PARTICIPATORY WORKS
Hattie Collins' Work as an Arts Facilitator
Hattie Collins is a firm believer that the arts should be accessible to all. Art is not only an outlet for communication and creative development and expression, but also a necessity for human progress. Collins works with a variety of individuals and organisations across many artistic methodologies to ensure the power and potential of art is shared.
Pearls of the Sea; The Sea and Me
Hastings Contemporary and Ark Castle Down Primary School; 2023-2024
As part of Hastings Contemporary's flagship local schools engagement programme, children from primary schools across Hastings and St Leonards have collaborated with local artists in a series of gallery visits, school visits and workshops. This year's theme is The Sea and Me and explores young people's relationship with the coastline, their community, and environmental issues. In Collins's workshops, over 60 participants have been encouraged to make fabric-mâché fish and collaged coral out of waste materials otherwise destined to end up in landfill and, ultimately, the sea. This work will be showcased as an instillation piece in a final exhibition in the gallery from 27 March 2024 - 01 June 2024.
Hastings Contemporary's Young Artist Lab
Hastings Contemporary; 2023-2024
Over a course of three months, artists from 11-16 years developed large-scale canvas artworks. This mixed-media practice involved pencil sketching, acrylic and soft pastel shading, felt pen outlining, watercolour and acrylic painting, as well as collage. Each canvas explored the semi-self-portrait theme of 'What Makes Me Happy?', encouraging young participants to express themselves creatively.
Hastings Contemporary's Brill Workshops
Hastings Contemporary; 2023
In this after-school art club, participants were guided through a 5-week scrapbook-making course. The sessions were split into bookcover designing and painting, binding, sculpting clay charms, bookmark making, collage and sketching. Each session was heavily collaborative and enouraged participants to encourage and support one another.
Green Sketching Sessions
Middlesex Filterbeds Nature Reserve; 2023
Working under Sharon Drew, these volunteer-led workshops took place in efforts to raise money for the East London Waterworks Park redevelopment initiative. Children, adults and families were invited to sketch their surroundings using watercolour pencils in the location that will (hopefully) overlook a new community park in the near future.
Quentin Blake-Inspired Watercolour Painting
Hastings Contemporary; 2023
Another Family Day session, this time alongside a Quentin Blake exhibtion at the gallery. A diverse range of families were welcomed to follow sketching and painting techniques seen in Blake's works.
Hastings Contemporary's Young Artist Lab
Hastings Contemporary; 2023
13 young people aged between 11 and 16 attended a series of workshops once a month for three months in an effort to learn new creative skills. The workshops were based around sculpting a three-dimensional papier-mâché model, with the first session making sample versions from polymer and air-dry clay, the second session creating the sculpture, and the final session painting and decorating the final pieces. Participants worked collaboratively and made the sessions a very supportive place to express their artistry.
Creature Puppet Making
Hastings Contemporary; 2023
A 2-D puppet-making workshop as part of Hastings Contemporary's Family Day initiative, continuing to promote the gallery's efforts toward recycling, sustainability, and an awareness of local biodiversity. Participants of all ages created colourful, moving creatures that echoed the natural environment and were submitted to The Wild Escape Project to form part of their online exhibition on Earth Day.
Griffin-Making Workshop
Walthamstow Market; 2022
Working under Artillery Arts, this event took over Walthamtow Market to celebrate the installation of Sandie Sutton's Walthamstow Griffin. The evening event was open to all with many art stools, including griffin making with Collins and Sandie, allowing participants to take home their own smaller-scale friend made entirely from recycled materials.
Halloween Collage Workshop with Wood Street Walls
Cyanotype Workshop with Mayflower Primary School
Walthamstow Town Hall; 2022
Held outside Walthamstow Town Hall, this workshop attracted many visitors of all ages to spend as much time as they desired creating halloween-themed cards and posters.
Mayflower Primary School; 2022
Delivering an educational teaching lesson to classes of Year One in Photography and History, involving drawing and collaging found materials onto transparent surfaces to print onto coated paper. Each student created a unique cyanotype print to be used for display or taken home.
Family Cyanotype Workshop
St Peter's in the Forest; 2022
Working again with St Peter's Church as part of their 'Forestival' event, families collected leaves from the graveyard and drew on tracing paper to create amazing cyanotype prints inspired by their surroundings.
Jubilee Park Nature Trail with Willow Brook Primary School
Jubilee Park; 2022
Guided by artist Lucy Harrison, children from Willow Brook Primary School were led on a guided tour of Jubilee Park where they were encouraged to observe and sketch biodiversity. The workshop then moved inside to the classroom where illustrations were finalised and collected for use in nature trails and publications for the park.
Family Cookbook Illustration
St Peter's in the Forest; 2022
Working alongside St Peter's Church for their upcoming community cookbook, families were encouraged to create illustrations using clay, paint, drawing, collage and 3D plate creations.
High Street ADVENTures
Walthamstow High Street; 2021
An evening of free activities spanning 24 businesses aimed to showcase Walthamstow's vibrant and diverse High Street. Collins was assisting with workshops as well as offering stuarding support.
Children's Halloween Workshops
Greenway Avenue Community Garden; 2021
A series of workshops at Greenway Avenue Community Garden for children aged 0-15 for Halloween. Workshops include polymer clay models, window displays, and decorating spooky hanging ornaments.
Seesaw Sounds
Children's Art Workshops for E17 Art Trail
Battersea Power Station; 2021
A participatory instillation curated by Dell Mair and Ruth Fenton as part of Pop Up London; a free, family-friendly festival. Working with Battersea Arts Centre, the instillation brought vibrant, interactive tubes that would tip and make different sounds - inspired by rainsticks. Collins assisted the instillation of works each day as well as the facilitation of those interacting with the sculptures.
Greenway Avenue Comminity Garden; 2021
A series of workshops at Greenway Avenue Community Garden for children aged 3-12 which was exhibited as part of the E17 Art Trail. Workshops included bunting painting, cyanotype printing, and hanging ornament making. The workshops each used recycled materials and had a focus on nature and sustainability.
Assistant for Same Sky Residency Programme
The Boathouse, Lea Rowing Club; 2021
Working with a theme of Possible Futures, this artist residency programme enabled 5 artists to pilot new creative participatory projects in the outdoors. The residency consisted of 4 facilitated days of provocations, exercises, discussion, and self-directed time to create and brainstorm. Collins was on hand to provide refreshments, source materials, coordinate online discussions with other participatory artists, and to offer creative support and assistance.
Assistant for Sharon Drew in Creative Workshops
Co-Facilitator at Freedom from Torture
Various locations including One Hoe Street; 2020
Sharon Drew provides workshops involving drawing, printing, mixed media and collage available to all ages and abilities. Hattie Collins has helped with the delivery of some of these workshops including 'Across the Spectrum' installation and children's workshops.
Intergenerational Exchange
Freedom from Torture; 2019
Working with Freedom from Torture, Hattie Collins engaged themselves in creative projects with the charity's clients, including curating an exhibition of photography works and assisting Articulate alternative artistic process workshops.
UnTold Stories
Sheffield Hallam University; 2017
Again under DigiTales, this project collaborated with adults from a range of backgrounds who created digital stories depicting the relationship between reading and technological advances.
Reading on Screen
Springfield Care Home; 2018
Hattie Collins worked with fellow artists to facilitate a series of photography workshops at Springfield Care Home. The photographs were then exhibited to friends and family in the Home.
Braintree; 2017
Under DigiTales, this project worked with young individuals residing in the Salvation Army Housing Association in Braintree Foyer. The workshops encouraged participants to produce a digital story of a life event, to be showcased in an International Storytelling Conference.