Learning Through Art 2009
06.17.2009 - 08.31.2009
At the end of every school year an exhibition of the students' artwork is held at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Gallery 103 B delights visitors with a surprising blend of imagination, endeavour, fun and learning. The exhibit presents fresh and original perspectives from young artists aged 6 to 12. Imagine the work of 183 artists in a single gallery! The participants 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.
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.
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.
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 2008–2009 twelve teachers opened their classroom doors to Learning Through Art: Eva Ajuria, Maider Apraiz, Zuberoa Arteaga, Isabel Bajo Tellaeche, Miren Pilar Etxeandia, Koro Ezkurra, Carlos Fernández, Pilar Garde, Sabino Larrañaga, Soriartze Padilla, Maite Rescalbo and Nerea Uribe.
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. Naia del Castillo, Ibón Garagarza, Iñaki Gracenea, Maider López, Jon Mantzisidor, Joxerra Melguizo, Asier Mendizabal, Manu Muniategiandikoetxea 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.
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 2008–2009 the young artists included the 6th grade class at Divino Maestro in Vitoria-Gasteiz; 6th grade class at Amaña in Eibar; 5th and 6th grade class, Arrateko Andra Mari, Eibar; 4th grade class, Intxaurrondo, San Sebastián; 5th grade class, Las Viñas, Santurtzi; 3rd grade class, Tomás Camacho, Bilbao; 4rd grade class, Basurto, Bilbao; 3rd grade class, Ruperto Medina, Portugalete; and the 2nd and 3rd grade class at Aperribai in Galdakao.
A total of nine schools and 183 children took part in the program.