The Crow by Mark Evans (11) of St Colman's School in Lisburn, Co Antrim, one of the paintings on show in the Children's Art Exhibition, in room 14 of the National Gallery, Dublin. The exhibition opened last Wednesday and continues until October 31st. Admission is free.
Many of us would love our children to be little Leonardos, but, Sylvia Thompson reports, we shouldn't get hung up on the `work' they produce - the pleasure kids take is with process, not product
So you think your toddler is ready to be introduced to "art"? Conscious of your own thwarted efforts as a child, are you keen to choose a route that nurtures her creativity and gives her some idea of colour, form and texture without cramping her emerging style? Well, here goes.
Perhaps, the first thing to realise is that your child already has lots of ideas about colour form and texture without any prompting from you. "What parents most have to do is to provide a range of materials and a context in which children can be free to express themselves - without intervening with too many questions like `what's that?' " says Martin Drury, director of the Ark, the children's cultural centre in Temple Bar, Dublin. "Parents are sometimes anxious to get the best `art' materials for their children, but it is important for children to have access to a range of materials, not just paints, crayons and markers. One good idea is to have a bag into which you can put things like pieces of cotton wool, leaves, cones - bits of material for your child to use on a rainy day," Drury continues. If you have one, the garden, of course, also provides a rich fund of materials and a wonderfully creative space for young children to explore. Another misplaced adult notion is our desire to see a finished piece of work - while the child may simply enjoy creating and destroying or recreating something. "Adults tend to think of product, while for children the process is important, " says Breda O'Shea, a primary school teacher who is on secondment to the Ark. Partly for this very reason, the Ark does not run "art classes". Instead, workshops there "take children on a kind of journey" through an exploration of materials and stories. In this model of creativity, children are not encouraged to copy or colour in pictures. "That would be like putting a harness on the child," O'Shea says.
"The key is to get to know your child, observe him or her and become actively involved in play. Through this observation, your child will lead you to discoveries," says Helen O'Donoghue, head of education and community programmes at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
"Giving the child enough time to explore is very important. I believe young children can have a long attention span if they are absorbed in what they are doing," she adds. O'Donoghue suggests reserving a corner of your house where a child can spontaneously and independently go to play. She also recommends parents experiment with art materials to familiarise themselves with their potential. "Sadly, there is a lot of unlearning to be done by teachers and parents in this area. "One common adult prejudice, for example, is that clay is dirty, but clay is a wonderful material. It has a calming influence on children. It is really malleable, it absorbs the temperature of your hands and works with you."
Other materials O'Donoghue recommends for young children are oil pastels (not necessarily expensive ones), the back of brown paper bags, textured cardboard and soft plasticine or playdough.
Marie Bourke, head of education at the National Gallery - who has had years of experience dealing with young Picassos - adds: "Small children won't copy paintings. They just love being in the gallery with their `tool box' of paper, crayons and colouring pencils. It gives them a great sense of importance. "You have to be intelligent in your understanding of what interests them. The important thing is to get on their wavelength and they will link with you. "For instance, you could say something like: `Isn't it interesting how all the colours in that painting are the colours of the rainbow? What are the colours of the rainbow? Let's draw a rainbow.'
"Then we look at the painting again, for example Stella with the Flowered Hat by Kees Van Dongen, and we have a big discussion about hats." In this playful way, information on colour and form is teased out. Once children are happy being and working in the gallery, Bourke says, their gentle link with the paintings grows as they get older.
The National Gallery, Merrion Square, Dublin, runs a family programme every Saturday at 3 p.m., which is open to children and their parents. The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Kilmainham, Dublin, runs an "Explore I" programme for children and adults on Sundays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Ark in Eustace Street, Dublin 2, is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. (tel: (01) 679 2022).
