Picture my world

The Queensway Centre specialises in the care and education of children with Autism. An important element of the centres work is the development of creativity and self-expression through the arts.

Artist, Jeff Pigott worked with KS2 pupils building model boats based on the paintings of the Cornish fisherman and painter, Alfred Wallis. The boats were then photographed against painted backgrounds and produced as digital prints.

Other elements of Picture My World focused on screen-printing sessions and making stained glass frames with coloured acetate. The culmination was an exhibition and talk by guest speaker, Marc Fleisher, author of Making Sense of the Unfeasible – My Life Journey with Asperger Syndrome.

Picture My World was supported by Friends of the Queensway Centre for Children with Autism, Melksham.

Xtreme Arts Studio Summer School

The Xtreme Arts Summer School ran over three weeks at Xtreme Arts Studio, Kings Park Primary School, Boscombe. A range of workshops were offered lasting between 1 to 3 days for children from 8 to18 years of age. 

Xtreme Arts was a bespoke artist’s studio, set-up, managed and run by students from Kings Park School. It was based on the successful Room 13 studios running in schools in Scotland and Bristol. The studio has its own building on the school campus, and has professional artists in residence to work with the students.

Workshop artists: Jeff Pigott, Karen Pigott, Julia Warin, Heidi Steller and Denise Poote

Please re-use this bag!

"Every person in the UK uses an average 134 plastic bags every year. That's eight billion bags altogether. A plastic bag can take up to 500 years to decay in landfill”

“Artists help people see the world from a different perspective. and encourage creative thinking and play by participating in the arts“

Artist, Jeff Pigott. assisted by artist Shelley Wilson ran three public art workshops in a Boscombe shopping centre and in the centre of Bournemouth. Shoppers were offered a Sainsbury's Bag for Life in exchange for their own plastic bags. 

Many people stopped to make plastic bag patches. and sewed them on 90-year old Singer sewing machines. Older people enjoyed using the machines which were so familiar to them, as well as teaching younger people how use them.

Laughter & Tears - poetry project

Laughter & Tears was inspired by the experiences and work of poet and broadcaster, Michael Rosen. Together with John Foster and Paul Cookson they held poetry sessions in Bournemouth Library to encourage creative ideas from the young people about their life experiences, both happy and sad.

Stourfield Junior School and Haymoor Middle School worked with artist Jeff Pigott on making these handcrafted poetry books.

Moving On

This was a project about journeys and moving on. A group of gifted and talented students worked with Jeff Pigott over a period of 3 weeks exploring ideas of life transitions, change, endings and beginnings.

Using the Reggio Emilia approach to education the group spent time on experimental drawing, discussing ideas, mind mapping and research, before deciding on the direction of the project. They were also involved in the documenting of their activities and reflecting on the process of shared creativity and collaboration.

This was an initial pilot project to trial an alternative approach to learning that gives students more opportunities for input (and responsibility for) their education, whilst working alongside teachers and artists.

Messages - trees 

The Message Trees were created by Year 6 pupils from Stourfield Junior School, Bournemouth. The central theme focused on environmental issues of global warming, deforestation and waste, and how we can respond creatively to these challenges.

We made 3 trees from reclaimed timber. The branches are made from aluminium wire clad with withies and adorned with hundreds of leaves made from recycled plastic carrier bags. Each leaf contains a personal message.

Messages - product & package

The students from Corfe Hills School – themselves a key target of advertisers - took an askance look at the world of retail. The products and packaging they created reflect a healthy understanding of the powers at play, tempting us to buy…and then buy more! Rather than revealing themselves as helpless prey to advertisers and marketing psychologists, they have demonstrated a “streetwise” understanding of what it is to be a consumer.

Workshops facilitated by Jeff Pigott and Julia Warin 

Secret Stories

Nothing is Normal
The colour in my mind is a golden yellow
And I dream of seeing the earth reborn.
I enjoy every moment of my life, but
I am astonished by the whooshing of the waves.
Nothing is normal.
Friends and family send me love,
All my dreams are coming true
Nothing is normal.

Each of us is engaged in our own personal journey through life. Part of this journey is the transition from childhood to becoming an adult. Here we encounter and negotiate many challenges and adventures. 

For the 112 young people who joined us on Secret Stories, the challenge was their final year at primary school and the adventure of moving on to secondary school.

The idea for Secret Stories came from the staff at Salisbury Cathedral Education Centre, and forms part of their ongoing work with schools and communities within the diocese. In partnership with ArtSpark, the project was planned as a creative journey to discover inner strengths and resources that can sustain us at times of change, whilst developing an awareness of our spirituality.

“It helped me open up and made me feel comfortable being me” Participant

“A wonderful collection of beautiful pieces from very talented and creative children. Thank you for the inspiration” Visitor to exhibition

Secret Stories was a significant event for everyone that took part. It allowed the young people to step outside a busy school schedule and to spend time in creative reflection and self-discovery. It enabled them to identify what was personally important and to express this in unique and beautiful ways. Teachers were given the chance to observe and discover different ways of working, and the opportunity to be creative participants alongside the children they teach. 

"Stories are an essential part of our lives… from day to day life stories and family history to stories that seize the imagination; take us to new ways of seeing the world around us, new ways of understanding. These stories make pictures for us, that allow us to reinvent our own lives and to go safely to other times and into new realms. They become important tools in learning to make sense of ourselves and others. Then to take these feelings and images and to begin to express them creatively is necessary for our growth and well-being. For children and young people it is essential that they make their journey through life with a sense of self-worth and confidence that comes with creative expression"  

Jean Edmiston – storyteller

Cadogan Hotel Murals

AThis project gave residents of Wellington Court Retirement Home the opportunity to contribute to designs on the hoarding around the building site of the old Cadogan Hotel next door. The panels, each measuring 2.4 x 1.2 metres, were then digitally printed. The project was part of Bournemouth Borough Council’s Arts Development programme and was funded by Chesterford Properties.

Manor School
Time Capsule & Book Project

This artwork was made by primary school children to capture a moment in time in their lives through hand made books and minature time capsules. 

Artists: Jeff & Karen Pigott

Mosaic benches in Bournemouth

Inspired by the Gaudi mosaic seats in Parc Guell, Barcelona, these benches where designed and made by pupils to enhance and improve the schools grounds and environment. Completed during a residency by Jeff Pigott & Julia Warin. Woodwork by Keith Wright

History Box Book Project 

A history and geography project exploring the town of Swindon and the environment surrounding Abbey Meads Primary School with artist, Jeff Pigott