Creativity at Hanford
Creativity, art, pottery and handwork are an essential part of life at Hanford Prep.
We believe every child is creative and aim to find what inspires them through a lively, stimulating and creative environment. We expose them to a variety of different creative disciplines and media including pottery, drawing, printmaking, wire, papier macheĢ, plaster and textiles, dress making, weaving, spinning and knitting. Time is essential for creativity and every girl has at least 3 hours of creative lessons including Art, Handwork and Art Appreciation during every school week.
The creative work produced by the Hanford girls is consequently of a very high standard with an impressive record of Art scholarships and exhibitions awarded year on year.
Feeding the Imagination
The grounds and its produce feed the girls' imagination providing all sorts of stimuli for creative projects whether it is pumpkins, ponies or peonies.
With each new topic, the girls learn how to create research pages before experimenting with a range of media, then producing their final outcomes. We discourage canvases and instead explore methods of using recycled materials in new and exciting ways.
Each girl is encouraged to be resilient and brave - learning through trial and error, stretching their boundaries.
Creative Mediums
Creativity is not just confined to paper, ink and clay – it also finds an outlet in Handwork lessons, which involve Fashion, Textile Design and soft engineering skills.
In these lessons STEM characteristics such as experimenting, planning, problem solving, modification, perseverance, independence and resilience are developed. In a world where hand skills are often reduced to ‘swiping’ and ‘scrolling’ Hanford is unique in teaching traditional and modern craft skills through projects that inspire creative outcomes.
In the Junior years, girls are taught to sew, knit, weave, felt, dye and spin by a specialist teacher. From Year 6 they use the sewing machines regularly and make increasingly accomplished items and garments.
Art Appreciation
Art History, known as ‘Art Appré‘ at Hanford, is a timetabled lesson giving the girls an insight and appreciation of the art world, encouraging them to see the ideas behind the creative process and giving them a language to describe their own work more fluently.
