
01 Jul Drawing with Scissors
In 2017 Qube hosted the very popular ‘Matisse: Drawing with Scissors Exhibition’ from the Southbank Centre in London. The exhibition featured 35 lithographic reproductions of the famous cut-outs, produced in the last four years of his life, when the artist was confined to his bed, and includes many of his iconic images, such as The Snail and the Blue Nudes.
Qube wanted to use this opportunity to increase our work with local schools, particularly schools in the more deprived areas of Oswestry, by enabling them to visit the exhibition and take part in a Matisse inspired arts activity. A grant from the Mary Hignett Bequest Fund was used to set up workshops at Qube for children at Key Stage 2 in the Oswestry area. The workshops were run by MediaActive.
There was a strong response from schools and demand far exceeded capacity. Ten workshops were held, with about 30 students in each. Qube also provided transport to the schools that would normally struggle to attend events like this.
With the help of Media Active and Arts volunteers the children made their own paper cut-outs and animated these in groups using a camera and laptop. Schools were shown how to use i-stop motion on a tablet or i-pad, so that once back in school they could develop their animation work further.
The schools that took part were delighted to have had this opportunity. Many of the schools were studying French artists, so the project fitted well with their curriculum work. For Qube, the exhibition and workshops really enabled us to build relationships with schools. It gave us the opportunity to speak to relevant teachers directly and put in place strong foundations that would allow us to engage with schools again on future projects.
