National Museums Liverpool Blog - drawing

I thought my school days were over, but last week I was very excited to be able to join our class of Little Liverpool Designers on their very first school trip!

I had a lovely morning spent with Class R reception class from Kingsley Community School in Toxteth, touring Liverpool familiarising themselves with Liverpool’s famous landmarks to inspire artwork for the Museum of Liverpool’s dedicated children’s gallery Little Liverpool, opening 2011.

They will be working with illustrator Kate Pankhurst to develop the final artwork for display in Little Liverpool as part of our work with the ECHO in the Community programme, which aims to inspire young people by engaging in a cross section of activities, including the arts.

A Little Liverpool Designer gives the new Museum of Liverpool the thumbs up

At four years old, Mrs Randles’ reception class were a credit to their school, and it was fantastic to be surrounded by such young, inquisitive minds who were visibly impressed by everything they saw.

The first stop on our magical mystery tour of Liverpool was at the Anglican Cathedral, and I only wish I’d had a video camera with me to record their faces on walking into that grand, vast space and filling the air ‘wows’!

We also took a trip to the Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral, or Paddy’s Wigwam as it is affectionately known locally, where they were very taken with the colours and reflections coming in from the beautiful stain glass windows. Hopefully this will transfer to the marvellous artwork they’re soon to create for our Little Liverpool Gallery.

After the cathedrals, we also took a driving tour round many iconic buildings, including St George’s Hall and William Brown Street; home to World Museum, Central Library and the Walker Art Gallery.

Spotting the Radio City Tower overhead, our whistle-stop tour also took us past the Town Hall – "where the mayor lives" – and down to the waterfront where we met Museum of Liverpool buildings operations manager Martin Hemmings – "Bob the Builder" – and had a look at the location for Little Liverpool.

A lovely day out was had by all, so thanks goes to Mrs Randles and her ‘helpers’ for organising the trip, and for inviting Julia Bryan from the Museum of Liverpool team and I along. We look forward to seeing the wonderful artwork that Class R create in their roles as Little Liverpool Designers.

Does your child have artistic flair? © Simon Webb

We're currently working with Liverpool ECHO in the Community on a fantastic project for a class of under five-year-olds to have the chance to help develop the artwork for the dedicated children’s gallery in the new Museum of Liverpool.

Little Liverpool is a tailor-made gallery for children under six; a fantasy dreamscape where the youngest visitors will be able to relax, play and explore.

The Little Liverpool Designers competition is searching for a class from a Merseyside-based school to be appointed as designers, working with an artist to direct the final development of the artwork for the Little Liverpool gallery.

So, if you think your child has artistic flair and is within a class that you feel could win, encourage their teacher to enter the competition, and they could make their own historic and creative mark in the new museum!

Visit http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/community-projects for more info. The closing date is Thursday 24 September at 5pm, and the winning class will be appointed on Friday 25 September. Good luck!

'The Doorway' by Whistler. © The Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, University of Glasgow

The current Lady Lever Art Gallery exhibition, Whistler: The Gentle Art of Making Etchings, ends on 20 September, so you only have a couple more weekends to pay a visit.

To tie in with the exhibition's closure we're giving away a lovely hardback catalogue from another of the Hunterian's Whistler exhibitions. 'James NcNeill Whistler - Selected Works from the Hunterian Art Gallery' features 74 Whistler works (including three other versions of 'The Doorway' shown here), plus Japanese prints, manuscripts, silver and porcelain from the great man's collection.

To be in with a chance of winning the catalogue you need to tell us the name of the exhibition which follows Whistler at the Lady Lever Art Gallery (you'll find the answer on our main website). Send us your name, email address and answer using this contact form. Closing date is noon on Monday 21 September.   

Want to help with a project about how drawing helps us relate to the world around us? Then come along to the Lady Lever Art Gallery this month and you can assist PhD student Pippa Sherriff from the University of Leicester, who is researching this very subject for her thesis. Pippa is inviting visitors to get involved in drawing activities at the gallery and to talk to her about their experiences to help with her research. Read on for more details from Pippa herself...

My name is Pippa Sherriff and I am a Research Student in the Museum Studies Department at the University of Leicester. My doctorial project explores the experience that adult visitors have when they are encouraged to draw in Museums and Art Galleries of Art and Design. I am interested in how the process of drawing encourages a closer engagement with the world around us and may enhance the understanding and appreciation of the object(s) encountered. 

Get drawing at the Lady Lever

I am inviting adults to come and participate in a drawing activity at Lady Lever Art Gallery, Monday to Friday from now until the end of September 2008. I have in situ a good supply of drawing materials or people may prefer to bring their own. Following the activity I am seeking people to talk to me (approx 10 minutes) about the experience and so contribute to my research findings.

In essence this is an opportunity for people to express their feelings about the drawing process itself and engagement with the object(s) encountered. The conversation will be conducted in a quiet space, audio recorded and then transcribed at a later date. There are no written questionnaires to complete and any confidential or sensitive information is neither expected nor required. Participants may also withdraw at any time if they so wish. 

My final thesis will include descriptions and quotations of the experiences related by drawing participants. However, importantly, each will decide how their individual contribution is attributed. A research consent form will detail this information. If anyone is also interested in being kept informed about the progress of my research I am willing to establish email contact.

Contact the Lady Lever Art Gallery for more details on: 0151 478 4136