H E R   M I T    P R O J E C T S

Yard [ART] Sale, April 2019

The Yard [ART] Sale invited children to assign value to their artworks, by exhibiting and selling them alongside professional artists. They were given control of what works they would exhibit. I thought children would be delighted to try and make money from their drawings, but on the day they were all reluctant to part with their originals, instead agreeing that the originals could be displayed but only colour photocopies could be purchased. The event included a variety of activities that were made freely available with no obligation to take part, such as painting T-shirts, screen printing and an epic paper aeorplane competition. Artists shared their skills in an open and relaxed atmosphere, creating a willingness to try new things.

T-Shirts made by a young artists on the day. YOLO stands for You Only Live Once.

Drawings exhibited by children 9 years and under.

Emma Gregory demonstrating and helping to make screen prints with simple stencils. Getting dressed for the day optional!

The activities had no prescribed template or designated outcome, allowing artists to move away from activities they did not engage with and to learn throught their own exploration of the materials they were using. There was no right or wrong, something unfamiliar to some of the children who have spent many years at school being told what their outcomes should look like before they know how to use the materials they are working with.

By working outside our house passers by also joined in or stopped to get a cup of tea.

The paper aeroplane competition was the invention of one of the children and a £1 prize was donated to the winning throw. The young organiser then created certificates for the top three places and deliberated over the final order so that feelings would not be hurt but that the winner would be rightly crowned. The winning child then spent their winnings on photocopies of artworks by their fellow children. A better outcome could not have been planned.

Cakes by Jess, aged 10

Various artworks exhibited, sold or made on the day, with thanks to the artists that donated or made their studio seconds available at an extraordinary price.