Mini art gallery in the heart of the school

– That’s where I live!

– And there’s the church. That’s where I was baptised.

– Look, that’s where I usually ride my bike.

– Wait, is that Sveafältet? I live there, just a little further over.

The students’ reflections and immediate recognition of the places depicted in the artworks from their local surroundings were unmistakable. In the cosy, newly refurbished and peaceful library at Prästholm School, the students were invited to their first-ever vernissage. The artworks have been hung at the children’s eye level, and juice and pretzel sticks were served.

– This is good, and beautiful, one of the students commented.

The initiative is based on a simple idea: art should be accessible to children too. Prästholm School is the first of Boden’s schools to take part and will serve as a pilot for how the concept can be developed. The aim is to change the artworks after a while and encourage more schools to participate.

– We really wanted to be part of this. We have students who have never been to a vernissage or even know what one is. They may never come into contact with art unless we introduce it to them, says Principal Sari Angeria Haara.

By bringing parts of Boden Municipality’s art collection into schools, the initiative also adds more colour and art to the school environment, while giving students an opportunity to be inspired and engage their senses. The three works on display at Prästholm School are colourful figurative paintings by Pablo Castilla.

– Art doesn’t have to be difficult, and according to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, all children should have access to art. Research shows that people feel better when they look at art and when they create art themselves, says Beatrice Sigfridsson, museum educator.

The Defence Museum has also developed educational material that the school can use to explore Boden’s history and inspire students to create their own art.

– Perhaps this could eventually lead to an exhibition of their own, where they learn how to display art and even hold their own vernissage, says Helena Svanberg, museum director and head of the art gallery located at the Defence Museum.