Dear Colleague,

If you are involved in teaching art, the enclosed information will be of interest to you. If not, could you please pass this on to the appropriate colleagues in your school.

In addition to information about some of the forthcoming art exhibitions at the Castle there are also two questionnaires enclosed. We are currently working on developing the services which we offer to schools and are keen to develop these in the light of what you have to say.

One questionnaire, 'Art and Schools at the Castle Museum' focuses on what programmes, events and resources schools would find useful in supporting their art programmes at school. The other questionnaire, 'Proposed Teachers' Resources Area' refers to a resource area we hope to set up at the Castle to support teachers county-wide and in all subject areas, not just art. Therefore this relates to all teachers and I'd be grateful if you could photocopy it and pass it on to any colleagues who would like to express their views.

Please return questionnaires to me, Faye Kalloniatis, Castle Museum, Norwich NR1 3JU by Friday 17 May.

I look forward to hearing from you and will keep schools informed about subsequent developments.

Yours faithfully,

Faye Kalloniatis

Museum Education Officer

Art and Schools at the Castle Museum:

Teacher Questionnaire

You will be aware that the Castle Museum re-opened in August 2001 following an extended closure for major refurbishment. To help re-establish, and also develop new links with schools wishing to use the extensive art collections, it would be helpful to have your views about the kinds of services you would like to see at the Castle. If other teachers in your school would also like to express their views, please photocopy this form and pass it on.

I would be grateful if you could complete this questionnaire and return it to me, Faye Kalloniatis, at the Castle Museum, Norwich, NR1 3JU.

Please return by Friday 17 May. Thank you.

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A: General Information

1. Name & Contact details (address & phone number)

2a. Type of school? Please tick as appropriate.

First Primary Middle Secondary 6^th Form

2b. If appropriate, which exam board curriculum do you use?

3. The year before the Castle closure did you visit:

0 times 1 time 2 or more times

4. If you did visit, which subject areas/museum collections did you come to see?

B: Permanent Art Exhibitions at the Castle

The Castle is keen to develop teacher resources based on its permanent art collections to help support the National Curriculum.

5. What kind of resources and/or other provision would you find useful?

(eg, themed worksheets; education-led gallery sessions; gallery guide books, etc)

6. Are there any themes which you would particularly like to explore in the art galleries of the Castle? If so, please specify.

C: Temporary Art Exhibitions

This section refers to the temporary art exhibitions (eg, the Tate show) held at the Castle.

7. Tick one of these two statements:

a) I would prefer to visit the Castle weeks before an exhibition is set up to find out about it and to hear about events for schools.

b) I would prefer to attend a preview at the beginning of an exhibition to see the show and to hear about events for schools.

8. If a teachers' resource pack accompanies an exhibition what would you like to see included in it? (eg, background information; images of works, etc)

9. What other provision would you like to see available as part of a temporary exhibition?

D: Classroom Resources

The Castle Museum is currently working with the Library Service to further develop the themed art packs which are now available, free of charge, for classroom use. Resources currently include large-sized posters of paintings together with related books and are available through the Schools Library Service at County Hall. We are hoping to develop the packs to include further materials, eg, enlarged images of some of the paintings in the museum collections; suggested classroom activities; and related museum activities.

10. Would you use such art packs in your classroom?

Yes No Maybe

11. If so, what else would you find useful to be included?

E: INSET

12. Would you attend INSET days if they were relevant to your needs?

Yes No

13. If so, which time slots would be best for you?

(Tick as many as are appropriate.)

10.30 - 4.30

4 - 6 pm

Other (Please specify.)

14. What INSET topics/events would you like to see available at the Castle?

F: Teacher Input & Comments

15. It is hoped that a teachers' working group will be set up to help develop resources and to provide classes prepared to trail new materials. Would you be interested in joining such a group?

Yes No

16. Please add anything else which you feel has not been covered.

Forthcoming Art Exhibitions

The Castle Museum has several new art exhibitions planned. Here is some preliminary information about them. If you are interested in visiting you can contact one of the following:

· School booking line - 01603 493636. Contact this number if you would simply like to book an independent visit to the museum and art gallery (ie, without any museum education input)

· Faye Kalloniatis by email (faye.kalloniatis.mus@norfolk.gov.uk) or by phone on 01603 493662. Contact her if you would like to have an education-led session or a related events programme.

Education Programmes

Each show will have a supporting education programme. Typically, these include any of the following:

· a gallery session led by an education officer

· resource pack and worksheets

· related art workshops

The Exhibitions

· Drawing on the Body

(until Sun 30 March 2003)

This stunning selection of British figurative drawings and watercolours from the C18th - C20th are taken from the Castle’s permanent collection.

· Colin Self

29 April - 15 September

This exhibition, selected from the collections of Norwich Castle and Tate, explores the work of the region’s most important contemporary artists. Colin Self’s work defies convenient categorisation, although he is most widely known for his contribution to British Pop in the 1960s. He has produced work in a range of different media and styles. This exhibition features sculptures, paintings, prints, collages and drawings and provides an excellent introduction into the ways both traditional and innovative techniques have been employed in the exploration of a diverse, and often visionary, range of subject-matter.

Two prominent themes of this exhibition are Self’s confrontation of the fear of nuclear destruction and his love of the Norfolk landscape, to which he has made a unique contribution. His work is often humorous and playful, qualities that are linked to his imaginative use of materials, and in particular his elevation of the everyday to the status of fine art.

A visit to this exhibition will show students in an accessible and fun way how oil paint and bronze are not the only valid materials for ‘proper artists’. Colin Self has integrated objects such as children’s toys, fake animal skins, pound notes and even car windscreen wipers into his work and used them in an innovative way.

· Jerwood Exhibition

Applied Arts Prize 2001: Ceramics

Mon 6 May – Sun 30 June 2002

The ceramic works of the ten selected finalists for this prestigious award will be displayed. They show an amazing range of approaches to working with clay – functional, sculptural but also funky and fun.

· A Broad Canvas: Art in East Anglia since 1880

from 28 September 2002 onwards

East Anglia with its vast skies, its flat landscape, woods and varied coastline has inspired generations of artists from the eighteenth century to the present day. This exhibition focuses on artists who have lived and worked in the region over the last 120 years or so.

It includes works by Alfred Munnings, Arnesby Brown, Edward Seago, Jeffery Camp, Mary Potter, Mary Newcomb and Peggy Somerville, as well as more contemporary artists such as Margaret Mellis, Colin Self and Brüer Tidman. The subjects include landscapes, coastal views and figure subjects.

It is based on the book of the same title by Ian Collins, published in 1990, which showed how 'the landscapes and spirit of a place have been absorbed into a wide variety of art'.

· Cedric Morris and his Circle

14 October 2002 - 5 January 2003

This exhibition celebrates the work of Cedric Morris (1889-1982), originally from Wales, but who lived and worked in East Anglia. He was very successful in the 1920s and 30s, before withdrawing to Suffolk to found an innovative art school. His works, together with those of his associates and students, were wonderfully diverse and also popular. The show includes some of the works which make up Morris' finest achievements - his powerful portrait studies and flower studies.

There will also be works by his associates and some of his key students, such as Lucian Freud, Arthur Lett-Haines, Maggi Hambling, Glyn Morgan, David Carr, and Lucy Harwood.

Works will be in a variety of media - oil paintings, work on paper, small sculptures and archival material, including photographs of Morris' art school and students.

PROPOSED TEACHERS' RESOURCES AREA - NORWICH CASTLE MUSEUM

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

As part of a feasibility study into the creation of a Teachers' Resources Area the Education Department, located at the museum, would like input from teachers in Norfolk schools. The accompanying questionnaire is your opportunity to contribute ideas for the facilities and reference material to be made available in the proposed resources area. This area will be specifically designed to help you realise the full potential of school trips to Norwich and other Norfolk museums, and improve the range of information available to you for class, project and other work.

The proposed location of the Teachers' Resources Area will be restricted to access by teachers, work experience students and other individuals/small groups. Exact opening hours are yet to be decided, but it is proposed to have at least one extended afternoon period, for example 2.30 – 6.30 p.m., when Museum Education Officers will specifically be available to advise and assist teachers with their search for information.

Although this questionnaire is directed at teachers responsible for the history and art subject areas, feedback from teachers of all disciplines would be welcome, particularly if they have experienced difficulty in obtaining suitable reference material. I should, therefore, be grateful if you would copy this letter and questionnaire to your colleagues, as appropriate.

Completion of the questionnaire can either be done:

· On your PC - download into Word and email as an attachment to: katrina.siliprandi.mus@norfolk.gov.uk, or,

· Manually, by printing off a copy and returning by Freepost to:

Katrina Siliprandi, Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service, Freepost, Shire Hall, Market Avenue Norwich NR1 3JQ

In order for your ideas to be incorporated into the feasibility study, and to get costing information, I would appreciate a response by Monday 18 March 2002. If you have any queries on the questionnaire, or wish to discuss your ideas on the proposed Teachers' Resources Area, please contact myself, or one of the Museum Education Officers at the Norwich Castle Museum, on 01603 495892. Thank you for your assistance

Therese Crook

Feasibility Study Officer

QUESTIONNAIRE

PROPOSED TEACHERS' RESOURCES AREA

Name:
School/College:
Contact tel no:				email:
Main subject area(s):

1. Have you ever arranged or taken a group of pupils on a visit to the Norwich Castle Museum?

YES

2. If yes, have you arranged a visit since the Castle reopening in September 2001

YES

3. Have you ever contacted the Education Officers at Norwich Castle Museum or requested information from them?

YES

4. If YES, how many times during the last year?

1 - 2

3 - 5

more than 5

5. What subject area(s) would you most anticipate using the resources area for?

6. Which of the following facilities do you think should be available for teachers in the proposed resources area?

(Please put in priority order, starting with 1)

Computer

Colour printer

Scanner

Internet access

Video monitor

Photocopier

Software packages:

Word (word processing)

Access (database)

Excel (spreadsheet)

Outlook (email)

PowerPoint (presentation package)

7. Norfolk museums have a cataloguing software package, which currently has descriptions and picture images of 30,000 archaeological, 22,000 art, and details of many other items displayed in the Norfolk museums. Would you be interested in gaining access to this?

YES

8. The education section at the museum has reference material in various formats, covering mainly history, nature/environment and art subject areas. Many of these documents are not available outside the museum. Which of the following would you be interested in viewing? (please tick)

Books

Journals

Publications

Videos

Teachers resource packs

Pupils resource packs

9. If you are interested in using the resources area for art-related topics, what resources would you find useful?

10. Please list any specific reference books, series of books, journals, publications,
CD-ROMs, information available via subscription or purchase over the Internet, or any other reference material you would like to have available in the resources area:

11. If you were to visit the Teachers' Resources Area, which of the following times and days would be the most convenient? (Please tick preferred times/days)

TIMES

9.00 a.m. - 12.00 noon

12.00 noon - 2 p.m.

2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

4 p.m. - 6.30 p.m.

Other, please state

DAYS

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

12. Assuming the Teachers' Resources Area is established with the facilities and reference material you have suggested, please indicate what your main reference sources would be from the following list.

(Please put in priority order, starting with 1)

Internet sources

Schools Libraries Service

Public Library

Video or CD-ROM hire

Teachers' Resources Area - Norwich Castle Museum

Books/publications purchased by school

Other, please state: