Led by artist Hannah Murgatroyd, the workshop began with a tour of the Man Group Exhibition, with selected artists discussing their work with pupils, engaging them immediately in the wider possibilities of drawing.
“Drawing is a primary act. As children we make marks without needing to understand what it is we create. The power of drawing lies in aiding us to see the world. It helps us configure space, order our thoughts and process our responses to our exterior, and interior worlds.
Act of making
As we grow older we become more inhibited in what we let our bodies do. Teenagers, especially, are self-conscious and afraid of appearing foolish in front of their peers. Due to restrictions in the school classroom, students generally work small, drawing with their wrists, forgetting the connection to the elbow, to the shoulder, to the spine: the dynamism behind a mark. By working on the floor on massive sheets of paper everyone (teachers included) got messy, attuning themselves to the materials. Each session used the life model and included exercises such as drawing with eyes closed, with both hands simultaneously and working in pairs on a single image.
Group dynamic
Pupils worked collaboratively, negotiating close physical space and drawing on top of each other’s images. The workshops were designed for proximal learning, workshop leaders and teachers drew alongside pupils, encouraging them to engage their bodies with the work they made. Everyone was treated as an equal, employing Len Massey’s (head of RCA Drawing Studio) maxim, “We’re all artists when we enter the Drawing Studio – there’s no right or wrong, just drawing.” They got lost in the action, seeking their way out through mark-making, tapping into their intuitive process without the pressure of passing or failing.
The outcome
In the brief time allotted the work produced was emotive, bold and surprising. The results were evident of the actions of a group of pupils who committed themselves to hard work. The sessions demonstrated drawing to be fun and intuitive, showing young teenagers that as professional artists, play remains central to our work. We all felt invigorated by the sessions, and confident that we had contributed to opening up the pupils’ approach to making.”
Hannah Murgatroyd, 2006