Elements of Change is a three year maker in residence project led by Develop Craft Ayrshire which aims to enable sustainable crafts education in schools.
 
It combines education and studio provision in partnership with local school communities and makers and is funded by the Scottish Arts Council National Lottery, the European Regional Development Fund, North and East Ayrshire Councils and Argyll and the Islands Enterprise.

Jeweller Sarah Keay, a graduate of Glasgow School of Art,  is part of the second year which began in September 2004 and culminates in two exhibitions, one of her work and another showing the work of the pupils.  This is her diary of the experience.

Rough Diary

September: Started in School
October:  Visited Chelsea Crafts Fair and produced work for Xmas exhibitions
November: Christmas shows
January:  Top Drawer
March:  Getting work prepared for exhibition
April:  Makers show at the Vennel in Irvine
May:  Pupils show at the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock
June:  End of residency

March 2005

Since September I have been placed in St Michael’s Secondary school in Kilwinning, helping the Higher pupils with their design project and teaching the third and second year basic jewellery skills with the final outcome being an exhibition of their work.

To begin I felt a bit spare due to being in unknown territory as well as the students being a bit wary of a stranger waltzing in to tell them how to make their work.  Nowadays I feel like a member of staff only with a lot more privileges.

Classes started off by me showing the pupils catalogues, books, magazines, and actual pieces of work, both my own and some by other makers from my jewellery collection.  My lunchtime class is much more informal and began by them choosing a technique or makers before developing their own work.

Timetable difficulties has led to me being in the school for two days a week instead of just the one on the lead up to the exhibitions.  It has therefore been difficult balancing the production of my own work, particularly when my own ideas are beginning to establish themselves.

Teaching skills up until now have included enamelling and cutting copper sheet.  The ability to learn new skills on the spot to reach a solution to problems has been demanding.  Resourcefulness and the ability to develop old skills is vital in helping students create their designs, as well as picking up new techniques such as computer and technical know-how to feed into the process.   In one week I had three students wanting to enamel, one to use plastics and one wanting to make over the top metal hair pins, to name but a few, as well as having to learn Powerpoint for myself!

Collaborating with the students to help them achieve their final product is highly challenging but always truly rewarding, except when things get hectic leading up to Easter:  hyperactivity starts to kick in as it has in the last few weeks.

One day a week is spent in the school and the rest of the week is in the studio, which is on the grounds of Dean Castle Country Park (next to all the animals in the Rare Breed Centre) in Kilmarnock.  It has been fantastic to work in such an environment where I am expected to solely concentrate on my own work and to move my work on whichever way I feel is necessary.

This has been the first time that I’ve ever had my own studio.  Having the space has allowed me to work on pieces that would have been impossible to do within my own flat which was the scenario beforehand.

Also, having a monthly wage has been great and allowed me to purchase materials, books, attend courses, such as Hat making and Photoshop, along with adding new tools and equipment to my collection.

The Craft Development Officers have all been brilliant as they realise that you have other commitments, such as Xmas exhibitions, and are always supportive and understanding.  They are always on hand to give advice about promotional material, how to approach galleries and practical business advice such as sale-or-return.  They have also arranged a series of Networking Events for makers to meet one another and in April I will be off to Arran to give a talk.

During this residency a trip to Chelsea Crafts Fair was also organised.  This brought about 20 makers from the region together to attend both weeks of the show as well as organise backstage tours of the V&A, the Design Musum and OXO.  This was eye-opening for me as I learnt more about crafts in those four days than in the last four years.

The project also partly funded a stand at Top Drawer Spring in Earls Court in January.  Without this help not one of the makers on the stand could have afforded to attend, let alone to have the energy to promote and sell the work like Clare and Lorne did.  I went down to see it and was surprised to see such an eclectic mix of stands under one roof.  Following on from the show I am still receiving orders and exhibition invites so for me it was definitely worthwhile.

At the minute I am in the midst of panic as my own exhibition is within the month and a lot of work has yet to be completed, plus the pupils are off on holiday with very few nearing any sort of completion – and the materials did not arrive in time for handing out any homework! 

It will all be worth it in the end I’m sure!

April 2005

It has been quite a hectic month as the project reaches the end.  Both the exhibitions are opening two weeks apart with the makers first, as well as various meetings to prepare for and attend.

The first was a meeting with the schools in which the teachers (and a few pupils) showcased how the makers had really impacted upon the school curriculum.  For me it was great to finally see what the other three makers have been up to, not only in school but also in their studios.  It was rewarding to hear just how much a specialist can bring to a schools in tools, skills and materials, and also how crafts can bring out pupils confidence and understanding of the design process, as well as to see how it is viable to become a self-employed craftsperson like we all are.

Next I was posted off to Arran with Laura Murray (textile artist and jeweller), who is also doing the residency, to give a talk to craftspeople on Arran as well as to the school teachers on the island.    I was worried about taking two days out of the week especially before our own exhibition was due.  Laura and I had packed enough stuff to make and finish off to last a week.  However, when we arrived we had been booked into a spa resort and our attention soon turned to when the pool closed and if we had enough time to cram in a spa treatment!  The talk went great and it was nice to meet the makers who showed us their work and photos of their studios.  It seemed rather idyllic.

So now we are in the midst of setting up our own exhibition.  Walls are going in, cabinets are being put up and the panic of the Friday night opening is setting in with nothing for comfort as we know our students show is going to be the same in two weeks time.  However, it’s great to see everyone’s work displayed and to see how they’ve progressed and developed their work since September.  I’m amazed by how my work has changed and advanced due to having the time to concentrate on it and really work at the areas that I thought were letting me down.

As for teaching, I have been in manically finishing off items, starting items and helping the pupils with those awkward design details!  I’ll be in school all next week to get everything ready for the show.  Until then I’ll be very busy indeed.

May 2005: the final instalment

The pupils show is now up.  It was a great opening with many of my pupils turning up to make sure that their work was on show.  They were all genuinely impressed and very positive about the whole project which came as a real boost.  I hope that the school will continue to use the equipment purchased and that the pupils will continue with their jewellery making.

It’s been nice having a studio with no deadline looming.  I am enjoying finishing off all the little bits and pieces that have been left lying around.  This is a great opportunity for me to concentrate on time consuming items as well as spending more time on my marketing.

Overall it has been a really great project.  The studio time to develop my own work has paid off with three new ranges of work.  It was great to work with pupils for that length of time and to watch how their work developed and to see how enthusiastic they were throughout the project.

The research trips, the photoshoots, the postcard prints that were all subsidised have been highly beneficial.  So many things have really helped to influence and shape my work, and professionalism as a maker, that have made this residency absolutely worthwhile.

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