PSTA Outreach in Azerbaijani Schools

Currently a team from PSTA is working alongside the Ministry of Education in Azerbaijan to develop a series of educational workshops and resources for Junior Schools that engage with the artistic and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan. The workshops connect disciplines from across the curriculum and are intended to stimulate creative thinking and increase participant’s appreciation of the natural world. PSTA has taught in three schools in Baku, providing both taster sessions in geometry, and a full three day workshop that culminates in a large collaborative artwork. In addition to this the team has been leading teacher development courses and assisting with family drop in workshops to coincide with the Novruz celebrations. The central theme for the three day workshops this term has been floral growth, taking inspiration from the painted ceilings and panels of Sheki Khan Palace. Students have been taken through a process that starts by looking at the science of flowers and botanical drawing, to eventually showing techniques for creating their own biomorphic designs. Students make their own colours and paints using egg tempera; are shown the mathematics of spirals as well as being shown how to construct the pattern for the group piece using a compass and ruler.