Mrs Lugsden (Head of Art and Textiles)

It has been an incredibly unusual time for all in the Art and Textiles departments - being so used to the freedom of movement, discussion and the immense hands-on collaborative approach that teaching a creative subject demands. When our studios were replaced by kitchen tables and spare rooms it felt as though we had had our wings somewhat clipped!

One could have assumed that the level of creativity within the community would have plummeted during this time, but quite the reverse has happened. Girls have continued to excel in their learning, and teachers have continued to excel in their creative approach to teaching. Swapping hands on demonstrations with videos, and class discussions with Google meetings - using the technology we have available to keep BGS creating and innovating.

The need for time and space away from a screen has been important for the girls, and it has been so heartening to receive feedback from parents who are pleased that their daughters have been able to use this time as a moment for reflection - being absorbed by tasks in a different way.

I have been recently fascinated by the series Grayson’s Art Club, where his challenge was most defiantly to ‘unleash our collective creativity during lockdown’- which I feel as a community, we are doing, not only though the creative curriculum, but also the vast number of creative House Challenges there have been on offer. It is true to say, that being creative is a fully engaging, rewarding and uplifting experience.

It has been thrilling to see the work being submitted by girls of all ages, which has been undertaken with such care, and we hope that you enjoy seeing some of the piece’s girls have been producing over the last few weeks. We are all incredibly proud of their achievements. My thanks to the Art and Textiles teachers for their continued dedication and of course to the girls for their unfailing interest in the Creative Arts. Well done, girls!

View a collection of Art here.