Over the past 6 weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a small group of students on a wonderfully creative artwork for World Oceans Day.
Their school – Huskisson Public School – is one of our classroom venues for Arts Muster this August, thanks to their willingness to open their school to community events (thank you Principal Lovell!).
Alongside librarian LeAnn Hansen and grandparent Suzanne, we gathered at lunchtime once a week to make some very special felted creatures – fish, turtles, penguins, sharks, dolphins, stingrays, seaweed and “bubbles”, all displayed on a macrame net with a deep blue ocean (fabric) backing.
The wonderous seaside installation was on display at a special assembly held at the school to commemorate World Oceans Day, then it went on display at a film festival at the local picture theatre for the whole community to enjoy.
The students were excellent felters – they picked up the skills and techniques to turn wool fibres into felt very quickly and they applied great creativity in designing their creatures.
This was a most enjoyable exercise to get to know the school and its community better, as we look forward to another winter weekend of arts and crafts workshops for Arts Muster 2024. We hope to repeat it again soon, and spend time crafting and creating with more students.
