Room 13 International

Wednesday 24th March
During this week's session we looked at Room 13 - at what it is and what it does.  Room 13 started off:  "Slowly and organically, Room 13 has gone on to establish a network of creative studios and a thriving community of young artists and entrepreneurial thinkers that stretches around the globe" (Room 13 International 2012). 
 in 1994 as a photography class in Caol Primary school near Fort William in Scotland, which the pupils called the Caol Camera Club which the artist in residence Rob Fairley taught reluctantly.  However when his residency came to an end the pupils did not want him to leave so began raising funds with their photography to pay him if he stayed.  Unable to accept the money he had them buy their own camera instead and the project grew from there into their own art room, room 13 of the school and into other areas of art.

Room 13 - South Africa

The four cornerstones of the project are:

1. Business Practice - which is the most important,
2. Philosophical Enquiry - to develop a culture of curiosity,
3. Recriprocal Learning - which is about exploring and learning together, and
4. Creative Freedom - which most people who are just discovering the project think is their key cornerstone, however without the above three the fourth would be impossible to put in place.

"The Room 13 network offers a forum through which artists and young people can engage with different sectors of society, gain experience that enhances their curriculum learning and benefit from international relationships and cultural exchange" (Room 13 International 2012).  Therefore it is a cross-curricular project that enables pupils to develop a wide range of skills and I believe that more schools should be incorporating Room 13 International's aims and methodologies in their art and enterprise programs.

As a student teacher I feel that I could use the basic ideas and aims of the project and incorporate them into lessons not just art based but across the curriculum due to the business focus of the project: "maintaining accounts, ordering and organising materials, arranging and fulfilling commitments, negotiating, planning, problem solving, corresponding, sharing life experiences..." (Gibb 2012) as well as creative independence.  Thus allowing the pupils to experiment with materials to create their own artwork rather than a version of an artwork that already exists.  From previous experience with teaching a design lesson I feel that pupils would need to be eased into the creative freedom aspect and given ideas and lessons on how certain resources and materials could be used before they begin experimenting with new ways that works well for them.

Overall I believe that Room 13 International is highly inspirational project that more schools should be a part of.

Examples of Room 13 Artwork

Bengal - Room 13

Lochyside - Room 13

Lucy MacGillivray - Everything I have thought of in Eight Years

References
Gibb, C. (2012). Room 13: The Movement and International Network. International Journal of Art & Design Education 31.3 (2012): 237-244.

Room 13 International (2012).  Available at:  http://room13international.org/ [Accessed 25th April 2013]