EAST – OOST – OST
London, 2017
“In current political challenging times, it is refreshing, humbling and hopeful to spread a message of collaboration and exchange across borders celebrating unity and diversity through creative expression by our next generation.”
Zoe Howe, Head teacher, Hermitage Primary School
East – Oost – Ost is an exchange programme in the field of art education for children between 4-12 years old from neighbourhoods in three European Capitals: East London, Amsterdam Oost and Ost Berlin. The creative programme of “share, connect and exchange” took place during a 2 year exchange at various primary schools and (children) art museums and was presented during the first ever Amsterdam Kinder Biennale 2020 at the OBA museum in Amsterdam.
Post! Mail Art was the kick off project!
In January 2019, Dutch London based Tisna Westerhof & Cristiana Bottigella – hARTslane facilitated a series of creative workshops at the Hermitage Primary School in East London, where 25 pupils received Mail Art from Barbara School and Nelson Mandela School in Amsterdam and were invited to respond and make their very own Mail Art to send back. They learned about the history of Mail and Mail Art, about life in Holland, some Dutch words and replied to their art pen-pals sharing common ground: school and family life in the urban city.
The children were challenged: they learnt about screen-printing, collage, decorating and illustrating as well as creative writing and storytelling! Experimentation and artistic freedom were encouraged to communicate via artistic mail-art!
More about this international exchange art-education project from Dutch collaborator De Rode Loper op School, Kunst & Cultuureducatie Amsterdam.
In collaboration with
