We have had another busy quarter with our Plastic Fantastic Project funded by the Climate Challenge Fund. We have continued to work in the Art Flat with classes such as 3D Drawing, Funk Up Yer Junk and also our Textiles and Screen Printing workshop. We have also been running some great sessions in ST. Patrick’s Primary School and Whinhill Primary School learning about Global Warming and how to recycle plastic bottles into piggy banks. As well as this the pupils have been weighing the materials that they have been using and working out what impact they are having on the environment by directing these products from landfill. In Notre Dame High School we have been working to develop our paper collages into textile artworks and in the after school session we have been working in acoustic panel designs for the Broomhill Community Hub.
Whilst running workshops in the primary school classes we have been working on a variety of different crafts over the Winter period. The pupils were feeling extremely Christmassy so we decided it was a perfect time to do some Christmas crafts. The pupils tried their hands at making Christmas cards for their friends and family then made tree decorations out of plastic bottles. The pupils chose between making a snowman, an elf or Santa Claus.
After the Christmas break the students were welcomed back to lessons on Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases. The class then made sure that their Eco Warrior handbooks were being filled in with all the definitions of the important words that we learned. The class also worked through their crossword using all the new words learned. We would also often quiz the pupils in each session to ensure that they are thinking about how to recycle their waste effectively.
The classes also all read The Lorax together and had great discussion about our impact on the planet. We then started to make origami creatures and piggy banks out of plastic bottles. We used our origami creatures as the faces for our animal piggy banks.
In Notre Dame High School, the pupils have been developing their collages further into textile collages by using different types of donated fabric and buttons to create snapshots of their paper creations. The class have been working with textile artist Susan McInnes to develop their sewing skills whilst learning new techniques of working with fabric. We have also been working with an after school class at Notre Dame. In this session we have been working on acoustic panels for the Broomhill Community Hub. The pupils have been researching the heritage of Greenock to incorporate into their panel designs. In designing their panels the pupils have been exploring a variety of mediums in which they can work with. Some pupils have been using bondaweb to glue pieces of fabric together into a collage design and other pupils have been developing their embroidery skills. Within this session the pupils will soon be learning how to screen print designs onto fabric.
We have started a new class in our Broomhill Art Flat called ‘Funk Up Yer Junk,’ on Monday’s from 6pm-8pm, where participants are invited to come down and try their hand at up cycling furniture that has been donated or that they have brought from home. We have also incorporated a session where participants can learn how to turn difficult-to-recycle materials into useful and decorative objects. This class allows participants to think about their old items and waste differently and teaches participants how to save money effectively by reusing their ‘junk.’
Whilst we are still trying to test out the final parts of our plastic machines, we are going to be showcasing our 3D Pen Strooder and Shredder at a community event at Broomhill Community Hub on the 20th March as well as at Kelvingrove Art Gallery for the Earth Hour event with Zero Waste Scotland.
We have also continued with our textiles class in the Broomhill Art Flat where participants have been making acoustic covers for the Broomhill Community Hub. With artists Susan McInnes and Steph Davidson, art flat goers have had the chance to screen print their designs as well as sew different fabrics together to make some great pieces to be displayed in the Hub.
If you would like to attend any of these sessions, Funk Up Yer Junk takes place on a Monday evening at 6pm-8pm at the Broomhill Art Flat (Buzzer 12) and Textiles and Screen Printing takes place again at the Art Flat on Thursdays 6pm until 8pm.
For more info, email info@rigarts.org, find us on Facebook @RIGArtsGreenock or ‘The Broomhill Project’, or call 01475 649359.
The Broomhill Project 