Plaster workshops for local schools | Henry Moore Studios & Gardens

Henry Moore Studios & Gardens reopens on 16 April with Encounters, a season of stories and events.

Our galleries at Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, are closed while we install new exhibitions. Join us on Thursday 3 April for the opening night.

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A dark haired young girl and a blonde boy stand looking through a window into an artist's studio which is filled with small sculpture models

A boy using his phone to take photos of a room full of small-scale sculptures and maquettes.

Shelves inside Henry Moore's Bourne Maquette Studio displaying plaster sculpture models and found objects.

A small, abstract plaster model of a woman wearing a skirt. The shell that inspired the flow of the skirt is placed next to the model.

An older man wearing a blue shirt and blue apron in spooning plaster from a bowl in his left hand into a shallow mould made of clay.

About this event

Introduce your students to creative processes using plaster. We’ll build plaster up by casting natural objects and carve plaster down using tools.

During the session, your students will learn about how Henry Moore experimented with plaster and other materials to create his sculptures.

We’ll see inside his maquette studio to understand more about his inspiration and ways of working, and talk about terminology to inform your own ideas and techniques.

At the end of the workshop, your students can take their creations home with them.

“Plaster… offered Moore new and flexible ways of working that related well to many different aspects of his practice, including his drawings and desire to experiment with scale.”

Anita Feldman in Henry Moore: Plasters, 2011

Henry Moore making a cast of an object by pressing it into clay and then spooning in liquid plaster.

Henry Moore making a plaster cast, 1977. Photo: Errol Jackson.

Schedule of activities

Time	Activity
9:45	Arrival and welcome
10:00	Collective starter activity, including time outdoors
10:30	Main workshop
12:00	Lunch
12:30	Free time for sketching and photography
13:00	Departure

Booking information & FAQs

Workshop dates

Capacity is limited, and sessions will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Available dates:

Wednesday 10 September
Wednesday 1 October

Who are the workshops for?

These workshops are free for local schools.

Sessions include activity suitable for Key Stage 2 & Key Stage 3 curriculums.

To help develop our relationships with local schools, priority will be given to those in the district of East Hertfordshire, and neighbouring areas with Sculpture Town/New Town narratives including Harlow, Stevenage, Welwyn and Hatfield.

Group sizes

We can accommodate a maximum of 30 students per session.

Primary schools: we require at least two supervising adults per 15 students.

Secondary schools: you will need to bring at least one supervising adult per 15 students, plus an additional adult.

Coaches

Due to the narrow lanes leading to our site, we have a coach length limit of 11 metres.

Book a workshop for your group

Essential documents for your visit

If you are planning a visit, or have already booked one, please make sure you have downloaded and read the documents below before you arrive.

Important information and terms & conditions (PDF, 0.6mb)

Risk assessment guidelines (PDF, 0.2mb)

Information for coaches & driving routes (PDF, 0.2mb)

Book your visit

Encounters

A black and white photo showing two older men smile and applaud each other with delight. They are standing in front of a huge abstract sculpture and a crowd of people in 1970s Dallas.

Encounters

16 April – 2 November 2025

This season at Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, we’re celebrating the inspiring and transformative encounters between Henry Moore and the people, objects and ideas in his orbit.

We’ll be holding a series of talks, open archives and film screenings, as well as a daily programme of free creative activities for families.

Find out more about this season’s events