Learning Through Art 2008 | Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa
Past exhibition

Learning Through Art 2008

06.17.2008 - 08.24.2008

Annual exhibition

At the end of every school year an exhibition of the students' artwork is held at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Gallery 103 B will delight visitors with a surprising blend of imagination, endeavour, fun and learning. The exhibit will present fresh and original perspectives from young artists aged 6 to 12. Imagine the work of 184 artists in a single gallery! The participants will probably never forget that thousands of people once came to see the artwork of the youngest artists ever to have their work displayed at the Museum.

History

Learning Through Art has its roots in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum New York. The program was founded in 1970 by patron of the arts Natalie K. Lieberman in response to the elimination of arts education in New York City's public elementary schools.


In 1998 the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao adapted the arts program to the needs and interests of Basque public primary schools. The project is a collaboration between the Museum and the Basque Department of Education's Office of Innovation in Education, with sponsorship from the BBK.

Learning Through Art has been operating as a successful education and art program in the Basque Country since that time. Over the years, LTA has reached more than a thousand schoolchildren and a hundred teachers from all stages of primary education.

Method

Schoolchildren learn in many different ways: by listening, observing, talking, acting and creating. They do all of these things in the course of the creative process while also learning to think critically and to plan and develop a project from start to finish. The program breaks down barriers between school subjects and academic disciplines and encourages schoolchildren to see the world in a creative and personal way. Art becomes a tool for discovering, exploring and interpreting reality.

They also develop writing and language skills, as well as building appreciation for their own work and the work of others. Since schoolchildren are more receptive to learning through artistic activities, the workshops are highly effective with students who have difficulties following traditional learning methods. The workshops offer a wide range of disciplines: photography, painting, sculpture, video, events, theatre, music, digital art ... The program is conducted in 90-minute sessions once a week at the school over a period of 20 weeks.

Teachers

After the teachers identify the objectives they want to achieve, and the skills and attitudes they want to consolidate, artists and Museum educators work together to design a series of workshops integrated into educational units. Each program is unique and custom designed to develop the interests and skills of the schoolchildren and to reinforce any area of school curriculum.

Collaboration between artists and classroom teachers is essential since the two mutually support the endeavours of the other. In 2007-2008 thirteen teachers opened their classroom doors to Learning Through Art: José Miguel Amenabar, Estibaliz Asurmendi, Ana Barandika, Isabel Bizkarguenaga, Pepa Cadiñanos, Arantza Eriz, Aimar Goitia, Amaia Landa, Eneko Maleta, Itziar Naberán, Ramón Padilla, Eduardo Rodríguez and Benedicto Ruiz.

Artists

The role of the artists is fundamental. They are the ones who pump energy and life into the children's work, helping them to link conceptual thinking to artistic creation and apply them to specific subject areas. Inés Cárcoba, Alex Carrascosa, Ibón Garagarza, Iñaki Gracenea, Julio Hernández, Aiora Kintana, Maider López, Manu Muniategiandikoetxea, Mercedes Périz and Jorge Rubio are the artists who visit the schools and share their ideas.

But the true protagonists in this creative adventure are the children themselves. With their endless excitement and energy and their unfailing ability to surprise, they are the ones who inevitably reinvent the initial ideas put forward to come up with unexpected solutions all their own. The artists know that their role is to propose journeys whose final destination only time will tell. Every year Learning Through Art embarks on a new adventure.

Students

The schoolchildren become explorers in unchartered territory while at the same time discovering the joy of creating unique objects of art. They also take great pleasure in putting their creations on display for other people to enjoy. In addition, the workshops give the children the opportunity to learn the importance of teamwork and communication.

In 2007–2008 the young artists included the 2nd grade class at Gabriel Aresti in Bilbao; 2nd grade class at Zaldibar; 6th grade class, San Ignacio, Bilbao; 6th grade class, Mujika-Solokoetxe, Bilbao; 4th grade class, Karmelo, Bilbao; 2nd grade class, Basozelai-Gaztelu, Basauri; 2nd grade class, Kurtzebarri, Aretxabaleta; 5th grade class, Katalin Erauso, San Sebastián; and the 4th grade class at San Prudencio in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

A total of nine schools and 184 children took part in the program.

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