Last week we continued our programme of summer schools with the exciting workshop ‘Green Animation’ run by animator Tony Donoghue for 9 - 12 year olds. Fitting in with the theme of environmental awareness in The Ark this year, the idea of the workshop was to produce animation clips by designing characters and using found and recycled materials to create them and tell a story.

One of the stories created was about animals on the ocean floor clearing up old rubbish such as cartons and bottles. Over the first two days, the children created some interesting sea creatures like vampire fish and googly-eyed crabs! They then made an ‘ocean floor’ and placed the objects onto a plain white background. They filmed the story in groups using stop-motion animation techniques and took a DVD of their animation home at the end of the summer school.

‘I learned so much about how to animate things, pixelate and make things out of pre-used materials’.
‘I would come back anytime!’
‘I would love more info on what we need to do at home to do more and use these skills’

Make sure you check back to see how the children turned their characters into moving pictures. The animation clips the children made will be uploaded to our website very soon.

Tony will facilitate another Green Animation summer school which will run from Tuesday 11 – Friday 14 August for 12 – 14 years.

Dublin City Council’s Rose Festival took place on the 18th and 19th of July in St Anne’s Park in Clontarf. The environmental sculptures made by children during Jole Bortoli’s residency at the Red Stables were exhibited in the workshop space.

Ark Artist John Kavanagh also facilitated art workshops for children over the two days during the festival. Children were invited to add their own works of art to the picture gallery at the Red Stables. They were given a map of the park and could walk around and draw inspiration from nature, make rubbings and draw a design for their own sculpture. These could then be exhibited or taken home. Toward the end of the Sunday an entire wall was covered with wonderful drawings inspired by the park.

There are still three weeks left of Earth Explorers with a range of workshops and events still to come. This weekend Michelle Browne will be helping children to make and decorate their own kites, and next week Mhairi Sutherland will reveal how to make photographs without using a camera! Check out http://ark.ie/programme/event003.html for more details.

We’re now halfway through Earth Explorers at The Ark and thought you might like to read some of the great comments that we’ve received on the events so far:

Exhibition

“Really good. Very absorbing for kids.”

“I am not a child anymore (or don’t look like that) but I loved the exhibition – inspiring, wonderful objects! Happy that I found this place.”

“My daughter loved the exhibition and enjoyed finding the hidden objects.”

“It was absolutely fantastic and inspiring. My two children were utterly engaged and enchanted by the treasure hunt.”

The Garden Party

“Thank you! Very creative and fun for my daughter.”

“Today we brought six children and two infants to The Ark’s indoor garden workshop. The children made vegetables, fruit, bugs and flowers. They all had a wonderful time & would like to come back.”

“We enjoyed this so much we have come twice! Thank you…”

Workshops and Summer Schools

“The workshop was excellent and we really enjoyed every minute. We will come again.”

“My daughter and her friend loved the course ‘Material World’. All the people here and at reception area are so lovely. Thank you.”

Earth Explorers runs at The Ark until Saturday 15 August for more information check out http://www.ark.ie/programme/event003.html.

The Ark was a hive of activity last week as a number of exciting new projects got underway including the first of our summer schools Material World with artist Brigid McClean, and the Summer Residency at the Red Stables Environmental Sculptures with artist Jole Bortoli.

Material World with artist Brigid McClean

15 children attended the summer school Material World which explored the beautiful and detailed craft of felt making. Artist Brigid McClean demonstrated the basic skills involved in working with felt and using tactile, natural materials to create pieces of art. The children first worked together to make a large 2D piece of felt using many different types and colours of wool including llama, mohair and angora.



This piece inspired the children to create a 3D model of a volcano made from felt and other materials. The idea for the model came from the historical eruption at Pompeii which the children researched using books and pictures. They even drew their own plans of how they would create the finished product.

‘We’ve even made little people running away from the volcano!’ explained one enthusiastic student. The resulting piece was certainly a success as I’m sure you’ll agree.

The children also worked on their own individual 2D and 3D pieces, making felt flowers, flags and even animals!
Adults were equally complimentary about the week, with one parent commenting: ‘It’s restored my faith in summer schools!’

Environmental Sculptures with artist Jole Bortoli

The project with Jole Bortoli at The Red Stables involved taking the children into the beautiful surroundings of St Anne’s Park, Clontarf, and using found and natural materials to create interesting sculptures. Children were encouraged to explore the parkland to find materials for their sculpture. The aim of the project was to make children more aware of their environment and the amazing artistic resources which it can provide.

The children had a great time researching and doing rubbings and drawings for the pieces which they eventually completed either individually or in groups.

The idea of the project was to encourage people to use re-cycled objects to create art work. One of the pieces made was a cow fashioned from a colander, waste paper basket and re-assembled desk lamp. Another was a ‘tree’ made out of a piece of felled wood, wire and paper.

The project was thoroughly enjoyed by all and one parent commented that she would love if there was a similar course for adults! One of the students took the time to write a lovely thank you email saying: ‘I was one of the people doing the Red Stables workshop and I would like to say it was very good fun the teachers were nice and I would do it again if it was on. Thanks for the great time.’

These sculptures will be on display at ‘The Rose Festival’ in St Anne’s Park which takes place this coming weekend, Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July. See http://www.dublincity.ie/ for more details.

We have such an exciting range of events in Earth Explorers this week there really is something for everybody at The Ark!

The Garden Party continues to blossom as artist Orla Kelly, assisted by Veronica Forsgren, shows the children how to make fruit, vegetables, birds and bugs making our ‘garden’ come alive. We’ve had wonderful feedback so far and people can’t wait to come back to add more of their creations to the space and watch how the vibrant garden continues to grow everyday.
“We want to come back and see the garden when it’s bigger”
Find out more by visiting http://www.ark.ie/programme/earth_explorers_event002.html

This weekend, artist Michelle Browne will be looking at the different types of environments found around the world in Global Homes. Children will explore all the shapes and sizes of buildings found across the globe before constructing their own life size models made out of recycled materials. Michelle is really excited about these workshops and has been busy preparing for them all week. She showed us some amazing images of buildings and interiors designed by cutting edge architects Frank Gehry and Andreas Zittel, and we’re looking forward to seeing even more of these innovative designs that will help inspire the children’s creativity in constructing their unique little worlds.

Michelle has made some of her own models inspired by some of the architecture she has come across. This house has a slide as well as stairs - so you can slide all the way from the top of the house to the bottom floor!

Bard College Performing Arts Centre
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York
Photo: Whit Preston
Design Principal: Frank Gehry

Global Homes takes place Saturday 4 July at 10am and 12pm for ages 3 - 5 years, and Sunday 5 July at 12.30pm and 3pm for all the family.

The first of our summer schools takes place next Tuesday with one of our exhibition artists Brigid McClean exploring the ancient craft of felt making in Material World. Get ready to get a bit messy as children will create three dimensional felt pieces inspired by all the wonderful things in our environment. Children will work with natural wool fibres to create sheets of felt which can be cut into shapes, sewn together, or even moulded around different shapes. Brigid has been making three dimensional felt animals this week including penguins and giraffes to show the children what they will be able to do by the end of these workshops!

Material World runs from Tuesday 7 – Friday 10 July from 10am – 3pm and is for ages 9 – 11 years.

Why not come to see Brigid’s beautiful artworks in the Earth Explorers free contemporary visual arts exhibition, curated by Ashleigh Downey, The Ark's Visual Arts Programmer.

This piece is titled Tread Softly and is inspired by the poem He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by W.B. Yeats. Brigid is inspired by many things, including found objects and the stories they might tell. Brigid found this tea pot in County Sligo in the West of Ireland. She has hand-embroidered gold thread to cover the holes that have worn through the metal.


The Fairy King, Pilgrim, Nula, Bling Queen.
These handcrafted dolls are made out of found materials including old flour bags. Can you imagine what stories these dolls might tell?

Earth Explorers runs at The Ark until Saturday 15 August, with the free exhibition open from 10am - 5pm (Tuesdays - Saturdays) and 12pm - 5pm (Sundays). For more information check out http://www.ark.ie/programme/event003.html.