BAMS artist members also organise projects for other institutions. Workshops with a medallic twist organised by one BAMS artist member for the Education Department of the National Gallery have included ‘A Little Light Relief’ and ‘Casting a Glance’. Both these workshops were part of the family programme, in which up to one hundred people can attend a free event, lasting for two hours. There are two workshops a day and the projects run for a week. In these workshops, family groups arrive to be welcomed to the gallery and meet the artist, a freelance lecturer and assistants. They then go to see the artist’s work in the education gallery and find out about that work, the workshop and how it relates to a specific painting in the collection. The families are taken into the gallery to look at a painting chosen by the artist and to be involved in finding out more about it by discussing the painting with the freelance lecturer. The artist introduces a drawing brief by looking at the painting, and everyone is encouraged to make drawings and gather visual ideas in front of the painting in the gallery. Drawing in the gallery forms a fundamental part in the formation of ideas to work with in these workshops. Back in the workshops within the education rooms one hundred medals are made after a practical demonstration. Simple!

‘The Art of the Medal – A Self Portrait Medal Project for Schools’ is now available and details of this and artists available to run projects can be obtained by contacting BAMS.