Our image discussion workshops are suitable for school groups, adult learning groups, professional teams and informal gatherings. Be sure to tell us about your specific group needs when you book a session!
Easel Workshop is our standard and most popular formula, because it is simple and easy to integrate in any curriculum or trajectory. If your group is about to embark on a research project, the Easel Workshop is the perfect place to start. Art-based dialogue is known to raise confidence, self-agency and curiosity. Practical: You provide the venue, we provide the easel, the art and a skilled facilitator. Price: 75 Euro. Group size: maximum 15 people. Duration: 1,5 hour.
NEW! - Ekphrasis: in this creative writing workshop you work on a short poem about an artwork. The aim is to introduce visual thinking into your writing practice. Writing about images doesn't only strengthen metaphoric expression, it also adds relevance to your message. Practically: You provide the venue and the notebooks, we provide the easel, the art and a skilled facilitator. Price: 75 Euro. Group size: maximum 15 people. Duration: 1,5 hour.
An Orange / Une Orange / Een appelsien is a language workshop that we currently offer in: English, French and Dutch. The language learning is integrated in an informal dialogue around art. Paraphrasing the comments of beginning speakers is an ideal way to introduce new vocabulary terms and model correct grammar. Practically: You provide the venue, we provide the easel, the art and a skilled facilitator. Price: 75 Euro. Group size: maximum 15 people. Duration: 1,5 hour.
Role of the Facilitator
The facilitator is trained in various dialogue methods, and well versed in educational theories underpinning the dialogue practice. The role of the facilitator is to help the group build meaning around a single artwork step by step. The process is based on participants’ observations and associations. Active exchange of ideas is encouraged. The most important role of the facilitator is to make sure that everyone in the conversation feels welcome and safe. The facilitator intentionally slows down the pace so that participants have time to connect with the artworks on a personal level. Art-based dialogue is not an art history lesson, but curiosity and visual investigation are encouraged. Captions can be provided to find out more about the artwork after the session. The end of the discussion is announced simply by thanking the participants for their comments.
Role of the participant
Participating means actively observing, reflection, speaking and listening. All points of view are considered valid in the process. Participants’ comments don’t have to be “researched”, “logical” or “brilliant”. Visual thinking is an investigative process: hence, seeing things from odd angles, may be useful. All comments are repeated and / or clarified so they can serve as building blocks in a constructive dialogue. Questions are dealt with in the same way: they are simply repeated and / or clarified – not answered. Not all story lines will be completed and contradictory stories may occur. It is not uncommon for novice participants to struggle with the amount of responsibility they get in the process. For example the responsibility of having to answer ones own – excellent – questions, or the responsibility of having to decide which story is true. The goal of VTS is to empower critical thinking skills, and regular participants approach the images with more confidence each time.
