During a very uncertain two years, Pilgrim Primary have worked hard to bring Arts and Culture to the forefront of their curriculum and have achieved a super Silver Artsmark Award! Artsmark Lead, Samantha has shared her reflections on Pilgrim’s journey and some of the highlights of bringing Artsmark to their school.
“Our journey has brought the Arts to the forefront and made it a priority in the school. We have collaborated with many providers and connected with our community.” A big part of Artsmark is making connections and sharing knowledge and skills within the community to bring a wide range of cultural experiences to the children. “One of our students, who was involved in the painting of our canvases in Drake Circus said that he felt very lucky to have the opportunity to work on the paintings. He also felt like his work was appreciated.” Samantha said that she was surprised at “how many contacts we could make and how many varied experiences we could arrange for our children. We have involved our whole community.”
Other staff members at the school commented on Artsmark and how it has enriched their curriculum; “Our class were involved with the Plymouth Brick project. It was great to see all the children engaging in real life art and having their work displayed in our local area.”
Despite the difficult journey schools have been on over the last two years, due to the pandemic, Artsmark has kept them focused on a collective goal, allowing children to continue connecting with Arts and Culture. “My favourite part was the Brian Pollard competition. It was introduced to the school just before lockdown, with many plans made (including prizes, a day workshop with Brian, Kaya Gallery visits, an exhibition of the children’s work and a huge painting from him). We were then thrown into teaching online, but we kept the competition going throughout. The results were amazing and it really connected our school through a difficult time.”
“This has been an amazing journey and I am so proud of all our children.” Samantha finished her relfection with this piece of advice for anyone thinking about joining Artsmark: “Say yes to everything! The more connections you make, the more opportunities people will offer you.”
If you would like to find out more about Artsmark, visit our Bridge website here or the Artsmark website here. You can register your setting here.