Some of the activities created for the National Tile Museum since July 2014.
These activitives should allow visitors to engage with the artwork exhibited and Portugal’s history in different, more compelling ways that can, hopefully, lead to educational, meaningful, fun experiences that affect them personally.
These activitives should allow visitors to engage with the artwork exhibited and Portugal’s history in different, more compelling ways that can, hopefully, lead to educational, meaningful, fun experiences that affect them personally.
Activity designed for the temporary exhibition “Submerged Art”, by Sylvain Bongard.
This activity aims to exercise descriptive language and empathy, generating reflections on the differences between personal perception and the other’s perception and regarding the communication between parents and children; attention, interpretations and manner in which they communicate with one another.
Children chose and observed one artwork to describe to their parents, who drew what was described without having seen the artwork. Kids had to describe the artwork’s features, such as colors, lines and textures, without using figurative words, such as “fish”.
Although kids weren’t supposed to correct the drawings, after parents were done they complained at how bad the drawings were and decided to make one themselves, to compare. Parents then searched for the drawn pieces.
Finally, we asked them to think and maybe speak about communication or relationship patterns that may have surfaced.
This activity aims to exercise descriptive language and empathy, generating reflections on the differences between personal perception and the other’s perception and regarding the communication between parents and children; attention, interpretations and manner in which they communicate with one another.
Children chose and observed one artwork to describe to their parents, who drew what was described without having seen the artwork. Kids had to describe the artwork’s features, such as colors, lines and textures, without using figurative words, such as “fish”.
Although kids weren’t supposed to correct the drawings, after parents were done they complained at how bad the drawings were and decided to make one themselves, to compare. Parents then searched for the drawn pieces.
Finally, we asked them to think and maybe speak about communication or relationship patterns that may have surfaced.
Activity designed in collaboration with an Associate Educator for Cristina Bolborea’s exhibition “Places to be there”, featuring ceramic pieces that represent the Islamic influence on tiles.
The artworks are disposed in a manner that reminisces an Islamic market’s setting. Taking advantage of this immersive setting, children were told an Islamic tale and made page markers with tile patterns in various vehicles’ shapes.
Page markers were chosen as a final product because books transport readers to different places, as does the exhibition. Combining the tale’s theme with the artist’s re-creation of carpets’ fabrics in ceramic, I suggested the markers be made with tile patterns in the shapes of magic carpets or vehicles present in children’s immediate reality.
The preparation required collecting props for the storytelling, designing profiles for different vehicles, such as planes, trains, balloons and even zeppelins and preparing paper tiles to be used as patterns.
The artworks are disposed in a manner that reminisces an Islamic market’s setting. Taking advantage of this immersive setting, children were told an Islamic tale and made page markers with tile patterns in various vehicles’ shapes.
Page markers were chosen as a final product because books transport readers to different places, as does the exhibition. Combining the tale’s theme with the artist’s re-creation of carpets’ fabrics in ceramic, I suggested the markers be made with tile patterns in the shapes of magic carpets or vehicles present in children’s immediate reality.
The preparation required collecting props for the storytelling, designing profiles for different vehicles, such as planes, trains, balloons and even zeppelins and preparing paper tiles to be used as patterns.
Activity for families held during the Museum's Christmas celebration, on December 13th.
Parents took tours and listened to a choir while children chose to accompany them or listen to the choir while building and decorating a Portuguese gingerbread house.
After observing the facade tiles on display, children created their own patterns with paper tiles and used leftover or reused materials, such as cotton, glitter, wool, buttons, tree branches, straw and ribbons to decorate their houses.
Being collapsible, the house can be stored throughout the year and reassembled next Christmas.
The preparation required planning the activity, writing a guide for other educators, making a model house to test the design and materials' properties and collecting appropriate cardboard boxes and decoration materials from diverse donors.
Many parents enjoyed the activity and stayed with their children giving opinions on how to decorate. Most children asked to take some material home to build more houses.
Parents took tours and listened to a choir while children chose to accompany them or listen to the choir while building and decorating a Portuguese gingerbread house.
After observing the facade tiles on display, children created their own patterns with paper tiles and used leftover or reused materials, such as cotton, glitter, wool, buttons, tree branches, straw and ribbons to decorate their houses.
Being collapsible, the house can be stored throughout the year and reassembled next Christmas.
The preparation required planning the activity, writing a guide for other educators, making a model house to test the design and materials' properties and collecting appropriate cardboard boxes and decoration materials from diverse donors.
Many parents enjoyed the activity and stayed with their children giving opinions on how to decorate. Most children asked to take some material home to build more houses.
