Education

A collaboration with the Forge Museum, Much Hadham, and Hunsdon, St.Andrews and Widford local junior schools. The aim was to introduce the work of Henry Moore and demonstrate practically the skills needed to create an armature for a small sculpture, as Henry would have done years ago.

The children involved were shown the large sculptures in the Foundation’s gardens at Perry Green. They were then shown how Henry Moore developed an idea by creating a small model in plaster that he could add to, and carve bits away from, until he was happy with the form. Moore would then make a larger model in plaster by first creating a simple skeleton (an armature), sometimes with lengths of wood and sometimes with metal rods. He would cover these with chicken wire or lengths of bandage dipped in wet plaster until he had built up a large sculpture. This plaster model would later be sent off to a foundry, where several bronze copies would have been made by casting.

Next, we talked about the armatures Moore made as a base for his large plaster models, and the children were asked to draw some ideas for sculpture and the armature required to make it strong enough to keep its shape.

The children all made a small armature with soft metal rods. Three children were then chosen to have the chance to see their work made up by the blacksmith.

After lunch, the children were taken to the Forge Museum. In groups, everyone got the chance to work their way through the Busy Bee Nature Trail, to draw and watch the blacksmith make up the three chosen models in steel.