Artists learn and artists teach to the new generation!

November 26, 2017

As a part of the Recycled Glass Bumblebee Project there were an invitation for the artist and Prof Andrea Liggins to visit the scientists who were involved in the project to see and learn from entomologists work. I work with Dr Peter Graystock in this project and will now visit his work at the Department of Entomology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, along with scientist and Assistant Professor Scott McArt. 

It is very exciting to learn from from everyone at the department and this feeds into my own arts practice and especially to the project at Casllwchwr Primary School with Bumblebee identification and recycled glass bumblebee project.  

The project is to teach our new generation to look after our environment using the media of art as a tool to learn. Year 1 pupils have done part one of the project which were Bumblebee Identification.  

As a result from one morning with the children, feedback from parents were that they've learnt so much about bumblebees from their five year old's which they did not know about the bees.  Below is a quote from one parent after the bee-walk. 

'I just wanted to tell you about (nn's) morning today. She just spent about 20 minutes teaching me and my son about bees. She has remembered an incredibly amount of what you taught her. Thank you!'

The art-science project will continue with painting and learning more about all the different types of bumblebees in UK and finally to make recycle glass bumblebee with the pupils. And, not at least, the children will also learn about what happens to their jam jars and bolognese jar they throw in the recycling at home, as they have all been asked to help clean and remove labels in preparation of the glass to be used!