Introduction
As both a practicing artist designer and educator I strive to integrate my professional expertise within my pedagogic practice. In addition to my core teaching duties at LCC, I devise and deliver creative workshops including:
- UAL: Drawing Club (themes change weekly)
- UAL: Earth Week (Elemental Animals and Mythical Creatures)
- LCC/GMD: LAB (Drawing for Design)
- LCC: Welcome Week (Community Kitchen)
- LCC: Community Day (Community Portrait)
Through this intervention summary proposal, I will outline the development of an intervention which will build upon my existing areas of work to celebrate diversity, promote inclusivity and create community and co-learning opportunities among UAL students and staff.
Fig.1 Intervention Planning: Creative Workshop (Kelly Harrison 24/5/2025)
In response to the present challenges presented by rising costs of living and increasing student numbers from diverse backgrounds with wide-ranging needs, this intervention will align with my commitment to foster (Fig.1):
- Creativity
- Confidence
- Connection
- Collaboration
- Community
Fig.2 UAL: Drawing Club 1 (Trudi Esberger and Kelly Harrison, 2023)
UAL: Drawing Club
Between Autumn 2022- Summer 2024, I co-ran UAL: Drawing Club weekly workshops at LCC with Trudi Esberger. The first iteration of DC was launched online by TE during Covid-19. When in-person teaching resumed and the cost-of-living crisis hit, KH and TE collaborated to launch DC as weekly in-person workshops every Tuesday at LCC from 6-8pm.
All drawing materials plus hot drinks and snacks were provided free of charge and a different drawing theme was offered each week. The sessions were open to all UAL students and staff, with an average session accommodating between 40-50 participants per week.
Fig.3 UAL: Drawing Club 2 (Trudi Esberger and Kelly Harrison 2023)
Note: TE and KH have had other work commitments this year and UAL: Drawing Club did not run during 2024/25.
Intervention Planning
In consultation with my colleagues, it is my aim to re-launch DC in Autumn 2025 and to allocate a number of bespoke designed workshops as live case study sessions upon which to scaffold my Action Research Project, having followed the correct procedures with regard to student permissions etc.
An initial sample idea for such an intervention workshop session could be:
Exploring and Drawing Diversity – celebrating identity through visual exploration of our nine protected characteristics (Equality Act, 2010)
Fig.4 Intervention Planning: Exploring and Drawing Diversity (Kelly Harrison, 24/5/2025)
I anticipate my immediate tasks to be:
- Discuss re-launch of UAL: Drawing Club 2025 with GMD Programme Director
- Explore timetabling options to best accommodate students e.g. new Y1
- Plan weekly session activities, plus focus on bespoke ARP session requirements
- Estimate costs for related materials and refreshments, agree budget
- Action feedback from tutor and peers, in preparation for the reflective report
I look forward to future discussions with my peers and colleagues and to receiving feedback from my tutor – I’m excited about progressing these activities and developing new areas of my pedagogic practice.
Reference
Harrison K. UAL GMD LAB: Drawing for Design (2025) https://lab.gmdlcc.com/lab/drawing-for-design/
Esberger T. and Harrison K. UAL Drawing Club (2023) https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/stories/join-lccs-weekly-drawing-club
UAL Tell Us About It Archive https://archives.arts.ac.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=Catalog&id=TU
Salamon S. Drawing Laboratory (2018) https://sparkjournal.arts.ac.uk/index.php/spark/article/view/99/182
Equality Act (2010) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents
Lamm E. L. Visualising Inclusiveness and Diversity (2020) https://www.evalotta.net/blog/2018/5/8/visualising-inclusiveness-and-diversion
Birdi S. Drawing Diversity (2021) https://collections.reading.ac.uk/art-collections/learn/artist-residencies/drawing-diversity/
Millington R. 10 Artists Promoting Diversity Through Portraiture (2020) https://tinyurl.com/mr2h8ypx