A collaboration between a local musician and an artist is spreading joy and fun to 400 of the region’s children.

Musician Liz Conway and artist Marion Vialade-Worch have created The Colours of Music workshop thanks to a $1435 grant from Creative Communities funding and $300 from the Alexandra Community Arts Council. 

Pupils can listen to live piano and creatively express themselves with felts, pastels, pencils, crayon and paint pens in any way they choose.

Watch a one minute video of Alexandra Primary School’s year five and six workshop. VIDEO: The Central App 

Sixty five pupils from Alexandra Primary, Omakau School and Poolburn School attended during two thirty-minute workshops at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery yesterday, with more from across the region set to attend on Friday and next week.

Liz said the workshop combined two senses at the same time and for many students listening to live piano was something completely new.

“Combining visual elements with musical elements, both just become greater.

“We are taking an auditory art form, piano music, listening to it and take it into our fingers and draw the feelings you receive from the music… those feelings go through your hands and onto the paper.”

Liz said her favourite part was turning round from her piano and seeing the creations of the pupils, who often had experimented with colour, movement and emotion in their artworks.

Alexandra Primary School pupil Mihi Amaru (10) with her drawing. PHOTO: The Central App

Poolburn School pupils Henry Hore (11) and Jack Murdoch (11) concentrating on their drawings. PHOTO: The Central App

Marion said as a creative, joining forces across disciplines was important and could spark fresh new ideas as well as grow the sense of community in the arts.

“Everyone walks away feeling touched, or calm, or having had a little break during the day to have freedom.”

She said the creativity of the youngsters was fun and unstructured and great to be a part of.

Marion shows Arden Manson (10) and other pupils her drawing created live while Liz performed. PHOTO: The Central App

Central Otago District Council (CODC) has a partnership with Creative New Zealand to promote, support and increase participation in arts and cultural activities within the district.

The Creative Communities grants are funded by Creative New Zealand and focus on supporting artistic or cultural events and projects which are accessible to the community. 

Read more: An Alexandra woman’s grand dream

Read more: An artist view: Marion Vialade-Worch

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