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Amanda Price - Mask Maker

The opportunity to have an artist in residence is rare. These residences can make a very significant contribution to the children's view – both of the way that an artist works and thinks, and of the way that they see their own work. The dialogue between artist and children helps children to appreciate that making a drawing, a painting or an artefact depends as much upon perseverance as it does upon inspiration. Before Amanda Price began her residency, the children had already completed their own Christmas Holiday assignment and developed their ideas for "Birdmasks" through drawing, model making and visits to Bristol Zoo.

On the first morning of her residence, Amanda gave a short talk and answered the children's questions. The questions reflected previous experience connected with all the research they had undertaken, and were prompted by curiosity about Amanda's own background, travels, inspirations and techniques. Art is one of those rare subjects in schools that is actually taught by practitioners, so Amanda offered a real departure with her carnival masks of exotic birds; explaining in detail how to create the underlying structure based on traditional Trinidadian techniques.

One exciting addition was the creation of a very large bird sculpture constructed over a framework of wood and wire mesh and standing over 5 feet in height - designed and made by a group of 11 pupils from 4A & 4D. The first morning's work came to an end and during the week Amanda repeated the process with a variety of differing ages and abilities. Throughout her stay, the language of art became very important and relevant to all discussions; words such as texture, colour, pattern, shape, form, structure, space, design, ergonomics etc. that helped describe some of the processes involved. All the children agreed that they had been involved that was special, but was it relevant to anything in particular, and could their efforts be evaluated in a meaningful way?

What a coincidence that Clifton College should have it's very own Carnival? The Commonwealth "Sightsavers" Carnival took place on 3rd March 1991 and the many masks that were worn added a degree of life and colour that would not otherwise have been present.

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