Welcome to Hidden Art Select kids, an educational programme for 11 – 16 year olds who would like to experience how it is like to be a designer-maker!

This exciting project is a work-based learning project which simulates working in the commercial world. Collaborating closely with teachers and our designated designer-maker, Ella Doran, pupils were given a ‘real’ commercial brief on the theme of ‘play’ to produce surface patterns for textile products. Winning surface design(s) will be put in production and sold through the Hidden Art E-shop (www.hiddenartshop.com) as part of the Hidden Art Select range.

Hidden Art Select kids is a unique, non-statutory learning experience. By linking schools with designer-makers, we share knowledge and expertise that are essential to young peoples’ future training and employment. We also hope that this programme will serve as an alternative learning resource that is beneficial to schools.

Hidden Art Select kids 2009

In November 2008, Hidden Art invited secondary schools based in Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets to participate in Hidden Art Select kids. We received great interests from schools. Among all the applications we selected three schools to participate in the 2009 project:

- Langdon Park School
- Mount Carmel Technology College for Girls
- Mulberry School for Girls

A total of 49 Year Nine students were given two months to work with designer-maker Ella Doran on surface designs linked to the theme ‘play’. Ella gave a presentation on her work and the design brief. The pupils then worked with their teachers before Ella went back for a second visit to comment on the designs. Here is what the pupils said about working with Ella:

‘Having Ella I think is a privilege and she was helpful’ - Jordan Renny, Langdon Park School

‘I felt very inspired by Ella, because she opened my mind to play and different ranges of media’ - Anuradha Roy, Mount Carmel Technology College for Girls

‘I am happy because I meet a designer and know how it feels to be one.’ - Nazia Begum, Mulberry School for Girls

In the first round short listing of the design submissions, Ella has chosen 25 designs. Then the selection is narrowed down to 12 in the second screening. Ella is now in the process of trying different design layouts and putting them together to see if it is possible to come up with a ‘collective design’, a design that celebrates more than one pupil’s creativity. We are all waiting for her final decision on the winner(s) with great anticipation!