How to create an Art Form Spotter Wheel

In the blog we hear from Melissa Hawker, Learning Officer at Ancient House Museum of Thetford Life (part of Norfolk Museums Service), about how to create an Art Form Spotter Wheel to support you with delivering Part A of Arts Award Discover.

What is an Art Form Spotter Wheel?
The Art Form Spotter Wheel is a cost effective resource to support Arts Award advisers to deliver Part A of Arts Award Discover in a heritage or museum setting. It can also be used by any heritage site wishing to become an Arts Award Supporter. It aims to promote an exploratory approach to understanding different art forms and to gaining an awareness that art is all around us.

The Spotter Wheel is made out of two paper plates, some card and a split pin. The outer wheel (paper plate) contains a list of art forms, both written and pictorial. The inner wheel (the other paper plate) has the words: ‘This art form is ...’ and an arrow. The card is used to make another large arrow. All three components are attached together with the large arrow at the back. 

Participants identify an example of a particular art form and turn the inner wheel so the arrow is pointing to the name of the art form (eg pottery). Then they turn the outer arrow so it is pointing to the example of the art form (eg a Roman Samienware jug). The young people can then evidence their art form findings and knowledge in photographs.

How to use the Art Form Spotter Wheel
There are a number of ways that an Arts Award adviser may wish to use the Art Form Spotter Wheel when delivering Arts Award Discover. Ancient House have used it in the following ways to support our delivery:

1. Dotting them around collections in the museum
We created a set of Art Form Spotter Wheels which featured different art forms which can be found in our museum. This enabled us to draw attention to art forms which might otherwise be missed, such as our collections of 18th Century silhouettes and particular aspects of our Tudor building’s architectural fabric. Participants use an Art Form Spotter Wheel to explore the site and identify different art forms. This is captured using photography. Young people often work in pairs to photograph each other’s art form discoveries.

2. Asking participants to create their own before their trip
Participants can create their own Art Form Spotter Wheel to support their exploration of a heritage site. We used this approach during a Challenge Week Arts Award Discover programme and as part of a flexible Arts Award Discover offer in partnership with Norfolk Library and Information Service and the Reading Agency Summer Reading Challenge. 
Participants played a game of Art Form Charades to brainstorm different art forms. Then children selected six art forms which they felt connected to their own lives and placed them on their own Art Form Spotter Wheel. Children used their own Art Form Spotter Wheel at the museum to help them identify these different art forms.

3. Using them to support targeted handling sessions
We use Art Form Spotter Wheels as a supporting resource for targeted handling sessions using historic artefacts. Participants handle real objects from the past and try to identify what art forms have been used in their creation. The Art Form Spotter Wheels helps to remind the young people of the range of arts forms and also assists in recording their discoveries using photography.

How to make your own Art Form Spotter Wheel

You will need:

You will need:
Two paper plates
Sheet of card
Felt tip pens 
Pencil 
Rubber
Split pin 
Scissors

The materials for the wheel can be readily purchased from discount stores. The average cost of making an Art Form Spotter Wheel is less than 10p.

For detailed instruction on how to assemble your spotter wheel download our guidance document here.