The GENERATE project: Curricular and pedagogical inspiration from parents and their children working together

Abstract

This report summarizes GENERATE, a pilot research project conducted by 12 artists and their children 3—14. Simply put, these artist/art educator/parents allowed their own children unlimited access to their studios, materials, equipment and workspaces for two years. During that time the children were able to work alongside their parents on making combined and separate art works and contribute to a series of public exhibitions. The project was sponsored by The Turner Contemporary in Margate and the University of the Creative Arts (UCA).

The artist/parents kept logs or diaries of what happened, and attended a series of joint meetings to discuss developments. At the same time a series of public workshops were organized (sometimes from a large trailer parked in a shopping centre car park) in which other children and parents from Thanet, Kent were encouraged to spend time making art together.

The researcher collected evidence of the progress of the project from observations, discussions, telephone and email communications, photographs and the logs of the artists involved. The report discusses the challenges this project has raised regarding:

• definitions of creativity

• adult artist’s conceptions of art

• the motivations towards creativity

• the teach-ability of creativity

• parenting

• inter-generational learning

• child-led aspects of schooling.