A group of ceramic birds is set to go on display as part of a unique artistic initiative.
Pupils at Beckley CofE Primary School in Oxfordshire created their own clay birds during a pottery session led by artists from The Art Barns at Bernwood Pottery in Horton-cum-Studley.
The completed works will form part of the Oxfordshire Artweeks festival taking place between May 9 and 17.
Elizabeth Murphy, a ceramicist working with The Art Barns, explained that each year the organisation puts on a carefully selected exhibition of pieces by local artists who are deeply dedicated to their work. She noted that for this year’s Artweeks, the goal extended beyond simply showing creations: the aim was to give something back by involving and inspiring the community through art. She expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with Mr Houston and the team at Beckley CofE Primary School to produce an outstanding installation by the children for the Artweeks event.
On March 23, Ms Murphy alongside artists Rachel Kelly and Charlie Leech spent the day at the school running a pottery workshop for all pupils, with each child shaping a bird from clay. The project drew motivation from the natural formations of starlings over nearby Otmoor and the school’s ambition to soar to great heights.
Ms Murphy commented that every pupil from Reception through Year 6 fashioned their own clay bird. While the artists provided guidance on technique, each outcome was completely unique and as individual as the creator. From beautiful textures to elongated beaks to jet-like arrangements to birds adorned with top hats, each creation possesses its own distinctive character.
The clay birds will be fired and arranged in a murmuration-themed display at The Art Barns throughout the Artweeks festival.
Rick Houston, headteacher at Beckley CofE Primary School, said the project offered a fantastic opportunity for every pupil in the school to take part in collaborative art. Each bird began with a similar basic design, which each child then personalised. This linked to themes explored at the school about how everyone shares common ground while also being unique and different, and how both these realities can coexist. Together they form a larger collective as a school community that shares the same fleeting, ever-changing quality as the starling murmurations above Otmoor.
Once the exhibition ends, the installation will be disassembled and each pupil will receive their clay bird as a keepsake.