Yorkshire Sculpture Park
LEARNING AT YSP
TEACHING RESOURCE
Exploring Sculpture
and Environment
01
Exploring Sculpture And Environment
Pre Project:
Why, What, How?
Setting The Scene
Research: Sculpture And Environment
Creating Your Own Outdoor Resources
04
08
Openings
What Is Sculpture?
What Can Sculpture Be Made From?
Top Tips
How Should We Look At Sculpture?
Extending Enquiry
Draw, Investigate, Explore
Tools And Materials
Aims And Learning Outcomes
Top Tips
Extension Ideas
Share And Reflect
Making Sculpture
13
Slot & Slide –Card
16
Bend It! Fold It! Join It! – Mixed Materials
19
Twist & Turn –Wire Sculpture
22
Stretch It! Squeeze It! Stack It!–Clay
25
Build & Balance –Construction
11
INFORMATION
29
The Inspiration For This Resource: The Spark Project
30
Connections To The Curriculum
31
Further Links
01
Spark is a three year initiative developed by Yorkshire Sculpture
Park, generously funded by the Bramall Charitable Trust. Led by
artist and coordinator Emma Spencer, Spark works alongside
schools in economically and socially deprived areas of Yorkshire
introducing ‘Sculpture and Environment’.
WHY, what, how?
Setting the scene
Why
This resource celebrates and shares the learning that
took place during Spark, enabling more schools to
benefit from the lessons learnt, offering lots of exciting,
workable activities that teachers have enjoyed and used.
Your activities can take place in different settings,
including your local art gallery, museum or historic house.
You may even be lucky enough to live near a sculpture
park or wood that has a sculpture trail. You can use the
links below to explore the opportunities in your locality. It
is also worth contacting your local council as many have
schemes in place to support learning through Loan Boxes
- boxes containing authentic objects for learning within
the classroom. Often there will be local artist within your
community who may be able to share their work and talk
to your class.
WHAT
This resource will help you to investigate Sculpture and
Environment and provide practical ideas. We hope that
it will inspire you and help to develop your skills.
HOW
This resource takes you through thinking, questioning,
looking, drawing and making. It offers you practical,
fun, and creative activities tested by Spark teachers
and pupils.
Within the resource there are:
To research, plan and develop creativity with outdoor
and indoor sculpture see:
Further Information p.31
www.ysp.co.uk/learning
Examples of questions to open discussions
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
Drawing activities to build confidence
www.forestry.gov.uk
Making activities to explore materials and processes
www.takeonepicture.org
Top Tips gleamed from delivering Spark
Extension activities to help you explore further
Connections to the Curriculum
All the activities, whether speaking and listening,
drawing or making, encourage critical and expressive
use of language in response to observations.
We would like to acknowledge all the children, teachers
and schools that have taken part and contributed to
this project through their participation.
Participating Year One Teacher
02
‘I liked Spark because we got to use different materials
and look at sculptures that seemed strange.
I also liked it because I could play and be creative…’
Pupil, Sandal Magna School
RESEARCH: SCULPTURE ANd
ENvIRONmENT
CREATING YOUR OwN
OUTdOOR RESOURCES
Find out as much as you can about the artwork(s)
you are looking at and if it’s at all possible pre-visit.
Consider your understanding of the artwork and how
it makes you feel. It is always helpful to gain factual
background information and to understand your own
response to the work. However, this information is
to be kept to yourself for a while and is to be used
carefully as you embark on a journey of enquiry with
your class.
Spark children enjoyed exploring and making with
the outdoor resource areas at YSP.
Build your own collection of materials that can be
used outside.
At YSP we keep some materials inside that we can take
outside to help transform and make including string,
tape, fabric, pegs and recycled plastic containers.
Further links p.31
This creates a stimulating and inexpensive toolkit.
To inspire your workshops the Build & Balance:
Construction activity is designed to explore the
learning which takes place in this outdoor environment.
YSP Learning resources visit:
www.ysp.co.uk/page/resources/tc
When you have decided what sculpture or place you
are going to investigate, you can start.
To research the artist, their art, life and inspiration in
relation to teaching see:
03
04
This section aims to enable
children to develop their
own critical thinking skills.
To achieve this it is important
to build a space where children
can gain the confidence to say
what they think, without fear
of getting it wrong.
wHAT IS SCULPTURE?
The aim of this question is to develop the realisation
that sculpture is three dimensional (3D). A visual way
to show this is with a piece of paper; ask the children
how you could turn this into sculpture. (Fold, scrunch,
tear, twist, wrap).
Children often answer with their hands – they show
you – pick up on this it’s a good answer!
wHAT CAN SCULPTURE
BE mAdE FROm?
The aim of this question is to realise sculpture can be
made from anything, therefore all answers are correct.
Make a list – with encouragement every single child
can name a material. This list is endless. It is useful to
suggest some unexpected materials, for example, ice,
hair, bins, dust, broken pianos. This helps to build the
list alongside the more traditional materials of stone,
wood and bronze.
If sculpture can be made out of anything and is 3D we
could all be sculpture. The teacher can lead this activity
by asking everyone to stand up, and think about what
shapes they could make with their bodies. Take on
these shapes.
Children can work in small groups and as individuals.
Try both. A large space is better for this; outside on
a sunny day you can make shadow sculptures!
TOP TIPS
If the children are finding it hard to describe,
try giving them a descriptive word: Spiky, tall,
curved, balanced.
Why not use fabric to cover over some of the shapes
so you can focus on the form of the sculpture.
05
You need to move around
sculpture to see it!
HOw SHOULd wE LOOk
AT SCULPTURE?
The aim of this question is to realise you need to move
around sculpture to see it all. You can show this with
an image of a sculpture that looks very different from
the front, back and side. Alternatively you could use
the ‘people sculpture’ you have just made and look
at it from different angles.
This is also something you can re visit with drawing
activities, please refer to drawing section in this
resource on p.08.
TRY THIS
This is a good opportunity to discuss looking at 3D
objects compared to images of objects – as a simple
warm up exercise you could show a picture of a shoe
alongside an actual shoe and discuss the difference
thinking about scale, front, back, sides, details,
material, smell, texture.
Explore their expectations before visiting and revisit
when viewing the actual sculpture. This discussion can
lead into why galleries, sculpture parks and museums
are so important.
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ExTENdING ENqUIRY
Continuing with open questions will help to encourage
the young people to think for themselves in an
imaginative way about sculpture and begin to make
connections to themselves and their lives. It is
important not to tell young people what you know
about the artwork straight away (the knowledge you
gained from research). And to continue to ask openended questions, which explore looking.
What can you see?
What do you think it is about?
Remember to look at the sculpture from different
positions. Have another go at taking on the shape of
the sculpture with the body; this really can be powerful
for some learners and remember you often have to
lead the way! For example, a sculpture of one of Henry
Moore figures lying down can help us imagine the line
of the landscape and the shape of the hills.
Follow the children’s interpretations with background
information:
The name of artist.
The materials it is made from if they
haven’t guessed. Why the artist may have
used this material.
What is it made from? Why did the artist
choose this material?
Title.
Does it make you think about something else?
What the artist was interested in or was
thinking about when making this sculpture.
How does it make you feel?
Do you like it? Why?
How would you make it?
Imagine if it was made out of a different
material (ice, wool, chocolate, metal, sand…)
Encourage all the children to have an opinion, and to
listen to each other’s ideas. They will be influenced by
what others say in the group. This is the time to build
confidence and embrace individual ideas.
Encourage new readings of the artwork; see how
imaginative your young people can be.
Historical context.
If possible it is good to relate back to young
people and reinforce their own experience
or learning.
Discuss whether you like the artist’s ideas more or your
own when viewing art. Why is that? How do you think
the artist would feel about this?
Artists understand that their artworks may provoke
a different meaning to each individual. It is important
to value each interpretation and personal connection
to the sculpture alongside understanding the artist’s
source of inspiration.
07
08
Good humour and a sense
of adventure are useful when
embarking on creative journeys!
TOOLS ANd mATERIALS
A sketchbook is desirable to record ideas and
thoughts. If it is not possible to buy sketchbooks,
research folding paper into books and encourage
the children to make their own. Use different
papers. For example, a simple recycling option is
to collect old envelopes to transform into books.
A selection of pencils (2B and 4B are good), black
felt tip pens and charcoal.
Pencil sharpener.
Rubbers are not needed, work over mistakes or
just start a new drawing; its good to be able to look
back and understand that drawings don’t always
go as planned. This can be really challenging for
some children.
You can also use viewfinders, magnifiers and
telescopes - this can especially help in indoor
spaces where you are not allowed to touch.
It encourages looking at sections and focusing
on details.
AImS & LEARNING
OUTCOmES
The ideas below are useful for looking and drawing and
they can be used in many different situations.
Play with drawing, enjoy drawing.
Experiment with drawing.
Build confidence in drawing.
Be positive, do lots of quick drawings (you can use
a timer) this will enable the children to move on and
realise that they can keep trying.
Draw in the air – follow the lines you can see.
Draw with eyes shut.
Draw with the opposite hand you write with.
Draw on each other’s backs.
Draw with our bodies and make shadows.
Draw without taking pencil off the page.
Draw from someone else’s description.
Draw the shapes you can see, not what you
know it to be.
Draw the space around the sculpture.
Draw the same sculpture but from different angles.
If you were to make this sculpture what would
it look like?
09
TOP TIPS
SHARE AND REFLECT
Encourage children not to label their drawings – writing
could be on the back or a different page – do encourage
making notes.
Spend time as one large group or in small groups
sharing ideas.
Remember to encourage working without rubbing
or crossing out, as they do not build confidence.
Support the children to realise that they can’t get it
right every time, mistakes open up all sorts of creative
opportunities.
Imagine the sculpture made out
of different materials.
Imagine if it could speak.
Imagine if it could move.
Imagine it larger or smaller.
EXTENSION IDEAS
Celebrate drawing when back in class; here you
can draw on a larger scale using rolls of paper.
Draw on large boards or on walls outside
in the playground.
Experiment with different materials such
as charcoal, string and tape.
Change the title.
Imagine the sculpture displayed
in a different environment.
Discussion is a great way to develop our own thinking
to figure out ideas and be allowed to change our
opinion. Ask the children what they didn’t like.
Ask them to elaborate, following up with the question
‘how would they have done it differently?’
Set a drawing project as homework.
Experiment with enlarging and reducing
drawings on the photocopier, which can then
be displayed in class.
Draw onto acetate and project on to walls.
Present an assembly on drawing.
Teacher Participating in Spark
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11
Making connections with
sculpture and the environment.
Being playful and trying out
new ideas is a good way to
learn about sculpture.
The progression from drawing to making sculpture
develops the children’s understanding of Sculpture
and Environment, helping them to construct meaning
from all they have looked at, drawn and discussed.
This will give the children an opportunity to process
the ideas that they have been considering. Making in
3D is very different from working in 2D and requires
alternative skills.
As with all the activities in this section, it is important
not to show the children exactly what to do.
Demonstrate small sections and even show that making
a ‘mistake’ is useful, but if you make a finished object
then the children often think this is what you want and
will simply regurgitate your ideas. Let the children find
their own route through and celebrate their discoveries
with the whole the class.
Through making sculpture children can start to really
understand the concept of 3D. This is the time to
celebrate these creative skills. Look out for the children
who answered the question ‘what is sculpture?’ with
their hands, this might be the time they shine!
Ask the children if they have anything they would
consider sculpture at home and to bring it in. This could
be the start of your own class gallery. You can make
plinths out of cardboard boxes and you could even
take your objects outside to make a sculptural trail.
This helps children think about scale and environment
and gives you great scope for noticing how an artwork
looks different depending on where it is placed.
Before you start making, it is a good opportunity to review
the sculptures you have looked at with a slide show.
You could turn the classroom into a studio for the
week. Pupils can learn through experience that studios
are places where artists work, allowing their creativity
to flow and develop:
Cover up displays with the children’s recent
drawings.
Change the lighting.
Several of the activities suggested below would need
to take place outside, however we have also suggested
activities that can be delivered in the classroom at
desks. Children can work in groups, which will develop
team-working skills, or individually. We suggest working
in both ways.
Play music.
Alter the desk layout.
Have a continual projection playing of sculptures.
Create a resource area of books which includes
a variety of artists and artistic movements.
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13
Slot & Slide can be delivered in the classroom or on
the floor in a hall.
SLOT & SLIDE
CARD
MATERIALS
Card in any shape and size, even
old cereal boxes, can be used.
ACTIVITY
Demonstrate to the children how, by making simple slits
in two pieces of card, they can join together to make
interesting sculptural shapes. Try experimenting with
different size slits.
You can set challenges to individual children or to groups.
To use only rectangular cards / triangular /circular card.
To use at least ten different shaped pieces of card.
To use only two cards.
To have the largest piece of card on top.
Use one of the drawings and try to copy it.
Ask the children to set the challenge.
This is a good starting activity, introducing the
children to thinking about shape and form. You are not
relying on glue or tape just one material, discovering
what card can do.
This activity will show how materials can be
transformed; a simple piece of card can become
almost anything you wish. You can also produce work
quite quickly so confidence can be built. Young people
will learn about structure, joining and balance whilst
using problem-solving skills.
14
SLOT & SLIDE
CARD
TOP TIPS
Use one colour of card.
Use contrasting card colours.
Don’t throw the off-cuts away as these are often
the more interesting piece of card.
Ask the children to think about which is the top
and bottom of their sculpture.
Turn the sculptures upside down - do they
work better?
Let children share their ideas and support
each other.
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Try working in larger card, explore scale, do you
need to add more materials to support the card?
Try making the same sculpture again.
Draw the sculpture.
Take photos of your sculpture. Print out and collage
the photographs onto different backdrops such as a
beach, a city, and a wood.
Pretend your sculpture has become a building, what
would happen inside?
Ask the children to think of as many words as
possible to describe their sculptures. Include words
that describe how they made it and words that
describe how it looks: can the children turn these
into poetry?
Can you add texture to the sculpture by
experimenting with how you fold and cut the card?
15
NOTES:
16
This builds on the previous activity but introduces more
ways of working with familiar materials, which the
children may not have used when creating sculpture.
BENd IT! FOLd IT! JOIN IT!
mIxEd mATERIALS
mATERIALS
Card (e.g. recycled
packaging, empty cereal boxes)
Paper
Pegs
There are many different ways the sculptures
can develop which enables everyone to produce
something unique to them.
String
Rubber bands
Tape (masking tape and electrical
tape are recommended)
Paper clips
Straws
Pipe cleaners
ACTIvITY
Show the children a piece of card and begin with the
questions you asked at the beginning of the project:
‘What is sculpture?’ ‘How can I turn this into sculpture?’
Hopefully the children will know exactly how to begin
this transformation, follow their suggestions. If they
get stuck here are some ideas.
Fold
Scrunch
Stick
Balance
Slits
Arrange
Cut
Join
Bend
Now demonstrate a couple of simple techniques of
cutting and twisting the card and joining with clips,
bands, straws and string.
We find this works best if materials are limited.
To begin have three different materials each on
a separate table or on the floor in the school hall.
Set 1:
Set 2:
Set 3:
Set 4:
Set 5:
Straw / Tape / Pipe Cleaners
Card / Paperclips / String
Card / Paper / Rubber Bands
Card / Straws / String
Card / Tape / Bands
It is up to you whether you set a theme; use the children’s
drawings as inspiration or to set a series of challenges.
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BEND IT! FOLD IT! JOIN IT!
MIXED MATERIALS
TOP TIPS
It is a good idea to suggest not making paper
aeroplanes!
Ensure there is plenty of room available for
displaying the sculptures.
Experiment with displaying them as groups and
as individual artworks.
Remind the children they can use their drawing
as inspiration.
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Ask the children to choose three or four materials
to make their own work. Encourage them to explain
why they have chosen these materials.
Take a photo of a piece of work then un-make
it and put it back together in a different way.
Encourage the children to title their work and share
their ideas with the class.
Encourage other children to talk about what they
can see in other people’s work.
Ask children to title each other’s work.
Drawing their sculpture helps to determine the
difference between 2D and 3D.
Take the work to other sites in the school and
to outdoor areas to photograph.
Imagine the work made out of different materials.
Work on a larger scale using large sheets of
card that you can have prepared by cutting
into interesting shapes.
Use the off-cuts as these often lead to the
most interesting shapes.
Provoke thinking and discussion by making
nets of shapes.
Can you make tiny sculptures?
18
NOTES:
19
This is a good activity to link drawing to sculpture.
You can refer to the wire as line and explore the
concept of drawing in space.
Before you start it is important to explain some basic
health and safety issues, with particular attention to
the ends of wire and eyes - goggles can be useful to
protect eyes.
TwIST & TURN
wIRE
Enjoy how the wire moves; you can introduce the
word Kinetic.
mATERIALS
Wire
Different types of wire - thick and thin.
Aluminium and copper are excellent
and can be bought in rolls. You can
also contact phone companies who
will often give you free wire.
ACTIvITY
To begin, give the children three different pieces of
wire about 60 cm in length and let them spend some
time exploring it before they start to make a more
finished piece. You can set some simple exercises:
Making a circle 2D and 3D.
Joining on a new piece of wire.
Make a corner.
Making a line wiggle.
The children can take the wire apart and re-start; they
don’t have to get it right the first time. Remind them of
when they started to draw, this is a new skill that will take
a while to get to grips with. Celebrate their progression in
building skills to sustain their application in learning new
techniques with new materials.
This is an effective activity for pupils to look at their
drawings in depth, and to use them for inspiration. It can
also encourage thinking about how lines move. It can be
tempting to trace the line drawings they have made but
try and get the children to work in 3D.
Twist & Turn Wire and the Bend it! Fold it! Join it!
activities are useful to explore making abstract shapes.
Wire cutters
Goggles for eyes
20
Twist & Turn
Wire
TOP TIPS
Bend ends of wire over so they are not sharp.
Show children how to join the wire by twisting it
around another piece of wire.
Don’t cut wire too short; this is a common mistake
which makes it difficult to join to another piece.
Tidy up sculptures by trimming off excess wire, and
bending ends over.
Ensure each child has a workspace large enough to
avoid their wires touching the person next to them.
It can be useful to have a soft base of polystyrene,
which the sculptures can be pushed into so they
can stand up.
Hang the works so they blow in a breeze.
Extension activities
Adding more materials to the wire. For example,
string, ribbon and card.
Hanging the wire sculptures so you create shadows.
Draw the shadows.
Draw the wire sculptures – reinforcing the link
between 2D and 3D.
Project the wire on an overhead projector.
Take the wire outside and display.
21
NOTES:
22
Clay is a wonderfully tactile, explorative material for
young people to use to investigate sculpture. There
are different types of clay. We recommend Terracotta,
as it is soft and more responsive. Air-drying clays
are available but they are much harder and fibrous
and less malleable. Clay is reasonably affordable as
a material, if possible let the children have a large
amount with which to explore and make.
STRETCH IT!
SqUEEzE IT!
STACk IT!
CLAY
Being uniform in colour the children can easily focus
on form and shape. This can be useful when looking
at work by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.
We found it was more beneficial to work with clay
after wire as it allows the children to consider why
an artist chooses different materials.
mATERIALS
Small bowls
of water
Rolling pins
Clay
Wire
ACTIvITY
To begin let the children explore
the clay and discover what they can do.
Make holes through it.
Stretch it.
Squeeze it.
Stack it.
Smooth it.
Join it together.
Discuss what makes an object abstract and then
challenge the children to make something abstract
in clay (we found in Spark that children would revert
to making something they know such as an animal).
Ask the children ‘how do they stop their
clay falling over?’
Tools to
carve with
Sticks
Boards
23
STRETCH IT!
SQUEEZE IT!
STACK IT!
CLAY
TOP TIPS
Teacher Participating in Spark
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
To counterbalance the initial excitement of the
pupils when presented with clay, give them time to
explore and feel comfortable with the medium. It
can also be messy so it’s useful to have spare shirts,
but it is worth remembering that it does wash out
and it’s a natural material.
Add wire and sticks to the clay, combining
different materials together.
Make your sculptures on boards so you can move
them around the classroom.
Draw with the clay, by taking small pieces of clay
and making marks on paper.
To enable new clay parts to be added securely,
demonstrate how to smooth the clay by rubbing
your finger across until the join disappears.
Try making your clay sculptures in wire or card,
string and paperclips.
Show the students that by adding a tiny amount
of water to the clay joint, it can help with smoothing
the two pieces of clay together. Beware too much
water will make it become very slippy and messy
quite quickly – introduce the water when the
children are calm and concentrating.
If the sculptures are soundly made they should
dry out fairly well at room temperature.
Make marks and patterns in the clay with different
objects, experiment with man-made and natural
objects, to create textures and marks.
Plasticine is made in a variety of strong, vibrant
colours. Let the children experiment with this and
then compare with their experiences of clay.
Which do they prefer?
Casting the clay sculptures in plaster can be
a rewarding extension activity.
24
NOTES:
25
Collect lots of boxes, tubes, tubs etc. It is worth
finding out if there is a scrap project near you as they
can be treasure troves for materials to construct with.
Simplicity is often the key, working in one material
can be really rewarding and a good place to start.
We would recommend if possible working in the hall
or outside. This activity works well with children in
small groups. In Construction the children will explore
form and shape, alongside balance, repetition, positive
and negative space.
BUILd & BALANCE
CONSTRUCTION
mATERIALS
Empty boxes all
shapes and sizes
Tubes
Washed see
through containers
Bottle tops
Packaging
Glue guns
Strong tape
String
ACTIvITY
Separate the materials into different categories
throughout the workspace, one group focuses on
cardboard, another on plastic tubs. As with all the
materials, the children should be allowed to test and
challenge what the materials can do. Start by exploring
how to make tall sculptures, long sculptures, sculptures
that have twists and turns in them. Document the work
with photographs, bearing in mind the aim is process
not a finished artwork.
You can then start to mix and match materials and
give the children a more complex task. For example,
bring out a sculpture they made from earlier activities
and see if they can recreate it. This is a great way to
explore scale.
You could set a theme or ask the children to name the
theme for another group.
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BUILd & BALANCE
CONSTRUCTION
TOP TIPS
Turn boxes inside out and tape the ends shut to
create a solid shape.
Use words and statements the children have
employed throughout the project as starting points.
The skills the children have developed from the
Slot & Slide and Bend it! Fold it! Join it! activities
can be put to good use.
Use glue guns, gaffer tape and string to make the
work more secure.
Cover the sculptures with fabric to enable the
children to focus purely on form.
Corrugated card is fantastic to use, as you can
create softer shapes and it can be used over and
over again. It will also stand up on its own!
ExTENSION ACTIvITIES
In Spark we covered smaller creations with
Modrock. Modrock is plaster on fabric, similar to
bandage. For this you need tubs of water and lots of
newspapers to keep the tables dry. Dip the Modrock
into the water, smooth off most of the excess
water and layer the Modrock onto your sculpture.
Demonstrate how to smooth the Modrock around
corners and to build the layers up? This takes time
and patience. The cardboard box sculptures are now
transformed into white sculptural forms.
Explore painting or decorating the forms and see
the impact this makes.
Introduce working with bamboo canes and willow,
joining with cable ties. This links back to the wire
sculpture but on a larger scale.
Introduce paper, card and wire to the artworks.
Make an exhibition and create invitations for
families, friends, school governors and the local
community.
Consider making the sculpture in different materials
and how this would change the work.
Draw what you have made and/or draw onto your
sculpture using big marker pens.
Add fabric and soft materials to add texture
and contrast.
Create a sculpture garden from the assembled pieces.
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NOTES:
28
Spark actively encouraged young people to experiment
with making and developed safe places to make mistakes
and learn from their discoveries.
Background
Learning
Spark worked with thirteen Wakefield Schools and twelve
Leeds Schools between 2011 and 2013. The initiative
provided a free 3-day introduction to Sculpture and
Environment to children from year 1 to 13 that included
two days of interactive, hands-on workshops at Yorkshire
Sculpture Park (YSP) and one day of complementary
education work in school.
Spark engaged the young people in thinking and
questioning using Sculpture and Environment as it’s
catalyst for enquiry. It’s opportunities for learning aimed
to encourage teamwork, personal reflection and the
development of a more complex visual language, which
the young people would explore through drawing and
making. We were aware Spark would build on other
curriculum subjects including English, Maths and Science.
Each school enjoyed tailor-made activities exploring cross
curricular learning, critical analysis, experiential learning
and learning outside the classroom. The children’s
activities were underpinned by teacher training and the
development of new teaching resources.
The artist, Emma Spencer, also held the role of project
coordinator which incorporated the delivery of INSET
training, administration and developing resources.
This dual role allowed the artist to develop a strong
partnership with each school.
Spark is looking forward to working with schools from
Barnsley and Wakefield in its third year.
Teacher participating in the Spark Project
The programme also promoted ‘Learning Outside the
Classroom’ set out in the 2006 government manifesto
by inviting schools to use the unique surroundings and
educational resources of YSP.
Spark actively encouraged young people to experiment
with making and developed safe places to make mistakes
and learn from their discoveries. In Spark we challenged
the idea that you had to get it right the first time. This
was a key aspect of the success of Spark for both the
teachers and young people. The young people were also
given opportunities to re-visit creative activities.
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‘True science investigates and brings to human perception
such truths and such knowledge as the people of a given time
and society consider most important. Art transmits these
truths from the region of perception.’ Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy
Art and Design
English
This resource will help foster and develop independent
thinking around artists and artworks, developing an
individual understanding of art and make connections
with pupils own ideas and creations. Young people will
‘investigate and make,’ ‘explore and develop ideas’ and
‘evaluate and develop work’, aligned with the National
Curriculum guidelines.
This resource and its methods of working encourage
speaking, listening skills, debating and sharing ideas.
Language is also used in different ways introducing new
vocabulary. The artworks researched by pupils and their
own creations can provide inspiration for a writing task.
Design and Technology
To use language to express ideas and experiences.
This resource encourages pupils to think, question and
discuss what they have made. It offers ideas on how to
explore materials and how they can be used to make
sculpture.
To develop writing skills; to use language and
a style that is appropriate.
To generate ideas by finding out about other
people’s experiences.
To be able to discuss ideas.
To communicate ideas using a variety of methods,
including drawing and making.
To assemble and combine materials together.
To identify what could be done differently.
To be able to speak confidently and to hear
what others say.
Maths
Whilst investigating sculpture through looking
and making, pupils are considering shape, pattern,
symmetry, balance and form. This resource provides
many ideas to encourage thoughtful work around scale.
To develop knowledge, skills and understanding
around shape and space: pupils are able to use words
to describe position, space, weight and properties.
To be able to describe properties of shapes.
To be able to create 2D and 3D shape.
To recognise symmetry.
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Science
PE
This resource encourages thinking and questioning
skills, experimentation, evaluation and adaption based
on the creative processes; echoing elements of
scientific investigation.
This resource explores kinetic learning styles; asking
pupils to use their body when looking at sculpture and
thinking about balance, shape and form.
To develop knowledge and skills to understand
ideas, and to collect evidence.
To use movement imaginatively.
To be able to respond to stimuli.
To be able to ask- How? Why? What would happen if?
To develop basic skills, being still and making shapes.
To consider evidence and evaluate – make
comparisons in size and recognise pattern.
To communicate ideas through physical expression.
To understand concepts through movement.
To know the names of different materials and
how materials can change.
Citizenship
History
Many art works make reference to incidents in history
and help us to discuss complex historical events.
Artists can be commentators on a world situation and
its politics. Researching an artwork can create a useful
pathway to unpick the context of historical events and
to capture society’s response at that time.
To have knowledge and understanding of events,
people and changes from past to present.
To understand different ways the past can
be represented.
To use a range of sources to ask questions
about the past.
This resource encourages children to share their own
ideas and have respect of their peers, whilst thinking
about the artist’s own beliefs. This creates a strong
base on which to build respect, values and identities.
To recognise what pupils like and dislike and to
share this opinion.
To play an active role as citizen by being able
to take part in discussions with others.
ICT
Many of the skills needed in ICT can be explored
though creativity, to research information and to
display pupils artworks.
To be able to research using a variety of sources.
To develop ideas.
To review and modify work.
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Curriculum links
www.education.gov.uk
/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum
www.gov.uk/national-curriculum/overview
Resource links
To visit Yorkshire Sculpture Park:
www.ysp.co.uk/learning
Learning at YSP Resources:
www.ysp.co.uk/page/resources/tc
www.artsaward.org.uk
www.culturestreet.org.uk
www.artiscam.org.uk
www.engage.org
Acknowledgements
© The authors, photographers and Yorkshire Sculpture
Park. All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means without the
prior permission in writing of the publisher.
Text by Emma Spencer, Spark Artist Coordinator,
Janette Pratt, Head of Learning, YSP and the Learning
team at YSP. Proofing: Angie de Courcy Bower.
Photography by: Jonty Wilde, Hannah Webster,
Chris Kenworthy, Richard Walton, Emma Spencer
and Teachers from Spark schools.
A project of the scale and complexity of Spark requires
great commitment and team-work and would not have
been possible without the following:
YSP staff, in particular the Learning team, teachers,
and schools from Wakefield and Leeds who took part
in Spark 2011 to 2013.
As an independent art gallery, accredited museum and
registered charity no. 1067908, YSP receives funding
from Arts Council England and Wakefield Council.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG
+44 (0)1924 830579
info@ysp.co.uk / www.ysp.co.uk
“For many of our pupils, spending time outside in the sculpture park is a first.
Having the opportunity to look at sculpture, discuss it with Emma and then create
their personal ideas was inspirational. Some of the pupils in the GCSE group lack
confidence in their drawing/writing/social skills and were able to feel at ease
and express their ideas openly without feeling they were being judged in any way.
A change from the School environment to the outdoors has had a very positive
effect on pupil /teacher relationships particularly with some of the boys who
are now very responsive and are keen to achieve their best in Art and Design.
Pupils have a journal/sketchbook of drawings and photographs from their
experience they can insert into their Portfolio Unit for GCSE. This covers many
of their assessment objectives where they are required to Develop, Experiment,
Record and Present a Personal Response.”
Participating High School Teacher
ABOUT YSP
As an independent art gallery, accredited museum and registered
charity (number 1067908), YSP’s core work is made possible by
investment from Arts Council England, Wakefield Council and
Sakurako and William Fisher.
YSP Learning
Throughout its history YSP has organised a wide range of innovative
events and activities under the broad heading of learning and
community. With the launch of our new learning centre in 2011,
our improved learning facilities continue to offer public sculpture
workshops, practical hands-on sculpture courses, guided tours
and talks, lectures, outreach projects and school visits. Last year
over 40,000 people were engaged in education work at YSP.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG
+44 (0) 1924 830579
info@ysp.co.uk / ysp.co.uk
Sculptures featured:
P5 Henry Moore, Large Totem Head, 1968 courtesy Tate. Reproduced by permission
of The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo Jonty Wilde
P6 Henry Moore, Draped Seated Woman, 1957-58 courtesy London Borough of Tower
Hamlets. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation. Photo Jonty Wilde
P7 Jaume Plensa, Twenty Nine Palms, 2007 courtesy the artist. Photo Hannah Webster.
Barbara Hepworth, The Family of Man (detail), 1970 courtesy the Hepworth Estate.
Sophie Ryder, Crawling, 1999 courtesy the artist.
P8 Barbara Hepworth, The Family of Man (detail), 1970 courtesy the Hepworth Estate
P10 Nigel Hall, The Now (detail), 2000 courtesy the artist. Barbara Hepworth, The Family
of Man (detail), 1970 courtesy the Hepworth Estate.