SENsational Art - interdisciplinary cultural history program in the Hungarian National Gallery to support children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Coordinator: Zsófia Sepsey, Zsófia Albrecht
Schools: Gorsium High School, Székesfehérvár; Budapest branch of Premier Art Secondary School
Schools: Gorsium High School, Székesfehérvár; Budapest branch of Premier Art Secondary School
The Hungarian National Gallery -a place to look, create and learn
Today, education is an important task for museums, but it is the result of a longer process in which the cultural and social role, status and mission of museums have changed significantly over time. They have progressed being a place where artefacts are only displayed and conserved, being more community-orientated institutions, an accessible place for everyone.
The Hungarian National Gallery (HNG) is the largest public collection documenting and presenting the rise and development of the fine arts in Hungary. It has operated as an independent institution since 1957. The HNG moved to its present location, the former Royal Palace of Buda, in 1975. The vast collection of the museum consists of masterpieces from the late medieval times till contemporary art. Annually there are multiple internationally recognised exhibitions organized by the HNG.
The Department of Education is one of the most important pillars of the museum as it has a primary role approaching and interacting with visitors but also collaborating with almost every other department.
Sharing meanwhile also preserving Hungarian art as widely as possible is among the main aims of the Hungarian National Gallery. It is our particular goal to engage and support students through art with disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds as well with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Within the AMASS project the Department of Education of the HNG could reach out to and accommodate students living outside of the capital city of Budapest, who are less likely to visit cultural institutions. The program initiated by the HNG provides both for students and their teachers an opportunity not only to connect their classroom related activities and the relevant curriculums to the collection of the museum but to develop certain skills with the help of art and have an inclusive museum experience.
The package created for high school teachers encourages them to use both the online databases and the exhibitions of the HNG in their teaching practice, giving new perspectives to the curriculums.
Today, education is an important task for museums, but it is the result of a longer process in which the cultural and social role, status and mission of museums have changed significantly over time. They have progressed being a place where artefacts are only displayed and conserved, being more community-orientated institutions, an accessible place for everyone.
The Hungarian National Gallery (HNG) is the largest public collection documenting and presenting the rise and development of the fine arts in Hungary. It has operated as an independent institution since 1957. The HNG moved to its present location, the former Royal Palace of Buda, in 1975. The vast collection of the museum consists of masterpieces from the late medieval times till contemporary art. Annually there are multiple internationally recognised exhibitions organized by the HNG.
The Department of Education is one of the most important pillars of the museum as it has a primary role approaching and interacting with visitors but also collaborating with almost every other department.
Sharing meanwhile also preserving Hungarian art as widely as possible is among the main aims of the Hungarian National Gallery. It is our particular goal to engage and support students through art with disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds as well with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Within the AMASS project the Department of Education of the HNG could reach out to and accommodate students living outside of the capital city of Budapest, who are less likely to visit cultural institutions. The program initiated by the HNG provides both for students and their teachers an opportunity not only to connect their classroom related activities and the relevant curriculums to the collection of the museum but to develop certain skills with the help of art and have an inclusive museum experience.
The package created for high school teachers encourages them to use both the online databases and the exhibitions of the HNG in their teaching practice, giving new perspectives to the curriculums.
Objectives
Students
Providing a different learning environment for students with SEN, a new way to express themselves & learn about their identity.
Fostering their skills’ development on various areas.
Creating an awareness and curiosity in the pupils to explore what they are learning from divers perspectives.
Teachers
Helping complement their teaching motivation and objectives in the classroom, combining art, history and literature, and fun museum learning.
Looking into the usefulness of the online teachers’ support materials (gallery/classroom activities), and how these might be developed.
Building up a good-working cooperation between the schools and museums.
Museum educators
Identifying good practices which could be adapted and developed for various groups with different disabilities and backgrounds.
Increasing self-reflection and supporting teamwork in the Department, gaining new perspectives on learners with disabilities.
Students
Providing a different learning environment for students with SEN, a new way to express themselves & learn about their identity.
Fostering their skills’ development on various areas.
Creating an awareness and curiosity in the pupils to explore what they are learning from divers perspectives.
Teachers
Helping complement their teaching motivation and objectives in the classroom, combining art, history and literature, and fun museum learning.
Looking into the usefulness of the online teachers’ support materials (gallery/classroom activities), and how these might be developed.
Building up a good-working cooperation between the schools and museums.
Museum educators
Identifying good practices which could be adapted and developed for various groups with different disabilities and backgrounds.
Increasing self-reflection and supporting teamwork in the Department, gaining new perspectives on learners with disabilities.
INTERDISCIPLINARY CULTURAL HISTORY PROGRAM
The chosen topics for the museum classes are closely linked to the history and literature curriculums (9th and 10th grade) as the pieces of the collection reflect to the past and culture of Hungary (and the exhibited artworks can be also found as illustrations in many of the Hungarian textbooks, therefore the students can have an “aha” moment recognizing them).
The covered historical events and eras were
The chosen topics for the museum classes are closely linked to the history and literature curriculums (9th and 10th grade) as the pieces of the collection reflect to the past and culture of Hungary (and the exhibited artworks can be also found as illustrations in many of the Hungarian textbooks, therefore the students can have an “aha” moment recognizing them).
The covered historical events and eras were
- the battle of Mohács (1526)
- the war of independence (1848/49)
- the Compromise and the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867)
- the Millennial (1896)
- the time of the First World War (1914)
- changes of times – cultural and art life after 1945
Participants
One of the partner schools is the Gorsium High School, Székesfehérvár which is approx. 60 kms from Budapest. The institution is a non-governmental school supported by a foundation with particular emphasis on training in the arts. A key criteria was the school’s selection into the program their location and inclusive approach. In the 10th grade class there are 28 students and several of them have a particularly difficult socio-economic background, with four children living in poverty. Some of them are living with permanent medical problems and almost a quarter of them are getting professional help regularly.
The other partner school of the project is the Budapest branch of Premier Art Secondary School. The participating students (10th grade class) study different music majors (vocals; drums; guitar). As this group was smaller we could build up a stronger connection with them.
One of the partner schools is the Gorsium High School, Székesfehérvár which is approx. 60 kms from Budapest. The institution is a non-governmental school supported by a foundation with particular emphasis on training in the arts. A key criteria was the school’s selection into the program their location and inclusive approach. In the 10th grade class there are 28 students and several of them have a particularly difficult socio-economic background, with four children living in poverty. Some of them are living with permanent medical problems and almost a quarter of them are getting professional help regularly.
The other partner school of the project is the Budapest branch of Premier Art Secondary School. The participating students (10th grade class) study different music majors (vocals; drums; guitar). As this group was smaller we could build up a stronger connection with them.
- Five of the seven students commute daily from the capital’s agglomeration and one of them has a permanent address outside of the country (Slovakia).
- Their family background varies but there are more separated parents and some children have step-parents.
- Several of the children have already been in therapy or received professional help. (The whole class reported that during the quarantine they experienced a significant psychological burden.)
- More members of the class are officially SEN students, as they have difficulties with calculation, writing and reading, motor skills or have developmental delay in school skills.
Methodology
The preparatory and follow-up lessons were held in the students’ schools and for each topic there was a museum class. For the Gorsium High School due to the pandemic we held three extended museum program hence they needed to travel less. The class of the Premier High School visited the HNG six times. Each museum visit began with an interactive guided tour in the permanent collection [and as we could match with our goals, we went through with the groups within the two current temporary exhibitions, the show on the art of Gerhard Richter (1932- ) and Pál Szinyei-Merse 1845-1920)] of the Gallery. During the guided tours we used drama games, smell games, memory games and auditory tasks.
Based on each topic and guided tour the students created their own work of art (group work / individual work) using numerous techniques and media:
The preparatory and follow-up lessons were held in the students’ schools and for each topic there was a museum class. For the Gorsium High School due to the pandemic we held three extended museum program hence they needed to travel less. The class of the Premier High School visited the HNG six times. Each museum visit began with an interactive guided tour in the permanent collection [and as we could match with our goals, we went through with the groups within the two current temporary exhibitions, the show on the art of Gerhard Richter (1932- ) and Pál Szinyei-Merse 1845-1920)] of the Gallery. During the guided tours we used drama games, smell games, memory games and auditory tasks.
Based on each topic and guided tour the students created their own work of art (group work / individual work) using numerous techniques and media:
- collage technique
- tempera painting
- video creation
- lenticular poster creation
Major results - skills development and attitude change
How can museum education assist students with SEN?
The museum classes and creative tasks tailored to the visiting groups’ needs proved that students with SEN are able to improve particular skills with the help of art. They also tend to collaborate more easily with each other in an informal learning space and deepen their knowledge on various topics related to the curriculum. Applying auditory aide during learning helps children to memorize new information and create associative links between data.
During its accredited teacher training the Hungarian National Gallery aims to mediate the good practices and fosters knowledge sharing between teachers and the museum helping the teachers getting to know better the museum’s educational practices in order to making them more committed and motivated.
- the students got used to informal learning spaces (museum interior and studio)
- ability to observe and talk freely with their own words about objects of art & their thoughts and feelings
- fine motor skills, spatial vision and abstraction skills were developed
- using the same two museum educator as presenter and instructor gave the students a point of reference (particularly valuable for students with difficulties)
How can museum education assist students with SEN?
The museum classes and creative tasks tailored to the visiting groups’ needs proved that students with SEN are able to improve particular skills with the help of art. They also tend to collaborate more easily with each other in an informal learning space and deepen their knowledge on various topics related to the curriculum. Applying auditory aide during learning helps children to memorize new information and create associative links between data.
During its accredited teacher training the Hungarian National Gallery aims to mediate the good practices and fosters knowledge sharing between teachers and the museum helping the teachers getting to know better the museum’s educational practices in order to making them more committed and motivated.