Eco Art at The Brampton Museum!
In August of 2022 I had a lovely opportunity to run another art class with The Brampton Museum, but this time we had a theme. As a wonderfully talented artist came to the museum to exhibit their work, I got to thinking that there isn’t enough recycling art classes out there. Especially not for children! So in the spirit of Reincarnated Rubbish by Val Hunt, I wanted to provide a space for the people of Stoke-on-Trent to come and try their hand at making art our of rubbish. I spent a few weeks collecting things from my own house like cardboard, old clothes, pieces of packaging and rubbish that you would normally just throw away. I carefully collected it all and brought it to the museum in the morning for session one of my art class.
There were so many families to show up! It was wonderful to see so many bright young faces wanting to try their hands at art, and get stuck in to using pieces of rubbish to make something they could be proud of and display back at home. We had a lot of children creating robots and castles, some family groups making dolls houses and rockets. There was even one group that made a peacock out of rubbish, cardboard, bottle caps and shiny paper!
The engagement was what inspired me the most. I provided some of my own artwork as inspiration, and during quiet times where nobody needed my assistance I sat down to paint my own bee themed eco art. It was wonderful to be able to watch children get stuck into art. It was even better to see parents realising that they don’t have to spend a fortune on art supplies. Just have a dig around in the recycling bin and see what you’ve got!
The second session was just as fun as the first. After a quick lunch break and a tidy up of the Willow Room, we managed to get everything together for the next group of young artists and families that wanted to try their hands at art.
And we had even more creations that surprised everyone! More castles with spires and gates, ocean scenes and glittery space scenery. It was incredible to watch so many young minds working to create something we as adults couldn’t dream of, and seeing children working together in little teams to make their fantasies come true.
I had a wonderful time hosting this session and cannot wait for the next one. Keep your eyes peeled on The Brampton Museum events website for more art classes coming your way, and remember that booking to come and try out a new skill also benefits the museum and the artist hosting.
If you like what I do and enjoy my artwork then please do check out my shop for all my pieces of work that are currently on sale. And if you like the idea of art classes and want to hire me to run a class for your club, event, birthday party or corporate ice breaker events then please check out my Art Classes for more information. See how the event went by checking out this youtube video created by Carl Moreton for Newcastle-under-lyme Borough Council.
Shop small business, support local artists, and stay creative!
Em