Children’s Creativity: Join the resistance! Tate Modern 2019
“Join us to explore just what children can achieve through creativity, and add your voice as we call for change!”
Creativity is a basic human drive. Our capacity for creativity is behind every invention, innovation and idea throughout time – as well as behind every artist and work of art in Tate. Yet when and where in education are children allowed to be creative today? Room 13 Hareclive is one such place: an artists’ studio based in a primary school in Hartcliffe, south Bristol, co-run by children since 2003.
We invite you to come and discover just what children are achieving through creativity against the odds in our south Bristol community, as you walk our studio’s living timeline of 16 years. You will see artworks, short films and hear children’s voices on important issues that concern us all. Then come and reflect with us on the importance of art, freedom, creativity, and voice for children in education by producing key words – large and small – for this movement. Together we’ll create statements and placards for change!
Developing our exhibition
As Associates of Tate Exchange from 2016, this was our second chance for a participatory exhibition in the TEx space at Tate Modern (after Raw Materials, Raw Creativity). Responding to their theme of ‘Movement’ we were drawn to: ‘a movement: a group of people working together to advance their shared political, social, or artistic ideas’. This is what Room 13 is around the world and what we could do in the space: invite people to think differently about the meaning and value of creativity and art in relation to children and society, and how these give children a voice.
Inspired by protest art, including Guerilla Girls posters in the Tate Collection, our exhibition would be our own form of ‘culture jamming’ to highlight the importance of children’s creativity, voice and rights in society. It would also celebrate 15 years of Room 13 Hareclive putting this in action.
We planned a visual time-line of our studio that visitors would walk along (‘movement’). showing key achievements by children including artworks, films and media coverage, mixed in with statistics about children and creativity. We also planned participatory ‘poster’ activities, round table discussions (we took our table with us), and speeches by children.
Co-creating on the day
After travelling to Tate and London by train and tube (all huge new experiences for most of the group), children helped to set up and manage the space; co-run the participatory workshop with visitors, making placards celebrating creativity; hold discussions around our table and give speeches from the platform with a microphone, celebrating creativity. Children met curators, hosted visitors from international families to arts education experts and academics, and also got to explore Tate Modern on small group excursions.
“Allow us to tell you what we are thinking or feeling. Whether our voices are big or small, whether we whisper or shout it, or paint, draw, mime or sign it – listen to us and hear what we say.”