Art Education
TAOS works with children, to introduce art in their lives. We aim to offer them an arena of creativity, discover freedom and enrich their minds, which provide strength for better performance at school and socially.
TAOS conducted It’s monthly workshop at St. Joseph’s School, North Kumbalangi. Artist Bibin asked the students to create a story through their drawings. The Students creatively depicted the story and presented it before their friends.
TAOS conducted a story telling session at Ashwasabhavan, Jubilee Nagar, led by our volunteer Anjana. The aim of the session was to bring out the hidden talents of the children. The session was filled with motivational stories, songs, games and dance, we witnessed the active participation of the children.
Class at St Thomas Girl’s School involved drawing a still life. A composition of common class room objects like a desk, waste paper basket and books were what the children observed and put down on paper. It was interesting to see that many of the children made use of their previous class on shading to make their work come alive.
This was followed by them depicting a story in four panels, which will carry over into the next class.
The session began with artist Bibin showing children how to mix colours and form other colours. He then focused on helping students develop their individual style and creativity. They were asked to draw their favorite pet animal and highlight its features. The children presented their pets in beautiful shades and coloures. Some pictures exhibited the sweet bond between the children and their pets.
It is evident that regular drawing classes bring out the creativity and artistic talent of the students.
The TAOS workshop held at Kashi Art Gallery, comprised three sessions Phad painting, Fabric art and Dance.
The Phad painting session where the painting is done on a stretched canvas, was taken by Natallia Bahuschevich, a Belarausian painter and sculptor. She was followed by Monique Romeiko, Canadian dance artist, who introduced the idea of using g room as a canvas and the body as paint, and creating art through fluid dance movements. Fabric artist Vagaram Choudhary presented collage art wherein different pieces of fabric when placed together in a meaningful way can create something new and beautiful .
After the impromptu holidays caused by the unexpectedly heavy monsoon, the children at Amaravathy School were more than ready to resume their art sessions with Bibin.
With some new children ,including a few with special needs, joining the existing group there was a buzz in the air . The children were free to draw whatever took their fancy. Sulekha a differently abled student showed her passion for art through her vivid drawings.
The rest of the group also produced beautiful colorful works which brightened the rain drenched morning.
Canadian Movement Artist Monique conducted a workshop for 25 students of St Thomas Girls High School on Thursday 26 , July 2018.
The aim of the workshop was to expose young students to the possibilities of developing a basic movement into more complex movements.
What started out as an individual effort branched into a paired one and then into larger groups involving multiple locations, diverse music , some props and even the audience to give a fresh interpretation of the original movement .
The talented but self conscious beginners soon found their rhythm and blossomed into more confident performers who used words like free, strong and happy to describe their emotions while performing .
At the school, an enthusiastic group of girls gathered to kick-start art education for 2018. 25 students worked on a specific concept shared by the art educator while others were asked to explore their imagination through figures and colours. The class called for the understanding of imagination and linking concepts.
20 children between the ages of 5 and 12 gathered at Udhaya Convent to take art lessons from artist Bibin. The children were encouraged to draw any animal or bird that they chose . Once they began, Bibin helped them to expand the picture to include other elements like a tree or a bush or water-body. It taught them the possibility of stitching together ideas and to create a whole new picture from a single idea.
The new academic year started with third grade students learning to draw for the first time. Artist Bibin started with every day objects like fruit and trees, encouraging them to relate to things they see daily and to recreate them on paper.
As part of the summer camp for the children of Udhaya slum, TAOS conducted art activities related to “imagery”. The medium was paper, to make collages. There were over 100 children divided in 5 groups, the children were from ages five to twenty.
A year and a half after art education was started at Amaravathy school, the students were ready to explore further. Artist Bibin asked them to image of school and portray them using water colours.
An art workshop by students of St . Thomas School taught them new techniques and use of a new medium. Though new to water colours, the students’ works consisted of a variety of images (mainly animals), each portraying the creativity, imagination and talent of the young artists.
The Muziris heritage walk was conducted by TAOS in collaboration with Sahapedia to enable students to get educated in the ancient history of the region, led by a curator of the walk.The students visited Paliam Palace, Paliam Naalukettu and two temples adjacent to the Palace premise. There were 40 students.
On 14 January, 2018, 36 students from Thoppumpady’s Our Lady’s Convent Girls Higher Secondary School at the Kerala Museum. This two-session event was organised in collaboration with Sahapedia (https://www.sahapedia.org) and the museum.
Session one: Following introductions, the girls were split into groups named after international museums. They were introduced to the idea and purpose of museums through a visual presentation, after which each team summarized what they had learnt.
Session two: In the art gallery, the girls were given clues to embark on a art hunt to identify paintings by Indian masters! After this, they gathered in front of each find, expressed opinions on what they could observe and told about the relevance of the master artist.
Part of TAOS’ art education initiatives are museum walks and gallery open studios.
Working on the concept of seasons, the students of St Thomas School put together their thoughts in colour and sketch, from Autumn to Winter
Students at the school were introduced to water colours for the first time. After a year of understanding and exploring concepts and colours, students were given the opportunity to work with paint. Artist Bibin offered a framework and allowed them to explore the creating of images and the use of paint.
Thirty students of the St. Thomas Girl’s High school gathered together for their maiden theater workshop at 10 am. It started with theater expert and TAOS member Feroze asking the students to introduce themselves using actions.
A series of ice-breakers were followed by introductory workshops. As the workshop tapered down to an end, students were pushed to bring their concentration and creative skills to the test with an activity that called for the making of postures that spoke of a situation given. It closed with the students sharing their learnings.
The art workshop for the month of November at the St Thomas School included two distinct sections.
The first involved perspective drawing in an effort to improve the technique oriented skills of the children. The second was expressing a recollected memory on their pages.
This dual approach of honing technique and letting the imagination run free is focused on helping the children to improve their skill and creative thinking.
Bill Adair spent the days teaching music to students of Amravathy School in Fort Kochi and Our Lady’s Convent in Thopumpady.
October 11th – 12th, 2017
St Joseph School, Kumbalangi
After Bill’s first day of sharing his culture and music with the students of the school, the second day was more about wanting to learn some Christmas music to celebrate in December. Bill taught his version of Silent Night. Not only did they learn music and of a new culture, but there was the exposure to music from a whole new light.
October 11th – 12th, 2017
St Thomas School, Thevara
At St Josephs School, Kumbalangi, fourth grade students were introduced to Scottish performer Bill Adair’s music. It was the first time for most of them, hearing melodies and lyrics from another culture. Bill also spoke to them about Scotland and they were taught to sing three short Scottish songs, which they managed to pick up with great ease. Bill explains that there really are no boundaries when it’s music.
October 6th, 2017
St Thomas School, Thevara
St Thomas school had its monthly art workshop on Oct 6 , 2017. The children learnt the art of on shading with crayons and then moved on to finding artistry in the ordinary and mundane around us .The children attempted still life images of various items found in their school bag..
Water bottles, a football, an umbrella amongst others. The result was a series of interesting perspectives..
October 4th to 6th, 2017
St Thomas School, Thevara
Bill Adair , a Scottish musician visiting Kerala specifically to volunteer for TAOS conducted a three day workshop at St Thomas School, Thevera. Two batches of children of ages 10-12 yrs and 12 -14 yrs took part in the workshop.
Being regular students of Indian music, the children enjoyed their foray into western folk music and quickly picked up Scottish ballads, even a Beatles number from Bill. They in turn taught Bill the popular Malayalam song “Jnannum Jnannum” proving that music is indeed a universal language.
St. Josephs School, Kumbalangi
We had an origami session with 3rd and 4th graders, 15 students took part. First, they were asked to create an ocean using crayons on white paper and then they made blue paper whales. The whales were allowed to “pop out of the water” in different positions.
September 15th, 2017
St.Thomas Girls High School, Thevara
The most recent session at the St Thomas School started with an introduction to the Masters.
Artist Bibin showed the children images of works of famous artists like DaVinci, Van Gogh, Picasso , Raja Ravi Varma , Cezanne and Turner. The times they lived in , the subjects they portrayed and their different styles were discussed and the children gained some exposure and understanding of these works.
They then proceeded to create their own works with the Tree as the theme .Taking their cue from the varied foliage of Kerala trees of every description emerged on the pages. The growth in confidence and concentration of the children were clearly visible .
Udhaya Bhavan, Gandhinagar
The monthly art workshop at Udaya Bhavan, Gandhi Nagar took place on Saturday the 05th of August between 10.30 am and 1 pm. 20 children between the ages of 5 – 13 participated and they were guided by artist Bibin.
As always, the children were enthusiastic and enjoyed the session . It is interesting to note that this group of exuberant and noisy young artists have now learnt to spend hours in quiet making art. Bibin has been working almost continuously with them for 8 months now and he has noticed the positive change in the children.
August 2017
St Thomas School, Thevara
The second session of the art class at St Thomas School was conducted by artist Bibin.
Armed with new sketchpads well as colouring material the enthusiastic group attempted to draw fruit . This led to them learning about the importance of light and shadow in creating images . An introduction to the colour theory and the use of primary and secondary colours also followed.
The children were eager to put their new learning to practice and the pages of their sketchbooks filled up with images in short order .
August 2017
The Delta Study, Fort Kochi
Prof. Elizabeth Chakkappan of Parsons New School, New York held a screenwriting workshop at The Delta Study for 25 students. Prof Chakkappan went through details of how a screenplay is developed, introducing characters, using imagery and so on, teaching students the basics of how to create a screenplay for a movie.
August 9th, 2017
St. Josephs School, Kumbalangi
The children were of classes 3rd and 4th, 12 of them were asked to draw whatever they wished to using pencil and crayons.The idea was to help them create freely and use their ideas to project their thoughts.
August 2017
Screenwriting Workshop at The Delta Study, Fort Kochi
A screenwriting workshop for 11th grade students was conducted by Prof. Elizabeth Chakkappan, from Parsons The New School For Design, New York. She talked about the basic structure of a screenplay, how plot devices and visual storytelling works.
The session included an introduction to the said subjects and an exercise involving the students writing an opening sequence for a film, talking about it, and learning on how to improve or further the plot.
Healing through Art- Talk By Edmundo dos Santos, Choice School
Edmundo dos Santos, an SOI member, spent two hours at the Choice School explaining, to the teachers and parents, the importance of art and how art therapy can be used to help children in multiple ways. He touched upon the topic of children with special needs and others, and how art can be a medium of healing and help. The talk had the audience gather something new. The importance of creativity and how how art in any form, visual art, music, drama, can be used as effective tools of expression and healing was highlighted.
July 2017
Art Workshop at St. Thomas Girl’s High School
The first of a planned series of art workshops was conducted at St Thomas Girls High School , Thevera today. Artist Bibin lead the group of 26 boys and girls of aged between 11-13 yrs through an introduction to pencil drawing and sketching. The two hour long session saw the children draw on their creativity to sketch an image of their own choice and another on a given theme. They also did an exercise on perspective and shading . The children showed great interest and enthusiasm and are eagerly awaiting the next session.
July 2017
Art Workshop at Amaravathy Govt. School
The workshop was conducted by the artist Bibin, who asked the excited group of children to sketch a tree of their choice. Most of the kids had made drawings of coconut trees while a few sketched papaya and mango trees too. He then asked the children to make a drawing of a leaf and instructed them on how to get their sketches right. It was a memorable workshop for the children where they got to express their creative selves.
July 2017
Art Workshop at Udaya Bhavan
The monthly workshop at Udaya Bhavan was conducted by the artist Bibin Thomas. Around 20 students participated in the workshop. During the two hour long session, the artist asked the children to make drawings on the topic Railway Station. The children started slow, but soon picked up pace and created many beautiful art pieces.
July 2017
Workshop at Kumblangi School
The workshop was conducted by the artist Arjun for the Class IV students of Kumbalangi School. The students weren’t used to studying art and were very excited about the session. The artist exhibited a plastic sipper and asked the little artists to create a copy of the same in their sheets. They soon set in action and proudly presented their coloured pieces by the end of the session. Many of the kids who finished quickly went ahead and made drawings of their own choice as well.
Workshop at Amaravathy School, Fort Kochi
Origami artist Maira Gouveia introduced the children of Amaravathy School to the Japanese art of folding paper. The fervent kids closely followed her instructions and folded paper into everything from butterflies to hearts and swans. By the end of the workshop even the teachers had joined in and had mastered the technique.
June 2017
Workshop at Udhaya Bhavan
The workshop was conducted by the origami artist Maira Gouveia, from Brazil, in collaboration with artpackers.life. After introducing herself, Maira let the children chose what they wanted to make. They picked a heart and earnestly following the artist’s instructions, made paper hearts in the colour of their choice. Next, the attempted a more complicated design, a swan, and completed it without a hitch as well!
Maira then had them write a note to a loved one on what they had done, to gift it to them along with their art pieces. The workshop came to closure with the enthusiastic bunch of kids giving Maria a big “thankyou hug!”
Clay Modelling Workshop at Udhaya Bhavan
Artist Arjun introduced the children to clay and clay modelling.The children were very enthusiastic to play and get their hands dirty with clay. While some diligently followed Arjun’s instructions and created faces with the clay, others let their creativity take charge and molded ideas of their own. The end of the day saw smiling faces with a few creative streaks of innovations and a variety of sculptures ranging from small animals to even a miniature Gandhi.
Summer Workshop at Udaya Bhavan
The workshop was a part of the Poomaram Summer Camp at Udaya Bhavan, Gandhinagar. Artist Arjun described to the kids what a collage is and how it is made. They were split into groups and were asked to make 3 collages each on the topic ‘Animals’ using the magazines provided. By the end of the workshop they had made many beautiful collages. The children learnt how to make art using minimum materials, how to work in groups and mingle with people of all ages.
Art Workshop at Udaya Bhavan
The monthly workshop at Udaya Bhavan was conducted on 25 February 2017. Under the guidance of our artist, Mr. Bibin, the kids drew pictures of various animals, birds and butterflies. Later, the sketches were coloured and shaded. Around 26 kids participated in the workshop and pencil shading was a new experience for some of them, which was evident from the enthusiasm and energy they put into it.
February 2017
Art Education workshop at St.Joseph’s LPS, Kumbalanghi
Bibin taught the students of St. Joseph’s school the Colour Theory. They had never seen so many colours of crayons before and learnt that they could mix various colours to get different shades. He drew pictures of animals and asked the students to do the same. He then asked them to draw a picture of a basketful of their favourite fruits and taught them the method of shading.
Susheela made the students stand in a circle and introduce themselves through the game of ‘Clap and Snap.’ Then each student was asked to enact any character that they had come across in their lives. It demonstrated how much children notice and learn from adults. They were then split into two and were asked to ready a small skit with dialogues. It taught them coordination and the importance of planning while having fun! The session came to a close with the students doing a body-eye coordination activity in groups of two.
Susheela gave the 3rd graders an activity where she sat with them and sang ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’ with hand movements.
The students had a fun, yet informative day.
February 2017
In the last class for this academic year, artist Bibin placed various objects on display for the students to draw. He then taught them the art of shading.
One particular noteworthy point is the great improvement in special needs child Abhilash through his work with art, who showed remarkable positive change in his overall abilities.
February 2017
St Joseph’s L P School in Kumbalangi, Kochi
For most of the children at St Joseph’s L P School in Kumbalangi, it was the first time they used paints, even colours.
One child was so overwhelmed with the idea of using paint, she was in tears. Soon it became a workshop of beauty- on one paper they expressed pain and on another gratitude, in two sessions. Free expression and fun were the responses that were expressed!
Print making workshop at Global Public School, Kochi
The dozen students who attended the Printmaking Workshop on 6 January 2017, led by New York-based artist Margaret Lanzetta, kickstarted their session with an introduction into prints, inks and the process. The chosen topic was ‘Nature’ and it was apt, with the patch of paddy tended to by the students themselves in the backdrop of the class.
Margaret then made them groove out Styrofoam sheets with their chosen leaf designs, applied acrylic and printing ink and then pressed them into coloured sheets of paper. The students experimented with colours and patterns, even using three or four designs on a single sheet, with multiple colours.
January 2017
Art Education Workshop at Amravathy School, Fort Kochi
Teaching students how to sketch, Artist Bibin drew pictures of animals and birds and asked the children to replicate them. The art of shading was then taught, asking them to imagine the subjects from various perspectives and how they would like to depict them.It was a first time for most of the students, who had never shaded before.
Printmaking Workshop at Mithram Special School, Arankunnam
The session on gift-bag making workshop was held on 19 December 2016 at the Mithram Special School for the intellectually disadvantaged. Margaret Lanzetta a New York based artist exhibiting at Kashi Art Gallery had brought with her a set of beautiful designs she had carved out on pieces of Styrofoam (blocks) based on the theme ‘green’ and ‘Kerala’. The idea was to dip the blocks into different coloured paints and press them onto the gift bags.The 15 students were excited to work with the blocks, and coordination and creativity were almost effortless. The students were given a free-hand to make different patterns with the blocks provided.
December 2016
The Art Education Workshop at Amaravathy Government School.
The 15 children of the Amaravathy school (Class 4-7) continued with the art workshop held there on the second Friday of every month. The children show considerable improvement in their drawing skills as a result of this ongoing workshop.
Artist Bibbin and TAOS volunteer Kavita conduct these sessions which begin with the children doing a drawing based on a theme for that day- scenery and animals were the most recent themes -thus engaging their creativity .
The second part involves improving their technique through an introduction to still life drawing or the use of symmetry in their work.
The objective of these sessions is to improve the artistic as well as the life skills of the children and Abhilash a child with special needs has in particular shown considerable improvement in his drawing ability and his confidence has grown as well .
December 2016
Art Education workshop at Udaya Bhavan
TAOS continued its third month of the art education workshop at Udaya Bhavan on December 10.
21 young artists sat down to draw animals. They first drew a butterfly and a rabbit and then moved on to flamingos, while curiously trying to draw cats, dogs and even elephants. Artist Bibin helped them in perfecting their animals. The children chose their colours wisely, putting a lot of effort into their masterpieces.
Art Education Workshop at Amravathi
On November 11, the fourth session at Amravathi School involved a little fun with colour theory. At first, artist Bibin asked the children to draw a house and they spent much of their time perfectly their work. He also showed them how to mix primary and secondary colours. The children were later asked to draw the objects on the table- a bottle and a mug. It’s impressive how one can see a remarkable progress in the children’s drawings when compared to the initial sessions.
November 2016
Art Education workshop at Udaya Bhavan
TAOS continued its second month of the art education workshop at Udaya Bhavan on November 12.
The little ones were asked to draw their idea of a house. Artist Bibin helped them in putting their imagination onto paper and aided the 15 children. They had lots of fun, picking out the colors and showing off their final artwork to us.
Artist Anto continued teaching the senior children about origami. He taught them how to make a cube out of four papers and then moved on to a simple pyramid. While teaching them the art, he also talked about geometry. They moved to a complex piece of origami, the octahedron, and the children took up the difficult process with enthusiasm.
Art Education Workshop at Amravathi
Our third workshop at Amravathi School was full of imaginative stories. Artist Bibin Thomas asked the children to write a story they liked. The children had a rainbow of ideas to put on paper. Nitya drew angels and goddess, Aleef’s drawing was about children on the bus ride and many others drew their story from popular ones like “The Hare and the Tortoise”. In the next exercise, the artist placed a drum on a box and asked the children to draw what they saw. Three children were given prizes for their excellent artwork.
Art education at Udaya Bhavan
TAOS is working with two artists to bring art education for children in Udaya Bhavan.
Artist Bibin led the little ones in drawing lessons. They were asked to draw fruits and Bibin himself helped each child to complete their drawing. He encouraged the 15 children immensely and this reflected in how proudly the young artists showed off their work to us.
Meanwhile, the senior children had a class in origami, led by Artist Anto. He first showed them slides on the history of Origami and then he went on to explain the basic folds and techniques that helped in making their Origami.
The senior children sat attentively all morning and worked towards completing their origami pieces.
Art Education Workshop at Amravathi
On 26 September, TAOS continued with its monthly sessions at the Amravathi School, in Fort Kochi.
For the second session, artist Dinakarlal asked the children to draw out the dream they had, and the little ones had a lot of fun doing it. The room buzzed with enthusiasm, with the children choosing their own cozy spots, and with Dinakalal nearby as a friend and guide.
From cats and sharks, homes and families, mountains and lakes, the children had a vast imagination. They took great pride in showing off their finished masterpiece, making sure we got the photographs right. All in all, a beautiful morning. The smiles say it all.
September 2016
Mask Making Workshop
Children aged between 4 years and 12 years attended the Mask Making workshop held at Cochin Yacht Club. It was led by Swiss artists and filmmaker Augustin Rebetez and Romain Berger. Old cardboard boxes, rags, newspaper bags, coconut husk, plastic water bottles, rope, crushed paper, and other everyday waste materials were used to make masks. The participants started off with cutting out shapes for the masks – animal shapes, monster faces, vampire, etc. The children then cut and pasted various materials onto the shapes, tied strings on the sides and made elaborate masks from the waste materials.
In collaboration with Kochi Muziris Biennale
Supported by Kashi Art Gallery
September 2016
Workshop at Udhaya Convent in Gandhinagar, for the (slum)children of the Udhaya Colony.
The workshop was led by artist Sruthi, who asked the children from the ages of four upwards to connect their memories to the convent, where they are given tuition’s daily. The children were asked to draw their relationship with the convent, their memories of the place.
Art Education workshop at Amravati
This ongoing project was kick-started in August 2016, with artist Dinakarlal leading it. It will be conducted every month till February, with the same set of 15 students. Each one’s workshop will be different. TAOS volunteers will keep track of each participant, maintaining and keeping files for them. There will be proper documentation of feedback from artist, school management and teachers.
In the first workshop, artist Dinakarlal read out a Malayalam poem which was about a garden and he asked the children to draw what they felt when they listened to it. The kids drew gardens with flowers, butterflies and other animals mentioned in the poem. The artist also showed the children correct colouring techniques. The artists also selected three best artworks and praised them. The children thoroughly enjoyed the class and are absolutely looking forward to the following one, next month. Two special children who attended the workshop found it totally rewarding and cheerful.
Dinakarlal is an alumnus of Fine Arts College, Trichur and has a degree in Fine Arts and a specialization in Sculpture. Enthusiastic about working with children and youngsters, he has participated in the State Exhibition 2015, Kerala Lalitakala Akademi, at Durbar Hall, Ernakulam. He has participated in the National Bronze Casting camp at Raja Ravivarma Fine Arts college, Mavelikkara.
Papier Mâché workshop at Global Public School
Eighteen young minds waited eagerly as Ana Kohli picked up a guitar and strummed softly. She asked them to close their eyes and imagine they were in a jungle, and to visualise the animals they come across. These 10 to 14 year olds aptly closed their eyes and spent some time in the visualization process. She continued the process by getting them to draw an animal each on a sheet of white paper. Wires came out of her bag, next. Using wires and pliers, the participants made figures of animals. They then tore newspaper sheets into strips and dipped them in Fevicol-water mix, wrapping them around the wires. From giraffes and lions to fish and crocodiles, the children enjoyed making papier mache animals.
Ana Chhaya Azevedo Kohli is a half-Indian, half-Brazilian artist, and has conducted art workshops in both countries. She has worked as an educator at the Sao Paulo Art Biennale. The volunteers helped the team to dry the papier mâché models and then left them on display for the class. We ended the workshop by distributing the certificates and promising the kids that we would return later for more sessions.
Puppet Theatre Workshop by Ilona Lehtorant
This workshop taught kids how puppet theatre works- from making puppets and creating a script to bringing these puppets alive
.