A Valued Project

Kingsland Primary School in Herefordshire is a Church of England establishment with a strong Christian ethos at the heart of it's teaching and pastoral care. Love, thankfulness and peace are just three of eleven core values taught to the children.

The head teacher and art coordinator were keen to symbolise these central themes in a collaborative artwork to be installed in the schools reception area.

Jon had previously worked with the school in 2003 and the afore mentioned project offered an opportunity to engage him again as an artist in residence.

After much discussion and idea crunching, a concept, oozing with symbolism was hatched: The values would flow from a jug mounted on the wall, in amongst a swirling mass of tiled images and words. As the patchwork of tiles cascade down the wall they would envelope a globe, cloaking the semi sphere and figures on the surface, flooding and protecting, before heading out into the wider community....Phew!

The children rose to the challenge of interpreting the values magnificently, modelling stories and symbols onto their flattened clay. By home time, all 140 pupils had made and painted their contribution and the piece was complete.