This hands-on cave painting workshop explores foraging and painting with natural paints.
 
The workshop allows students to discuss and see how natural paints can be made from materials around them.

The workshop involves a ‘cave painting’ practical.

The workshop links to the exhibition at Elaine Evans Archaeology Gallery Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.  The exhibition shows how the lives of ancient individuals and communities and celebrates Brighton & Hove’s rich archaeological heritage.

Cave Painting workshop outline

Stone Age drawings, paintings and stencils are very important to historians to learn about life during the Stone Age as there are no written records or photographic evidence from this time.

Much of this ‘art’ from this time is found in caves. At Stanmer there is no ‘art’ but there is archaeological evidence from the late Stone Age, also called the Neolithic era.

We can presume that the evidence from caves in Europe can also tell us things about Stone Age people here at Stanmer.

The workshop starts with a foraging walk through Stanmer Park upto the Earthship.  During the walk we will be looking for standing wood, berries, flowers, edible leaves, flint and chalk.  Some of these materials can be used to make pigments for natural paints.

There is a practical hands-on bushcraft activity of cave art painting of the Earthship walls.

The conclusion is a discussion around how people studying bushcraft or wood lore are keeping these useful skills as foraging alive.

Cave Painting workshop learning objectives

Through the workshop students will develop an understanding of:

• Ancient history in the context of our local surroundings.
• Tools and skills used by our ancestors in daily life.
• How ancient survival skills have been passed down through generations and have been shared.

Cave Painting workshop key stage links

The workshop links with different topics within the National Curriculum:

• Key Stage 2: History, art and geography
• Key Stage 3: History, art and geography

The workshop was developed as part of the Stanmer Restoration Project.  The project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the BIG Lottery ‘Parks for People’ scheme, as well as Brighton & Hove City Council, Plumpton College and the South Downs National Park Authority.

If you are interested in this workshop as part of an Eco Education Day then please contact us.