Why and How? 2019
Engaging children with special educational needs in creative experiences and making art
Saturday 23 March 2019 10am - 6pm
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington Gardens, Piccadilly
£75, £55 reductions.
This conference will provide a space for attendees to consider approaches and develop ideas around the nature and value of cultural and artistic engagement for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Join us for a day of talks, workshops, networking and discussion sessions to explore, stretch and question creative approaches to engaging children with SEND.
There will be a range of presentations and workshops delivered by SEN teachers, artist educators, disability specialists and gallery and museum professionals.
Attendees will explore their own creativity and share ideas and experiences while taking part and contributing to talks, round-table discussions and practical workshops.
£75, £55 reductions.
About the conference
The day begins with refreshments and an opening talk.
Participants will then attend a selection of three practical workshops or creative discussion sessions with a break for lunch.
The final element to the day will be refreshments and chance for attendees to network, followed by a short closing address.
Anyone who is interested in learning and contributing to learning about how and why we engage children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in exploring and creating art.
Attendees to the last conference were a range of teachers, gallery and museum professionals, consultants and artist educators..
£75, £55 reductions.
Coming with a colleague? We love to encourage people learning together, so make use of our offer to buy one ticket and get one at our reduced ticket price.
Includes:
• Access to the day’s range of talks and workshops
• Session learning materials and handouts
• Lunch and refreshments
Booking
If you are unable to book online, please contact us on 020 7300 8090 and select option 1. Please be aware that if you’re booking on behalf of other people, we will need the individual contact information for each attendee.
Once you book you will be contacted to provide further information and to choose your preferred workshops. Each workshop has a limited capacity and although we will always strive to ensure your choice of sessions, this may not always be possible.
Workshops, talks and discussions
Who is inclusion for, and what does the creative space have to offer inclusive practice?
Opening talk by Joanna Grace
In this keynote address Joanna Grace, a specialist in sensory engagement and inclusion, will unpick notions of inclusion based on pity and explore how we all find value in inclusive practice. She will discuss how creative spaces like galleries and museums are prime locations where people can meet as equals and through thoughtful and creatively facilitated experiences we can all reap benefits, regardless of ability, disability or neurodiversity.
The benefits of laughter
Katie White
Following Joanna’s opening talk, Katie will take to the stage to teach us about the benefits of a good hearty laugh. She will offer practical and playful laughter techniques that can be used and adapted for people with additional needs. Before the conference workshops begin, experience and learn how a good giggle can improve wellbeing, increase creativity, encourage spontaneous play and promote a feeling of connectedness.
Fostering creativity workshop
Joanna Grace
In this workshop Joanna will explore how to create rich and relevant sensory experiences before inviting you to have a go at a simple practical techniques that will enhance creativity. Having boosted your creativity, you will end the session embarking on a dynamic idea generation workshop.
Please note that this session will involve working with dairy and gluten.
Supporting people with sensory processing difficulties (SPD) in your spaces and activities
Becky Lyddon
In this two-part session, you will begin by learning about sensory processing difficulties (SPD) and how to recognise specific sensory needs whilst experiencing immersive learning tools. After you will be encouraged to discuss your experiences of the RA’s galleries before creating a sensory map.
Sensory processing difficulties (SPD) are said to be recognised in 1 in 20 people. Some people are able to adapt and adjust within an environment, but for others they may require extra support before visiting a setting, or while taking part in an activity in order to be able to enjoy themselves.
A sensory map can be used to highlight specific sensory aspects of a space. For example noisy areas, bright lights, busy spaces, areas of bold patterns or other distractions like cafés. Having a sensory map can be a great tool for preparing and supporting people with SPD when visiting a gallery.
Making something, adding more: collaboration and partnership
Andrew Omoding, Gemma Wright and Siobhan Stewart
During this session, artist Andrew Omoding will share his experience of working as a lead artist on Camden Art Centre’s SEN schools programme. Gemma Wright, Head of Education at Camden Arts Centre, and Siobhan Stewart from ActionSpace will discuss the key elements of the partnership between their organisations – focusing on the project’s development, its future and highlighting key successes and challenges.
This discussion will be followed by a collaborative materials-focused workshop, led by Andrew, introducing you to his unique style of creating sculptural forms. This will show you an insight into the type of activities he organised for his students at Camden Arts Centre.
Thinking through doing
Sarah Hall
In this hands on workshop, make art inspired by the sculptures of Phyllida Barlow RA. Explore different ways of building 3D structures whilst discussing the value of sensory art for a range of makers. Think about different communication styles for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and learn practical ways of introducing and concluding sessions involving creative engagement.
Biographies
Joanna Grace is a sensory engagement and inclusion specialist, author, trainer, TEDx speaker and founder of The Sensory Projects. Consistently rated as "Outstanding" by Ofsted, Joanna has taught in mainstream and special school settings, connecting with people of all ages and abilities. Since launching The Sensory Projects in, Joanna's work has extended into adult care for people with complex needs and dementia. She consults nationwide providing training to teams looking to improve their inclusive practice. Joanna's private life includes family members with disabilities and neurodiverse conditions and time spent as a registered foster carer for children with profound disabilities.
Joanna has published several books, including Sensory Stories for children and teens (2014), Sensory-being for Sensory Beings (2017) and Sharing Sensory Stories with People with Dementia (2018). Last year she launched two new children's books, Voyage to Arghans and Ernest and I, which appeal to children regardless of their abilities, disabilities or neurodiversity, with each book featuring a lead character with a neurodiverse condition or disability.
Katie is founder of The Best Medicine, and a "Laughter Facilitator" with a passion for all things playful. After using laughter to manage her own anxiety and panic, she began a detailed study of the impact laughter can have on the brain and body. This inspired her to develop some unique strategies to encourage people to use it to their advantage. She now facilitates highly interactive and playful sessions for people of all ages and abilities, teaching people how to access and apply laughter therapeutically and creatively. Katie continues to develop her laughing practices so that the experience is inclusive and accessible to all.
Born and raised in Devon, Becky founded Sensory Spectacle in 2014. Originally from the field of Graphic Design, she was captivated by the autistic sensory world whilst working in a centre in West London that supports children and young people with complex health needs and disabilities. Sensory Spectacle creates immersive environments to help educate about Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) alongside people with SPD. She spends her time presenting at conferences, running team training, filming videos for YouTube and providing workshops for families alongside the immersive learning.
Sarah Hall is a SEN teacher who grew up with friends who attended SEN schools. She founded Willows Sensory Service and provides individual sessions, courses and consultancy in sensory engagement. Her work encompasses art, sensory drama, poems, music making and storytelling and she’s a trained masseuse and reflexologist. Along with Flo Longhorn, Sarah co-wrote Sarah’s Sensory Starter Pack, a practical illustrated book which introduces parents and professionals to simple practical ideas for sensory art making.
Gemma is the Head of Education at Camden Arts Centre. After gaining a BA (Hons) in Fine Art and an MA in Printmaking, she worked at international centre for the development of contemporary art and design, Spike Island in Bristol, then Leicester Print Workshop. She has been Head of Education at Camden Arts Centre for over two years. As part of her role she develops strategies that widen the reach of the gallery’s programme to increase opportunities and progression routes for schools, communities, families and young people, and has a specialist focus on increasing access to the arts for people with learning disabilities.
Camden Art Centre’s education programme remains at the core of the organisation’s aim to make art inclusive and accessible for all. Since 2002, the gallery has led an SEN schools programme in collaboration with artists, young people and teachers which aims to increase creative opportunities within the arts for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).
Andrew has been working as a lead artist on Camden Art Centre’s SEN schools programme since 2016. In 2017 he was awarded the HOUSE / Outside In Co-Commission, resulting in Common Threads, a two-person show at Phoenix Brighton. In 2018 he exhibited his work in group shows at Sotheby’s, Project Ability and J Hammond Projects and presented his work at the Art, Materiality and Representation conference at the Royal Anthropological Institute. In summer 2019 he will undertake a month-long residency at Camden Arts Centre.
Andrew is also an artist, and his work is intuitive and instinctive, using his tacit knowledge of form, shape and construction to add and discard elements as he works. He creates large-scale sculptural forms, building up his creations by systematic layering, wrapping and attaching, often adding textiles, painted patterns and textures to complete the piece.
Siobhan joined ActionSpace in 2011 as their Pastoral Care Coordinator. She has over 20 years of experience working with people with disabilities and their families and carers. Her specialities and interest are in autism, communication and challenging behaviour. Siobhan is also a practicing gestalt counsellor. At ActionSpace she works across all projects and contributes to the development and empowerment of the artists.
ActionSpace is a London-based visual arts organisation that supports artists with learning disabilities and creates innovative opportunities for adults with learning disabilities to engage with the visual arts. They have four dedicated studios across London, from which they run a programme of supported studio sessions, working with over 65 artists on a weekly basis.
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