on Zoom
Class up to 30 people II 1 hour
£195,-

Customised Themed Session
In person or on Zoom
Class up to 30 people II 1 hour
£295,-

For regular sessions please contact me for a discounted quote


Organise an art engagement session with me