The Outdoor School project

The Outdoor Classroom Project 2022

Stanhope Street Primary School, Dublin 7

Black Church Print Studios artists Caroline Byrne, Siobhan Cox and Education Curator Jean Mann,  worked on an Outdoor Classroom project with 4th Class pupils from Stanhope Primary School in Stoneybatter Dublin 7.

The Outdoor Classroom Project used the outdoor environment for research purposes, gathering natural materials and artmaking.

Project Artists shared contemporary art practice with pupils and worked with a collaborative focus, generating ideas with the group to form a collaborative artwork, process and intervention in the school building.

The artists made handmade paper with the children, incorporating natural elements and pressing plants into this handmade paper, which they then printed on together.

 

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Outdoor classroom finished artwork

Session 1: Laying foundations for the project.
After looking at examples of handmade paper prints from Caroline’s artwork, children from 4th class foraged for organic materials, leaves, flowers and plants in their schoolyard to use in creating their own handmade paper. These precious samples were then carefully carried back to the classroom where the natural materials were pressed onto blotting paper for use later in the project. Pupils then made natural dye in jars using onion skins, beetroot and marigold petals they had collected. Our final fun task for the day was to tear up school recycling paper which was put to soak to make paper pulp for stretching out next week..

Artist Caroline Byrne standing over a table where two schoolgirls are looking at a range of flowers. Schoolchildren sitting around tables are seen in the background.
Several colourful flowers and leaves placed on a table.
A selection of green leaves and pink, white, and purple flowers poke out the pocket of a blue quilted jacket.

Session 2 – paper making.
Today children learned the process of making handmade paper. Using recycled school paper the girls shredded last week, we further blended this soaked shredded paper into pulp. Then using a mould and deckle, children worked together in groups sieving the pulp onto the frame, while adding their pressed flowers and organic material. They then peeled this new paper onto a cotton sheet and hung up to dry on a clothesline.

Artist Caroline Byrne demonstrating how to remove a sheet of handmade paper from a wooden paper deckle using a cloth. A group of schoolchildren are looking at her.
Several hands hold onto a clear plastic bowl filled with grey paper pulp which is placed onto a table covered with newspaper. A child reaches their hand into the bowl. A black plastic basin filled with water is also placed on the table.
Two children standing over a basin of clody water. One child has her hand in the basin while another holds up a sheet of handmade paper which has flower petals embedded in it.
Session 3 – exploring printmaking.
Pupils began the session by carefully peeling their handmade paper off the cotton sheet used to make the paper. This revealed beautiful white paper, with natural plant elements contained within the fabric of the paper itself, and rough, organic edges. They then began experimenting with the Gelli-plate Monoprinting technique on old used classroom handouts. Using plant leaves, petals, blades of grass, feathers and cut-out shapes, the children created both negative and positive images from the gelli plates. Pupils also experimented with dripping paint or stamp printing onto the surface.
Artist Caroline Byrne demonstrating how to ink up a rubber roller with green ink. Caroline wears an orange and brown blouse with blue jeans. A group of schoolchildren wearing white plastic aprons are watching her.
A child rolls pink ink onto a printing plate using a rubber roller. Another child is sitting in the background and has pink ink on their hands. Both children are wearing white plastic aprons.
Three schoolgirls pick up leaves from pile of plants and flowers on a table. Other children are standing beside another table in the right background. Stacks of school books are seen in the background of the classroom.
Artist Siobhán Cox in a classroom standing at a table where two children are sitting. Several children are sitting at tables in the background.
A woman wearing a brown blouse places a buttercup onto a printing plate which has green ink on it. A plastic measuring jug filled with green water, a tube of yellow paint, and a rubber roller on an ink tray are seen on the table. Several children are standing around the table.
A schoolgirl in a classroom holds up two prints with leaf motifs printed in grey ink. Adults and children wearing white plastic aprons are seen in the background.
Session 4 – fine printing on handmade paper
After experimenting last week with the gelli plate, this week the children focused on refining their skills and getting final finished prints on their handmade paper. Using the natural variations in the handmade paper, children identified areas they wished to enhance and worked with the gelli-plate to produce fine art prints. Plants were used as a barrier to the ink, to create prints that had shapes and curves of natural elements, while also containing these elements in the actual paper itself.
A child painting onto a piece of paper which is placed on a table. Pieces of handmade paper are also on the paper.
Artist Caroline Byrne stands in the centre of a colourfully decorated classroom surrounded by children sitting at tables. The children are wearing white plastic aprons. Two women are sitting in the background.
Education officer Jean Mann rolls a rubber roller with yellow ink on it onto a printing plate. She wears black leggings and yellow shirt with black polka dots. Two children are standing beside her. Two children are seen in the background. All of the children are wearing white plastic aprons.
A view of various pieces of handmade paper on a table. A hand points to the papers.
Session 5 – bringing it all together
Children worked in groups throughout the making of their prints in this project, and today they curated which prints to place beside each other for the final collaborative artwork. The pupils then hand sewed the paper together into long strips, which were tied to a piece of wood. This was then hung as a large ‘wall hanging’ in front of two large windows, in the atrium space of the school building. The light from the windows peeking through the handmade paper, not only illuminated the colourful prints, but also the plant matter deep within the beautiful handmade paper.
A person wearing a red polka dot shirt holding a cardboard box filled with paper envelopes which contain seashells.
A view of a large number of colourful handmade sheets of paper placed on two tables in a classroom. Two people are standing in the background.
A group of young schoolgirls pose for a photograph in front of a wall. Some girls are standing while some are sitting in front.
A man wearing a black t-shirt and jeans climbs up a ladder which is in front of a large window. A woman wearing a red polka dot blouse walks by.
Two artists are hanging up small pieces of paper in a large window. They are both standing on plastic chairs.
Artist Caroline Byrne stands in the centre of a colourfully decorated classroom surrounded by a dozen children sitting at tables. The children are holding various art materials.