Last week as part of the Artist Educator course I gave a one off painting workshop within a secondary school with a year 7 class. I was fairly confident about the workshop idea and more worried about, well, me. It was a success – I was a success! An expressive response to objects around us at the same time questioning what painting is. I thought I would really need to encourage the students to be expressive. On reflection, if anything, perhaps a bit of control within their painting needed gently reintroducing. Balance. I learnt its best not to go into a workshop with fixed presumptions of how participants will react, as this will predetermine how you facilitate.
Overall very happy.
