During the 2023-24 academic year, ActionSpace artist Andrew Omoding led relaxed workshops at Tate Britain and Tate Modern for school groups with additional needs.
Through a year-long planning process and partnership, Tate, Andrew and ActionSpace worked towards Andrew leading the workshops with Andrew spending time at both Tate Britain and Tate Modern, getting to know the team and the collection, as well as shadowing the relaxed sessions taking place. This, alongside leading a workshop for the Tate team to test out ideas and accessible planning sessions at ActionSpace, supported Andrew in preparing for leading the workshops and establishing shared inclusive working practices.
Andrew then led five relaxed workshops, working with forty seven young people and took place across both the Tate Britain and Tate Modern galleries. The workshops offered young people the space to develop the social, emotional and intellectual skills that support them to learn about themselves and others in the world. The workshops also encouraged young people to take up space at Tate, make noise, and have their unique ideas and opinions heard and championed.
Sessions saw Andrew encouraging young people to make and share their stories inspired by artworks in the collection, through audio recordings, movement, drawings, costume and sculpture making, all key elements of Andrew’s artistic practice.
All sessions culminated in a joyous group parade taking the artworks the young people had made around the gallery, accompanied by the sounds of their audio recordings and Andrew’s playlist he listens to when creating in the ActionSpace studio. Through this, the young people’s stories were taken back to the artworks and everyone in the gallery could hear and celebrate their ideas and creativity.
Teacher/student feedback
‘By working with Andrew Omoding my students had the opportunity to see an adult with additional needs delivering and leading a workshop as a professional artist. This meant so much to me as an arts educator. I want my students to have opportunities as creators and audiences of the arts.’- Teacher attending a workshop
‘That was the best day ever!’– Student attending a workshop
‘When can we go back!’– Student attending a workshop
‘The workshop engaged the students and gave them a visible presence within the gallery, which was refreshing as a teacher of special needs, that their voices are heard in such a space.’– Teacher attending a workshop
Images: Artist-led schools workshop, Tate Modern 2024, courtesy of Tate. Photo credit: Oliver Cowling
