Thursday, May 11, 2006

4. How The Festival is Created in Libraries

Working in Libraries

Artists and local community workers are supported by Asian Arts Access to create the Festival and access to its resources in school and public libraries. This is done by:

  • Providing the background to ephemeral work and by offering an appreciation of cultural diversity and the environment
  • Encouraging culturally diverse children and teachers to work at school with people from different backgrounds and to use the local Library Services
  • Encouraging creative use of various Festival resources
  • Encouraging partnerships with local communities, arts organisations and schools
  • Providing experienced artists and practitioners to work with children, teachers and parents
  • Creating further understanding of research materials on the Festival website
  • Showing films, drawings and pictures of successfully developed arts in libraries
  • Encouraging older children, teachers and parents to use library books, electronic media, websites and dedicated materials provided by Asian Arts Access and other suppliers.

Practical sessions for children at school and home

  • Participation in a wide range of ephemeral arts work, all created from natural materials and inspired by the cultural backgrounds of the artists, teachers and children.
  • Working with expert community artists and guides to create ephemeral arts using a variety of traditional and modern techniques. Their work will be featured on the website and this blog.
  • Working with parents and community visitors to create various forms of outputs – mask making and painting, kite making, designing floor-based pasterns, origination of murals and development, face painting for traditional dancers, making of gifts.
  • Viewing dedicated films, TV programmes, films showing ephemeral arts in their story.
  • Using the exhibition developed by Asian Arts Access to carry out course work
  • Taking pictures of artists at work to develop own project proposals and ideas
  • Completing exercises to connect the Ephemeral to folklore, modern day celebrations and experimentation.

Who would benefit?

  • School classes – mainly GCSE and A Levels - from different disciplines which require research skills ie art, sociology, geography, history and liberal studies.
  • School children working on their own for important school projects, self study and group work.
  • Teachers by seeing how expert artists create projects.
  • Parents, teachers and communities who would benefit by interacting through the Festival. It brings the “Library into the community” and “ the community into the Library”.

Resources and presentation

  • Over one or two days, students, teachers and parents participate in and view a wide range of ephemeral artform
  • Community artists guide students and other participants in creating these arts by using a variety of techniques and materials
  • A dedicated Festival creates opportunities to celebrate folklore, cultural events and issues relating to identity.