So here is June and the World is still in a very strange place. If COVID hadn't affected us all, I should have presented three poems that were created by my Change Project schools to Batley Art Gallery ready for the Summer.
Sadly that wasn't to be, for the moment at least.
But I want to use this blog post just to reflect a little bit. It was an absolute honour to have been asked to be the first poet on board the project which has been running for several years now. It was a new experience for all parties involved and it was great co-ordinating with the schools to figure out what the outcomes were going to be.
The work that the students at Warwick Road Primary (Year 3 Groups 1 and 2) and Field Lane Junior and Infants (Year 4) in Batley was phenomenal. Seeing the students merge science and poetry yielded results that included mysterious (but friendly) shadow people and giant robots visiting London. I don't want to share the final results just yet as there is an aim to still get them out there properly in the future.
As we move into a 'New Normal'/post-COVID world. It will be interesting to see how these types of projects will play out. I don't to see a world where students can't learn hands on or a lack of visitors/projects to boost their creativity and understanding.
I really am grateful to the Change Project for having me and and all other the artists on board and for giving us opportunities to provide distance learning to our schools through the Lockdown.
You can read all the reports in links above, and the Change Project as a whole right here.
As always, please stay safe in these uncertain times!