Art-making is a way to explore themes and concepts expressed in works of art. The creative process supports the individuality of each maker through experimentation and self-expression.
Each workshop contains a video that demonstrates the artmaking activity. The video can be watched before you begin artmaking, or it can be watched while you make, with participants following along. We encourage you to pause or rewind as required.
Each artmaking activity has been piloted in our regular Art and Dementia programs both onsite and online. Participant feedback allows us to refine each activity before committing it to the Making It resource.
Artmaking activities are developed in accordance with research surrounding Dementia-based practices. Each activity is made up of three simple steps, and individual participants can determine the complexity of the activity according to their own ability and skill.
Tips to remember:
Tip to encourage a first mark:
Hello,
My name is Adrian and the two works of art we're using for inspiration today are both on display in the gallery.
Hanging from the ceiling is revolving construction by artist Margel Hinder. Notice how as it revolves, it's constantly changing.
See also that it encloses a volume.
The sculpture is made from thin strips of wire, thicker wire, creating these big curves or ellipses on the outside.
And then on the inside, these thinner pieces of wire providing structure in the shadow on the wall.
The pattern of the sculpture is flattened out into two dimensions as it moves.
This work provides endless fascination.
Now I'm sitting beside our second work of art bold number two by artist Gemma Smith. The sculpture is made from straight edge shapes,
cut from clear and coloured perspex and because it's transparent, you can see through the shapes to the volume inside.
The light also shines through the sculpture, creating a coloured shadow on the plinth.
And as you look through from one side to the other, the colours also affect each other and change.
So, our activity here is inspired by the colour used by Gemma Smith.
For materials, I have a whole lot of pre-cut coloured strips of paper aboard to work on, and just some clear tape.
We could make something that's self-supporting.
You could even make something that you hang from the ceiling, but I thought we might just use the board to stick down the ends of each of the strips.
So really our aim is to also make some sort of enclosed form.
All my strips are about the same length, so what I could do is just stick two together.
And now I've got a much longer piece.
I also have some semi-transparent strips, just tracing paper. We can keep adding colour and especially try to create different heights to make
this negative space or volume in the middle of your sculpture.
This is an activity that's got lots of different possibilities, and as I mentioned at the beginning, it would also be possible to make something that was freestanding by using the base.
It gives us a solid surface to work from and also, you can see it from different angles and as I turn this around, I hope that you're reminded of the sculpture by Margel Hinde Revolving Construction.
I hope you've enjoyed this activity, and thanks for joining us.