Buttons, Beads, Ping Pong balls and Straws! Wearable art from the July School Holiday Workshops

The Gallery educators and I had a great time over the last two weeks working with some very creative children during the July school holiday workshops. Each workshop began with images and discussions around a couple of key concepts that would be the focus of the session’s exploration. We looked at artists from the Gallery's collection who have made works that have investigated similar ideas.

The wearable art workshops focused on the way artists have re-contextualised materials by using something recycled or everyday and presenting it in a new way. The children were immediately interested in this idea and were excited by the freedom it gave them in their making.

Niki Hastings McFall, Too much sushi lei, 2000, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

The works of artists Niki Hastings-McFall and Judy Darragh inspired the children in their use of unusual materials in new and interesting ways. They made thoughtful decisions concerning pattern and symmetry as they explored and experimented with ways of using the wide array of materials available.

Here are some of the results from the 6-8 year olds' workshops!

Here are some of the creations from the 9-12 year olds:

We were all very impressed with their achievements! It was a great sight as the proud children left wearing an array of creative and unusual creations pinned to or hanging from them.

A big thanks to Judy Darragh who gifted us the amazing fluoro ping pong balls from her work along the banks of the Waikato River in Hamilton.

Check out our next holiday workshop blog to see the fantastic work from the silkscreen printed t-shirt workshops!