As an addition to the music and art workshops in Cheltenham, for the Music Festival, I proposed a variation this year. As much as I love the individual art created by youngsters, I suggested it would be worthwhile exploring collaborative art as well.
Using vast hardboard panels, an abundance of emulsion paint, two schools and 200 children… two murals were created at the end of my “residency” as an outreach artist, in advance of the festival. Using music chosen for the BBC Ten Pieces, the children worked valiantly and with extraordinary enthusiasm to create the most stunning art work, which will become permanent fixtures in the schools.
In Bourton on the Water Primary, it was Holst’s Planets. We depicted both the spheres in space and the mythological characters that inspired the myths and, to an extend, the astrological traits that inspired Holst’s music. Here you can see the mural progressing…
And here is the finished masterpiece, 16 feet long!
Meanwhile, in Queen Margaret’s in Tewkesbury, The Firebird of Stravinsky’s resplendent ballet rose from the ashes triumphantly:
In both schools, I demonstrated what to do by painting to music beforehand, and telling the stories. For the Firebird retelling I added characters omitted from the ballet, like the grey wolf, by returning to the original folk tale sources.
Everyone was blown away by what the children achieved: The power of music as inspiration, and the benefits of good art materials are clear to see in these stupendous scenes, all painted while the music played.
Soon I will be back in Cheltenham for the schools concert and the BIG Family Concert, both with the Flower’s Band in the Town Hall, playing Mussorgsky and others. They will be wonderful events, and the family concert is open to the public. If you want your children to fall in love with wonderful music, to see the art created live on stage, to be part of a unique project, then COME ALONG on July 11th. Tickets are available from the Cheltenham Music Festival website here:
http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/music/whats-on/2015/james-mayhew-paints-mussorgskys-pictures/
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