Investigating Materials
The following has been designed to give you information in advance of your visit to Manchester Art Gallery so that you can get the most out of your morning or afternoon activity session.
Aims:
- To observe and understand different materials and textures through touch
- To express material qualities, sensations and associations through descriptive vocabulary
- To discover how materials are used in clothing
- To look at the exhibits in the Gallery of Costume, identify materials and observe how decoration has been used
What happens in a session:
- The pupils will have the opportunity to handle a variety of materials and fabrics and will be encouraged to explore the properties of the objects through their senses and descriptive vocabulary
- Using items from the collection, pupils will have the opportunity to decorate large cut-out figures and discuss the reasons for their selections
- The class will then explore the Gallery of Costume in smaller groups, each with an adult leader. Each of the groups will follow a different trail around the Gallery using an activity sheet and a sack of fabrics to handle.
Preparation:
- Pupils should be aware of material properties, e.g. shiny, soft, bendy, natural, manmade; and of different techniques of production, e.g. woven, knitted, printed.
- Divide the class into 6 working groups (or less) and appoint an adult as a group leader
- Bring a minimum of 1 adult to 5 pupils and ensure that adults are briefed to be aware of their supervisory role and responsibilities for engaging the children
- Explain the reasons for no touching or eating in the galleries, i.e. for the protection and conservation of artworks
Follow-up:
- Collect a variety of trimmings and fastenings, e.g. buttons, zips, Velcro or ribbons to create a collage suggesting different styles of clothes and character costume
- Create 'feely bags' containing decorative objects and textures to be described and recorded
- Experiment with simple tie-dying techniques
