Eltham Hill Students Explore Memory and Meaning Through Art at the Gerald Moore Gallery
Eltham College was delighted to host a group of students from Eltham Hill School at the Gerald Moore Gallery for a hands-on art workshop inspired by the gallery’s current exhibition, Putting Away Childish Things. The exhibition draws on objects from the Museum of Everyday Life, featuring items from the 1920s through to the 1970s, and offers a reflection on childhood experiences in London.
During the workshop, students were encouraged to engage deeply with the exhibition and the stories embedded in each object. Their first task was to select an item on display and spend time observing it closely. Then students created detailed drawings of their chosen object, focusing on shading, form and line to capture its presence as it exists today. The second stage of the session invited pupils to reflect on the emotional and personal connections these items might spark. Beneath their drawings, they wrote about the memories or feelings the object evoked, linking the exhibition’s historical pieces to their own lived experiences.
The workshop then shifted from observation to recollection. Students were tasked with drawing a meaningful object from their past from memory and, alongside this drawing, they reflected on why they had chosen this object, what memories it holds and why it remains significant to them.
The students’ drawings and written reflections can be added to their portfolios and will also support their A Level art coursework.
