How We Engage Communities

Inspiring Young Creatives: Learning Through Play with Neith Art & Sculpture

At Neith Art & Sculpture, we believe creativity thrives when children are given space to play, explore, and experiment. Our school engagement projects are built around this ethos — encouraging pupils to embrace trial and error, take creative risks, and develop pride in their ideas.

Through our workshops, we don’t just teach about art; we create opportunities for young people to connect with history, place, and themselves — all while discovering the joy of making.

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Creative Sessions that Spark Curiosity

Our recent work with Shiplake Primary School is a perfect example of how we embed meaningful community engagement into major public art commissions.

As part of a larger project for Beechcroft Developments Ltd, we are designing and creating a new permanent public artwork that will be installed in Shiplake in autumn 2025. Involving local young people from the outset was a key part of the commission’s vision: to ensure that the final piece reflects the community’s history, creativity, and spirit.

Working with Year 5 and Year 6, we delivered dynamic sessions that blended local history, storytelling, etymology, and hands-on sculpture — all while encouraging playful exploration.

Teachers praised the sessions as being:

• “Extremely professional but approachable and engaging at the same time.”
• “Very well organised and engaging for the pupils… with a clear starting and endpoint and clear progression through the session.”

From the very beginning, we fostered an atmosphere where children felt free to try, fail, and try again — learning through doing. As one teacher noted, “The session created a relaxed atmosphere and gave them the freedom and encouragement to be creative and proud of what they were doing.”

This ethos of freedom and exploration helped every pupil feel comfortable to participate, regardless of their starting ability.

Building Confidence Through Creativity

One particular moment stood out to the teachers and pupils alike:
Rob spoke openly to the children about his own experiences of struggling with artistic confidence when he was younger. By sharing that professional artists don’t always start as ‘naturally talented’, he created a space where pupils felt safe to experiment.

As the feedback highlighted:

• “Rob talking about his lack of artistic ability made them feel more comfortable to experiment with the clay.”
• “They received lots of positive encouragement as they were making their sculptures.”

By modelling vulnerability and celebrating trial and error, we allowed children to experience the true creative process — not perfection, but playful persistence.

At the end of the day, the pride the children felt in their work was clear:

• “We invited their parents in at the end of the day to see their sculptures as they were so proud of them.”

Importantly, ideas and themes generated by the pupils are informing aspects of the final artwork, strengthening their connection to the sculpture that will become a permanent part of their village.

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Tailored Learning That Resonates

Each of our workshops is carefully crafted to fit the needs of the group.
At Shiplake, we connected the creative task to the school’s curriculum by weaving in local history and etymology, linking art with literacy and geography. One teacher commented:

• “The history and background of the name of Shiplake was interesting and relevant to the children.”
• “We use etymology in our teaching of spelling and vocabulary so this was very useful.”

Resources were appropriately pitched, the sessions were accessible to all abilities, and children were given tangible tools — both artistic and intellectual — to inspire their designs.

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Part of Bigger Visions — or Standalone Inspiration

We deliver school engagement sessions in two ways:

• As part of major public art projects: Like our commission for Beechcroft Developments Ltd at Shiplake, where school engagement feeds directly into the creation of permanent public sculptures.
• As standalone creative workshops: Perfect for enriching learning, celebrating local heritage, or offering children the chance to explore creativity for its own sake.

Whether linked to a larger sculpture trail or as a one-off creative day, our sessions leave a lasting impact on pupils, teachers, and the wider community.

Our Commitment to Schools

When we work with schools, we commit to more than delivering a fun session.
We aim to leave a lasting legacy by:

• Empowering creativity: Encouraging trial, error, and risk-taking as essential parts of learning.
• Enriching learning: Bridging art with local history, literacy, and environmental studies.
• Building community pride: Ensuring young people feel connected to public art in their town or village.
• Celebrating every voice: Creating accessible, inclusive spaces where every idea matters.

Why It Matters

When children are given the space to play, explore, and create without fear of getting it wrong, they don't just make better art — they build confidence, resilience, and a stronger connection to their world.

As one teacher summed it up:

“This was a lovely experience for my class... Thank you for inviting us to be part of this project.”

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