Bridging the Gap

PLATINUM JUBILEE ARTS PROJECT IN HARBURY


Harbury Village Library will be working with Arts Uplift and Harbury Primary School on a project to create a mural for the school hall which reflects both seventy years of school life and the values of the school, "Love, Collaboration, Perseverance, Thankfulness, Trust, Inclusion.


The plan is for a group of 15 older village residents to work with pupils from Year 6 to design the mural. The older residents will also work separately with a professional facilitator during 3 workshops taking place on the mornings of Monday 13th, 20, and 27th of June.


OVERALL RATIONALE OF THE PROJECT - through an intergenerational arts project, bring the community together again after the isolation caused by the covid pandemic, and at the same time celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

THE PROJECT - create a mural exploring seventy years of school life, to be displayed in Harbury Primary School hall

PROJECT ORGANISER - Arts Uplift CIC in collaboration with Harbury Village Library (with some grant funding from Harbury Parish Council)

PROJECT FACILITATOR - Visual artist Jessica Hartshorn

PARTICIPANTS - Year 6 of Harbury Primary School and fifteen older adults living in the Parish. The adults will be recruited by Harbury Village Library through groups such as the Women’s Institute, Mothers’ Union, All Saints Parish Church, Harbury Senior Citizens, Connections Café and grandparents of children at the school

PROJECT METHOD

  1. Y6 children, adults and project facilitator will meet at the school to exchange stories about their school life over the last 70 years since the Queen has been in reign.

  1. These stories will then form the content for 6 visual arts workshops run by Jessica Hartshorn (visual artist) as follows

    1. with Y 6 children - three two-hour workshops at Harbury School

    2. with the adults - three two-hour workshops at Harbury Village Library

  1. Jessica Hartshorn will design a tree with an open book at its roots, displaying the school motto - ‘To learn, love and grow together’.

  1. During the art workshops, participants will create painted and /or collaged leaves to represent the stories shared earlier. (For example, they might paint images from objects and photos that reference 'then and now.')

  1. The leaves will then be digitised and added to the tree.

  1. The artwork will be printed and displayed in the school hall.

  1. A photo of the mural, and the participant’s original artwork will be displayed in Harbury Village Library.