Gemma Mallinson, Director of Engagement and Development at Trinity Champion Centre and Isle of Wright arts organisation, New Carnival tells us about an exciting cross-curricular Arts Award Discover project where school children visited museums, found out about local history and created art inspired by what they discovered.
Last year, New Carnival was delighted to partner once again with the Isle of Wight Museums and Schools service to deliver two inspiring Arts Award Discover projects. These immersive days brought local history to life through hands-on creative activities, supporting young people to explore Island heritage and respond artistically to what they discovered.
Preparing for creative learning in the museums
Before welcoming pupils into the museums, the New Carnival team invested significant time in shaping meaningful, high-quality learning experiences. Fellow New Carnival directors, Hannah and I, along with project delivery leads, visited both museums in advance to explore the galleries, speak with staff, and photograph key artefacts. These conversations helped us understand the stories behind the objects selected for the project and design activities that aligned with our 2025 theme, ‘Our Folktastic Isle – The Wheel of the Year.’ The Wheel of the Year refers to the pre-Christian / pagan seasonal calendar which we explored throughout 2025, looking at seasonal celebrations such as May Day, Equinoxes and Solstices, when rural communities’ lives were much more closely entwined with the natural rhythms of the seasons.
Back at the workshop, Hannah designed bespoke A3 Discover in a Day worksheets for each museum, ensuring every pupil could clearly meet the Arts Award Discover criteria while engaging in hands-on, age-appropriate activities. At the same time, Gemma developed the Wheel of the Year activity, which we later refined and gifted to the museum as a printable resource for future groups.
Our brilliant creative volunteers also played a vital role, painting scrap cardboard boxes and cutting them into hundreds of colourful square ‘tiles’ ready for the collaborative mosaic-making session. This thoughtful preparation ensured that every workshop ran smoothly, creatively, and with a strong sense of purpose.
Anglo-Saxon adventures at the Museum of Island History
Our first project connected Year 4 pupils from Dover Park Primary School with the Museum of Island History in Newport. The group explored the museum’s fascinating Anglo-Saxon collection, learning about this important period of Island history and the legendary figure King Arwald, possibly the last pagan king of the Isle of Wight.
To build their knowledge of different artforms (Part A - Discover), pupils took part in a museum treasure hunt, exploring the gallery to find a range of artefacts and identify which artforms they represented. From textiles and metalwork to pottery and illustration, the activity helped students recognise the creativity and craftsmanship behind historical objects.
For Part B (Find out), we explored the work of modern artists who use pattern in their work, such as Anni Albers and Keith Haring, and compared their designs with those found on Anglo-Saxon artefacts including the sword hilt and the Sutton Hoo helmet replica.
Inspired by their discoveries, we spent the afternoon creating Anglo-Saxon-style cardboard helmets (Part A – Discover). Pupils learned how to emboss metallic foil and decorate their helmets with Celtic-style patterns taken from real objects found on the Island. The results were bold, imaginative, and full of character, with each helmet reflecting its maker’s unique interpretation of Anglo-Saxon design.
For Part C (Share), pupils discussed with their peers which activities they had enjoyed most and proudly took their helmets home to share with their families.
Stepping into Roman life at Brading Roman Villa
Our second Arts Award Discover day took place at Brading Roman Villa with Year 6 pupils from Brading CE Primary School. Here, we explored the Villa’s extraordinary mosaics and discussed the Wheel of the Year and the seasonal pre-Christian celebrations historically observed on the Isle of Wight.
The morning activity invited pupils to create their own Wheel of the Year paper calendars, comparing traditional folk celebrations with modern-day seasonal events (Part A – Discover). As they worked, students also learned how the names and order of the months evolved over time through the influence of Roman emperors. They then toured the museum and identified different artforms within the artefacts and displays (Part A – Discover).
In the afternoon, we focused on Part B (Find out) by looking at the work of contemporary mosaic artists and comparing it with the ancient Roman mosaics in the Villa. Pupils discussed what they liked and why, developing their confidence in talking about art.
Collaboration then took centre stage as the group worked together to create a giant mosaic artwork inspired by the Villa’s iconic floor mosaic (Part A – Discover). Using pre-painted cardboard squares, pupils arranged colours and shapes to echo the geometric and figurative patterns of the ancient design. Piece by piece, their collective mosaic grew into a striking large-scale display.
For Part C (Share), the finished mosaic was displayed in the museum for visitors to enjoy, and pupils took their wheel of the year home to share with their families. Pupils also reflected in their groups on what they had learned and what they had most enjoyed during the day.
Why these partnerships matter
Working closely with the Isle of Wight Museums and Schools service adds extraordinary value to our Arts Award projects. Their expertise and rich collections provide authentic local context, grounding each activity in real Island stories and histories. This partnership allows us to design workshops that are not only creative, but also cross-curricular, linking art with history, literacy, design, and cultural education.
By connecting pupils with museums that hold the stories of their own Island, we help more children engage meaningfully with local culture and heritage. These shared experiences spark curiosity, build pride in place, and deepen understanding of how creativity threads through past and present. The collaboration ensures learning is richer, more relevant, and more memorable for the schools involved, and it continues to inspire us as artists and educators too.
Celebrating creativity, heritage, and young artists
Both projects gave pupils the opportunity to achieve Arts Award Discover while discovering the Island’s rich cultural heritage in a meaningful, hands-on way. By combining museum learning with accessible creative arts activities, we aim to help young people build confidence, curiosity, and pride in their local history.
A huge thank you to the Isle of Wight Museums and Schools service, the teams at the Museum of Island History and Brading Roman Villa, and, of course, the brilliant pupils and teachers who took part. We can’t wait for the next opportunity to explore, create, and celebrate with you.
Photo by New Carnival
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