Midlothian Council Crafts Residency
Midlothian Council recently took part in one of the Scottish Arts Council school craft residencies. Creative Links Officer Fiona Maher gives us an outline of the project.
Project outline
Craft artist project statement
The purpose of Midlothian's residency programme was to offer pupils the opportunity to explore and develop new craft skills, working with a skilled craft artist. The theme of the residency was using an indoor craft with an outdoor application, relating to the environment in and around each participating school.
This offered pupils the opportunity to:
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learn a new range of skills
work directly with a skilled craft artist
work as part of a group or as individuals to create a finished product
research the use of new materials and their application
explore the creative and functional applications of the craft |
The project offered the craft artist the opportunity to work in a new environment with groups of children for a fixed period of time applying and adapting their craft to suit the particular needs and expectations of each school. A dynamic dialogue was created between the craft artist and the pupils involved where the specific craft was explored, questioned, tried, adapted and tested.
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There were three key components of the residency - craft artist studio and practice development time - two open studio days where the studio was open to the public and schools based project work focussing on the use of recycled materials to make unique pieces for each site - and peer presentation work. |
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In this component, young people involved in this project presented their experience to other participating schools and at their own school assemblies.
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The appointment of the craft resident was key to creating the directon and drive of this six month project. In Malcolm Cruickshank, a young textile artist, we found someone with a passion for using recycled materials to craft two and three dimensional artefacts and textiles, and a real ability to inspire and communicate with young people. |
The residency project happened over a six month period with five schools, one of which is a support provision for children with social and behavioral difficulties. The five primary schools were Rosiln, Eastfield, Rosewell, Bonnyrigg, and Cuiken House. Each school hosted the residency for a four week block, at the end of which they visited the next participating school to share their experience with a short presentation and question session.
'Since October 2006, until now, I have been working as the Midlothian School Craft Artist in Residence.
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The project consisted of working with five primary schools to produce one finished piece per school with the intention of introducing children and staff to new techniques. I tried to change the emphasis of each project as much as I could to keep it as relevant as possible to each working location. I soon found that I was getting enough time to experiment with new techniques myself, the result of which was an armoury of ideas I may not otherwise have developed. |
Working with children in an art context gave me a fresh perspective on my own work. The necessity to simplify much that I was teaching meant I was constantly reassessing situations and problem solving in a very short time period. Often the pressure of time constraints made it feel that the individual project deadlines may not be met.
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However in all cases the children’s dedication to the work has been outstanding. Overall, working on this project has been an extremely fruitful experience. I feel that the outcomes the pupils have come up with are absolutely excellent. |
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In each school, it has shown that providing these opportunities and working with an artform can bring out the very best in peoples potential to be creative.'
Malcolm Cruickshank
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The residency concluded with a week long exhibition at Fairfield House. The exhibition included all five finished pieces, documentation of the residency programme and work that the Craft Artist in Residence had made during the six month period. The exhibition officially opened on 19 April and moved to Penicuik Library for three weeks before the work then returned to the schools. |
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