Plaster workshops for local schools (KS2 / KS3)

The Henry Moore Institute is closed for refurbishment until Summer 2024.

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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

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

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.

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.

About this event

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

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

We will see inside his maquette studio to understand more about his inspiration and ways of working, and talk about terminology to inform our 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.”

Henry Moore: Plasters, Anita Feldman, 2011

The Bourne Maquette Studio. Photo: Sophie Greenstreet.

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

All of our slots for 2024 are now fully booked.

The workshops take place on the first Thursday of each month during term time. Capacity is limited, and sessions will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Thursday 2 May: Booked
Thursday 6 June: Booked
Thursday 4 July: Booked
Thursday 5 September: Booked
Thursday 3 October: Booked

Who are the workshops for?

These workshops are free for primary or secondary schools.

Sessions include activity suitable for Key Stage 2 and 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.

Essential documents for your visit

If you have already booked onto this workshop, please make sure you have downloaded and read the documents below before you arrive.

Important information and terms & conditions (PDF, 0.8mb)

Risk assessment guidelines (PDF, 0.3mb)

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

Other events at Studios & Gardens

This season our busy events programme draws inspiration from the natural world with creative workshops, artist talks, film screenings, and open archive sessions. Many events are included in an annual ticket to the Studios & Gardens, allowing visitors to return as often as they wish to explore new elements and ideas.

Listening/Mapping by felix taylor