M embarks upon a new school project

At the end of the 2023-24 school year, M searched for four teachers from Leuven who were willing to take their classes to the museum at least four times a year, and who would be open to creating a tailored educational experience.

What could be more enjoyable than lying on your stomach and drawing in the middle of a museum?

Wendy Willems

Teacher

Margo Fannes (38) teaches art in Year 8 at Heilig Hart Heverlee. Wendy Willems (39) is a newly qualified teacher who has made a career change; she teaches Year 3 at Boven-Lo Primary School. They are both excited about the project, which will continue for the rest of this school year.

Wendy: “I teach Art on Friday mornings. I noticed that every Friday, there was just one question that my pupils kept asking: ‘What are we going to make today?’”

Margo: “Ah, do you get that too?”

Wendy: “I have long considered using art as a starting point, a technique I learned during my condensed teaching education. However, due to my hesitation, M’s suggestion couldn’t have come at a better time. We look together at what activities and exhibitions might be of interest to us, and how I might weave in a school-based follow-up.”

Zaalzicht Peter Morrens, 'OEEEEEEUUUUVVRE', 2024, M Leuven, foto: © Marie Dreezen voor M Leuven

Margo: “Shortly after our selection, Marlies from M sent us an email with information about the project (see box). In it, she mentioned that we were allowed to dream. Wow, I thought, imagine if my pupils were allowed to exhibit their exam pieces at M and explain them to visitors. That would be crazy, right? What I like most about this project is that everything is up for discussion. I even get paralysed sometimes by the sheer breadth of choice (laughs).”

Wendy: “I recently attended the Peter Morrens exhibition with my class, and it was truly remarkable. It was wonderful! They were still talking about it the next day: about the carrousel that spontaneously began to turn when you approached it, about the painting of Saint Nicholas wedged in a chimney… They were shocked that Peter Morrens was still alive. ‘Ah, so an artist isn’t necessarily dead, or what?’ (laughs)”

Zaalzicht 'Collectie van M', 2024, M Leuven, foto: © Elias Derboven voor M Leuven

Margo: “We’ve already seen the exhibition, but we’d like to go back when Peter Morrens is there. My students have some questions for him. When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist? Where do you get your inspiration? Why do you think that words are art? Peter Morrens also uses words, movement and sound. There’s even a sound installation on a track that runs throughout the whole museum. All of a sudden, you hear the artist saying ‘hello’ or humming. The pupils look at you: ‘huh, what is this?’”

“Last year, I visited a school in Palermo, where, together with the museum, they had transformed paintings into 3D works so that blind and partially sighted people could touch them. It gave me an idea: why not involve all the senses in an art class? So, in addition to vision, there would be hearing, taste, smell, etc. The Peter Morrens exhibition fit perfectly.”

Wendy: “I enjoyed that the children were given tasks to complete as they went along. What could be more enjoyable than lying on your stomach and drawing in the middle of a museum?”

Margo: “Teachers often don’t know that they can book a visit to M in advance. They can do so for free, even without a guide. This project has helped me realize that I can also go there with my other art classes.”

Wendy: “Do you know what I appreciate the most? Until recently, some of my pupils had never been inside a museum. Now that door has been opened for them. All children should have the opportunity to come into contact with art, and this project is a good start.”

“Who knows, maybe tomorrow’s artists are in my class!”

Marlies Verreydt, Audience Engagement Officer at M, explains what the project involves.
M is more than just a museum; we also have a social mission. In the past, we have had extensive partnerships with schools, such as ‘The Art Bridge’, our multi-year collaboration with Mater Dei. In September 2024, we launched a new project, with the goal of engaging four teachers from Leuven schools – both primary and secondary – for an entire school year, in a variety of ways. The outcome of this collaboration will only be apparent as we go through the process. We hope that a mutually beneficial partnership will emerge, enhancing both the schools and M.