Sharing the Joy of Creativity with the Kids in Bougainville

Documentary tutor Kate Logan recently went on the trip of a lifetime, sailing on a traditional vaka from Fiji to Bougainville, documenting the acquisition and sustainable shipping of organic fair trade cocoa beans from a local Bougainvillean farmer back to the Wellington Chocolate Factory in New Zealand.

Whilst in Bougainville, Kate wanted to share something of her life back home with the children she met there. Kindly, The Learning Connexion had donated some art supplies for Kate to take with her so, when she arrived, Kate and fellow crew member Lambert Ho ran an impromptu art class at the local school in Tinputs.

"Like many of us, the kids were quite shy and timid at first when faced with a blank sheet of paper, but eventually they loosened up and had fun experimenting with the different materials on offer," says Kate.

"Initially we worked on coloured paper with a variety of chalk and oil pastels and the kids were encouraged to draw things from their environment. There was an array of beautifully coloured plants, houses and animals, which later evolved into more expressive works of patterns and mark making. The children were hooked, they worked right through their lunch break and were keen to explore everything I had on offer.

Next we moved onto using crayon and ink, creating invisible drawings with white crayon which were then revealed with water and ink. This was pretty magic for the kids!

The teachers had a very limited knowledge of the materials I was introducing – and they were equally as intrigued as the children. So, once the kids had filtered off for lunch I made sure to give them some demonstrations of the remaining materials I had to introduce art materials such as paint and water coloured pencils. I showed them various blending techniques and created a colour wheel for them so they could teach the children about primary and secondary colours and how to mix them.

It was such a buzz to be able to share these materials with the kids and see the excitement in their faces. There were some great little artists amongst them and I hope the experience will light a creative flame in their wee hearts that can be expanded upon over time."

Next Free Artist Talk: Kate's Vaka Voyage

Documentary tutor Kate Logan travels from Fiji to Bougainville on a traditional ocean vaka documenting the acquisition and sustainable shipping of organic fair trade cocoa beans for the Wellington Chocolate Factory.

Listen to tales of her high sea adventure at our next artist talk on campus.

Public welcome, please sign in at Reception.

Date: 3rd September, 2015

Place: The Learning Connexion Campus

Room: T2.36

Times: 12.35pm - 1.30pm

Invite friends on our Facebook event