Year 6 visit Tate Modern

On a grey and damp morning in mid-November, our Year 6 students ventured via public transport to Tate Modern, one of the most important modern and contemporary art museums in the world. The purpose of the trip was to experience and respond to artwork within the context of an art gallery. Students and teachers broke up into small groups to explore the collection at their own pace and be led by their curiosity. The variety of artists, styles and medium allows all our students to see themselves reflected through the experience of visiting the galleries.

While some of our students are seasoned gallery visitors, others were stepping foot inside this world for the first time. We made notebooks to sketch and record ideas, as well as responding to the artworks physically and engaging in fantastic conversations about our connections and understanding of the art.

Some of the students highlights were:

^{Whaam! by Litchenstein}

^{Coal Sculpture with Wall of Coloured Glass’ Jannis Kounellis}

“I liked how everything wasn’t perfect or pretty.”
Suhani P

^{El Anatsu, Behind the Red Moon}

^{The Snail, Henri Matisse}

“It looked very sunny.”
Olivia

The eclectic nature of the gallery ensured all students enjoyed parts of the collection, but they also were challenged by the more conceptual works. Works by Duchamp and Yves Klein provoked discussion about ‘what constitutes Art?’. Some remarking that it is ‘lazy artwork… that shouldn’t be allowed or put up in a gallery.’ This is a great starting point for a class discussion. Anything can be art. The important question is what is good art? The answer to this is different for each of us. For me good Art gets us asking questions, thinking differently, and feeling. Medina reflected ‘Some of the artwork I found confusing, I didn’t understand, some left me inspired and some left me intrigued.’ That’s ok. We do not need to know the answer to an artwork. We’re building up confidence reading and relating to visual language.

I have been particularly impressed by the reflections of Antonia and Ava.

“…he thinks that everything doesn’t have to be amazing or anywhere close to being perfect because that is not what Art is about, it’s about pushing boundaries to see if you can go and pushing limits as far as you want.”
Ava (6M)

^{Yasmin Jahan Nupur: Let me get you a nice cup of tea}

“I found this exhibit really interesting because the room had so much detail and references to Yasmin’s Asian Culture which fascinated me. For example, on the table cloth it said ‘Map of the world. Seeing the extent of the British Empire’.. .the walls had the colour scheme of tea and sugar and in some bits the wall was painted with tea.”
Antonia

The student’s behaviour en-route and in the gallery was exceptional, impressing teaching staff, the public and the gallery staff. I couldn’t have been more impressed by the curiosity and confidence. Thank you for a fabulous trip.

Mrs Bird
Junior School Teacher of Art