October
Gallery Education Department
The October Gallery Education Department
runs a two-tier programme for participants: the Schools' Education Programme
and the Outreach Arts Programme. Given the international scope of the
Gallery's exhibitions, the Department emphasises cultural plurality in
arts education. Gallery visits and artist-led projects engage school pupils
and community groups with art from different cultures and other peoplesaround
the planet, validating the diverse cultural backgrounds of participants
and artists alike, while providing insight into different ways of life.
The Schools Programme includes termly INSET meetings for teachers, structured
gallery visits and pupil resource packs as well as artist-led workshops.
Year 6 ( age 10/11) pupils sketching in the gallery.
A pupil examines his own
work hanging in the Annual School's Exhibition.
Workshops are
a vital part of the education programme. Whenever possible, artists are
brought to the UK and stay at the gallery throughout their exhibitions.
The gallery also hosts an annual exhibition of work by participants in
the Education programme, as well as exhibitions related to specific projects.
Head First - Exploring Contemporary Portraiture: As part of the
Arts Council of England's pilot Artist in Education scheme, year 6 pupils
from Shacklewell Primary School, Hackney, worked with four visual artists
investigating identity through portraiture in photography, sculpture and
painting.
Charles Beauchamp and Julieta Rubio: This collaborative painting
and sculpture exhibition by artists from France and Colombia provided
an interactive music installation by Music Works and a dance education
programme for pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2.
Ori Inu - The Inner Head: As part of the Gallery's 'Yoruba Diasporas
Festival,' the Education Department collaborated with Iroko theatre company
to run a visual arts and theatre programme for pupils at all Key Stages
to investigate the Yoruba concept of 'Ori Inu,' the Inner Head.
Several artists of Yoruba descent were resident at the Gallery and ran
a series of exciting workshops that also included traditional music and
dance.
The October Gallery Education Department is an active member of Engage,
the national association for gallery education.
For further information
on the Education Programme, please contact the Education Co-ordinator,
Helen Turner, at
The October Gallery Education Department continues to run smoothly by
means of support from The Marks & Spencer Community Action Fund and
The Save & Prosper Educational Trust. Without their help and the help
of our many other sponsors, our educational
programme would be far less successful in reaching school-children of
all backgrounds and abilities.
