RIVA ONE TO ONE

Over the course of the years that RIVA has been working with primary schools, the artists realised how much inner-city children would benefit from a 1:1 relationship. When offering artwork with children in small groups, most of them instantly open up and reveal stories from their backgrounds teaching staff might not be aware of.

With 1:1 artists can over the 6 one hour individual sessions enable a child to make something they want to which might also be very personal.

Children who usually do not shine in the classroom and thus might be ‘difficult’, have the space to develop art abilities. All of a sudden they discover skills they didn’t know they had and are admired for this by their friends. This results in an enormous boost of their confidence which again reflects on their behaviour and performance in the classroom.

Starting in January 2019 Lily Hawkes worked on a 1:1 project at Hanover Primary School. She also worked on a 1:1 project at Our Lady & St Joseph. This follows on from two successful previous 1:1 projects with Sophia Jones and Claire Blundell Jones. Examples of children's work can be seen on the Riva Residencies page here.

In 2015 Sophia Marinkov Jones was engaged in a year-long 1:1 project at Hanover Primary School, Islington, where RIVA has completed several major projects in the past.

During the course of the year, she worked with 60 children on a 1:1 basis. Each child received three one hour sessions, one session per week, supporting them to do their own work.

The children were selected by senior management of the school and their class teachers. The criteria were children who show a particular aptitude in art and / or would benefit from an academic and behaviour aspect.

In the first term, she also worked one day per week as an artist in residence in the school foyer, creating illustrations for a children’s book she is writing. This allowed her to interact with parents, staff and children, setting a creative atmosphere for the whole school.

Artist Claire Blundell Jones carried out a 1:1 project in the spring and summer term of 2016 working for 6 one hour sessions with a child. She used the rainforest as a starting point.