ARTIST Jane Ackroyd and her Cat sculpture visited three primary schools in Harlow as part of the Art UK Masterpieces in Schools initative. Pupils at Latton Green Primary Academy, Freshwaters Primary Academy and Newhall Primary Academy, Harlow experienced world-class art in their classroom as part of the largest ever sculpture project undertaken in the UK.

Kate Harding Artistic Director Harlow Art Trust said: “We are delighted to be involved with the Art UK Masterpieces in Schools initiative. It was lovely to see the responses of the children to Jane Ackroyd’s Cat sculpture and it was fantastic that the programme supported Jane to create three new animal sculptures with the children for their schools.

“This project will live long in the memories of the children and teachers. We were also delighted to bring the new animal sculptures into Harlow town centre so that they could be seen by a wider audience as part of our Adopt A Sculpture exhibition.”

Artist Jane Ackroyd said: “Working with the children was so much fun. Their enthusiasm for being messy is infectious. One of the children at Latton Green School said “I could do this a hundred times!”…. Where normally children’s behaviour is ‘reigned in’ during school hours the experience of these workshops allowed them to express their
creativity. They squirted paint into buckets and to slapped wet plaster on to metal armatures. The sense of excitement and freedom was hugely evident. I really hope that I get the chance to do this again!”

Jacinta Addison Teacher at Freshwaters School said: “The children at Freshwaters School had a thoroughly enjoyable day with Jane Ackroyd and Cat. This was a very inspirational and motivating activity for all the children. Our amazing donkey statue is a permanent fixture in the school and has pride of place welcoming all our guest. We will like to thank Art UK, Harlow Arts Trust and Jane Ackroyd for this once in a lifetime experience. “

The artist: Jane Ackroyd was born in London in 1957. She studied sculpture at St. Martin’s School of Art & at the Royal College of Art. She made Steel Dragon for the 1st International Garden Festival held at Liverpool in 1984. She lives & works in London.

The artwork/ background: The Cat was purchased by the Trust in 1983 from Ackroyd’s degree show at the Royal College of Art. The sculpture was stolen from Old Harlow Library and sprayed gold by thieves. It was recovered in 1995 and now lives in the Gibberd Gallery.

Activities: Children worked with Jane to collaboratively make animals/ creatures for their school: A Giraffe, a Donkey and a mythical Cat Dragon. The pupils collaboratively built up the animals bodies onto a wire armature using wet plaster, adding paint, feathers and found objects(). Students spent the day off-timetable exploring cats and other animals in literature, creative writing, junk modelling, sketching, making clay models, dance and mask making. Their work was exhibited for parents and carers at the end of the school day and was on show at the Harvey Centre as part of the Adopt A Sculpture Exhibition.

The Masterpieces in Schools event, organised by Art UK is part of a national learning and engagement programme which launched in 2018 – part of Art UK’s ongoing sculpture project. The unique initiative takes sculpture out of the museum and into classrooms, to bring children and young people into direct contact with significant works of art.

A key aim of the initiative is to engage more children with art – 125 schools and 125 collections across the UK will take part in Masterpieces in Schools by May 2020 and many of these events will be supported by practising artists. Teachers are encouraged to use their visiting sculpture to illustrate, enliven and inspire their teaching around art and design and other subjects across the curriculum during a one day event.

With many schools across the UK facing challenges in delivering activities on this scale due to lack of resources or budget constraints, the initiative is an invaluable opportunity to bring children into close contact with high- profile artworks.