Primary school sleuths crack the case of the Rugby Collection

The junior sleuths visited the venue's UNVEILED exhibition to join eccentric art critic Art E Britain in a hunt for hidden clues to discover the meaning of art.

The primary school sessions saw the debut of Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's new education workshop, Stepping into the Frame.

Devised by the venue's learning and engagement team, the workshop encourages pupils to record observations, experiment with different artistic techniques, and learn about famous artists, architects and designers - all elements of the key stage 1 and 2 curriculum.

During the workshop, pupils took a deep dive into three pieces from the Rugby Collection of contemporary art - LS Lowry's Monday Morning, Paula Rego's The Bride's Secret Diary, and Standing Figure by Claudette Johnson.

The workshop explored the stories behind each painting, encouraging pupils to step inside the pictures through narrative immersion drama techniques.
More than 400 pupils from six primary schools in the borough attended the workshops, with the cost and coach travel funded through the council's Corporate Strategy Delivery Fund.

Phoebe Hilton, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's senior learning and engagement officer, said Stepping into the Frame had been developed to celebrate this year's 80th anniversary of the Rugby Collection - with UNVEILED bringing together the collection's 257 artworks in one gallery for the first time in decades.

"The new workshop encourages pupils to explore the creative process, reflecting on the stories and ideas behind the brush strokes by experimenting with drawing, drama and creative writing," Phoebe added.

"It has been designed to complement key stage 1 and 2, using bodily learning to help pupils forge a deeper understanding of art - what it means and why it matters.

"We were delighted with the positive reaction from pupils.

"We're now looking forward to formatting Stepping into the Frame to support future exhibitions at the gallery."

The Rugby Collection was founded in 1946 with the aim of making art accessible to all.

UNVEILED: The Rugby Collection in Full has had rave reviews from visitors since opening at the Little Elborow Street venue in February - with the exhibition hailed as "world-class", "beautifully curated" and a source of "great civic pride."

In addition to the primary school workshops, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum hosted a tour of UNVEILED for secondary school students, followed by a talk on creative careers.

The venue's learning and engagement team also visited Rugby College to talk about careers in the creative industries.

For more information on learning opportunities on offer at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, email education@rugby.gov.uk 

UNVEILED runs until Saturday 6 June.

For more information about exhibitions and events at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, visit www.ragm.co.uk