Alison Laredo
CRAFTed 2012
By Alison Laredo
12, Jul 2012 - 09:00

Mayo Education Centre and the Crafts Council of Ireland exhibit completed projects from six Mayo primary schools

Mayo Education Centre and the Crafts Council of Ireland were delighted to work collaboratively to support the development of a national programme titled CRAFTed for Mayo primary schools. CRAFTed is a Visual Arts based educational programme which promotes learning through creativity and innovation, by placing professional craftspeople to work alongside teachers in primary schools.

It focuses on integrated learning methodologies through the Visual Arts Curriculum, using a process-led methodology that focuses on the child's own creativity. The focus on collaborative training for teachers and craftspeople is key to the development of working partnerships between artists, craftspeople and primary school teachers.

As a result of an information evening, six Mayo schools were allocated a craftsperson to work at their school on specific projects using clay, fabric, construction and jewellery.

On 3rd March at Mayo Education Centre, teachers from the six Mayo schools attended a collaborative planning day. The teachers met with the craftspersons and planed their projects prior to school visits.

On 25th June, the finished projects were exhibited at Mayo Education Centre. Art O'Súilleabháin, Director of Mayo Education Centre stated that we should wonder at the creativity of our children. It is inate, all it needs is for us adults to open the doors. In this project that is all we did and the imaginations of the children poured forth through doors opened with the assistance of the various participants; The Craft Council of Ireland, the professional craftspeople working in the schools, the teachers, the parents, the pupils and Mayo Education Centre. Well done to all - ‘Mol an leanbh agus tiocfaidh sí.'

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