Ngā Toi | Arts Te Papa on Level 5 is a wonderful resource for Early Years (ECE-Y2) groups!

I wanted to share a few of the ideas I had for classroom responses to artworks and collections ‘on the wall’ at the moment. Perhaps you can contribute some ideas too?

Colin McCahon, Walk (Series C) , 1973

In Walk with Me – Art and Change gallery, Level 5, Te Papa

• One of the first things I notice about this piece is the length – it is not very often you see a painting that is over 12 metres long!  Create your own long artworks by cutting lengths from a brown paper or newsprint roll. Discuss how creating art on this scale differs from using A4 or A3 sized paper.

• The artwork sweeps, much like a panoramic photograph. Use a camera, smart phone or tablet to explore this technique further.

• The gallery that this piece is displayed in is named, Walk with Me – Walk (Series C) is, in part, an imagined walk along Muriwai beach with a friend. Capture your own walk to share with a friend. We used an app called AutoStitch (Apple) to help us! Here are some of the walks we took in Te Papa Education:

• McCahon used a minimal pallete of black and white in this piece, and has mixed a variety of grey shades (the brown we see is coming from the jute canvas it is painted on). How many different greys can you make? How we make a colour darker or lighter?

• Walk (Series C) is made up of 14 canvas panels. McCahon described each as a  ‘…[bit] of a place I love’ [1] rather than a painting. As a group, choose your favourite bits of your centre or school. Dedicate a panel to each of them, number them, and display them side by side.

 

Frances Hodgkins: Textile Designs

Works on Paper gallery, Level 5, Te Papa

Frances Hodgkins is one of our most celebrated painters, but did you know she also was a textile designer?

* On viewing Hodgkins vibrant collection, I immediately think of wrapping paper (it must be the time of the year!)  Use print making techniques, such as stamping, to make your own paper. See if you can create simple repeated patterns using both geometric shapes and motifs like Hodgkins.

• Hodgkins worked with a different types of tessellation. Use design a tessellation online to stagger, reflect and turn your designs. Here are some of the patterns I made:

 

 

 

 

Different shaped grids lend themselves to different patterns. Try out a triangle, diamond or hexagon grid too.

 

I hope these ideas have been helpful! I’m really looking forward to hearing your ideas for these artworks too.

 

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