The sessions were held in Salisbury thanks to a donation from The Arts Society Salisbury and delivered by Magic Lantern, an educational charity that has been running classroom art history workshops since 1994.
The charity transforms classrooms into “pop-up art galleries” through interactive sessions that use role play, soundscapes and group discussion to make art accessible and engaging.
The Magic Lantern have run workshops at St Mark’s (Image: The Arts Society Salisbury)
Workshops were held at St Mark’s school, where Year 3 and Year 5 pupils explored art from the Stone Age and Viking/Anglo Saxon periods.
Staff at St Mark’s said: “Brilliantly resourced and pitched. Excellent engagement and management of the children.
“Focused purpose, yet adaptable and child led. Great links to history, and geography.
“An engaging session – the children were excited to learn about the history of Stone Age art.
“Briony was fabulous – she explained things clearly and at the level of the children.
“She included the children with active drama before putting pencil to paper. Thank you.”
The Magic Lantern charity covers a broad spectrum of art history, from cave paintings to Cubism and Turner to the Turner Prize.
Children are encouraged to explore, discuss, and bring to life artworks using drama, freeze-frames and dialogue, helping them to build oracy, visual literacy, empathy, observation and problem-solving.
The society is also continuing its programme of monthly lectures, study mornings and visits.
Recent topics have included A History of the National Gallery in Ten Paintings and Great ‘English’ Mansions Found in America.
The next lecture will be held on Tuesday, November 11, at St Francis Church in Beatrice Road.
It will begin at 1.50pm and will explore The Wallace Collection’s Rembrandts.
For more information, visit The Arts Society Salisbury website or call 01722 331216.