Year 8 scholars and several Year 7 students got the opportunity to travel to Nairobi for two day art project, visiting different locations in Nairobi to support the children’s art work in class. Years 8s were able to develop their portfolio for their scholarship and gain an insight into how artists work. For the Years 7 they were able to explore different methods of creating art and experience Art in the real world benefitting them both inside and outside the classroom.

We took part in workshops at the Nairobi Art Centre, including pottery and graffiti art. Each student made their own clay pot, using coils and decorative elements. It was a great start to our day, to be able to get our hands messy and even put it on our faces as a face mask. The graffiti art was enjoyed by everyone, the students got to collaborate on a two whole pieces.  They learnt the techniques of how to create effective lines in the paint and adding splattering techniques to finish the piece off. The final piece was incredible.

On our second day we visited working artist workshops at the Kuona Trust. We were able to talk to artists, see them working and gain inspiration from their work. It was fascinating seeing the artists create their amazing works right in front of our eyes. Patrick Mukabi, from children’s television also showed us how to draw still life compositions and self-portraits.

It was a really successful trip, picking up skills that can be used in the future and creating works that we will keep forever.