make online: play / resist

Join us in our upcoming session of make online: play / resist, where four artist educators will explore the interconnected themes of play, experimentation and resistance.  
 
In a series of bite-sized presentations and performances, each presenter will offer a snapshot of these themes as they appear in their practice, showing how creative freedom and joy can contribute to a more democratic, equitable learning environment for all. 

Simone Maier 
 
This participatory workshop explores how art and education can become acts of resistance against artwashing and exploitation. Through discussion and creative manifesto-making, participants will consider how classrooms can function as spaces of critical agency and social intervention. 
 
Thea Brown
 
In her presentation, Thea will reflect on how ideas from Dada to DIY have shaped a playful, experimental approach in her classroom. 
 
Sophie Doyle
 
Dive into the messy joy of playful experimentation. As a proud member of the Manchester Artist Teachers Collective, Sophie will share a snapshot of the creative renewal that has recently transformed her practice. She will showcase her experience as part of the MATC as well as the creative freedom displayed by her students, both of which have inspired her to embrace play as a powerful tool for boosting mental wellbeing, building self-esteem and giving yourself permission to try, fail and truly discover. Join Sophie in raising awareness for play as an essential ingredient in every classroom, studio and life. 
 
Sepanta Aleahmad

Through a performance followed by a talk, Sadegh (Sepanta) aims to explore the idea of play in contemporary art as a political methodology encompassing resistance and inclusion, while experimenting with meaning and materials across both studio and socially engaged practices. 

This event will take place online on Zoom on Thursday 4 December, 6.30pm UTC.

It is free and open to all. Please RSVP at this link.

Artist, lecturer, and researcher Simone Maier teaches at City Lit and London Metropolitan University. She believes art is a vital force for imagining more sustainable, equitable and joyful futures. 
 
Thea Brown is Head of Art and Photography in a large comprehensive school in West Bromwich. She is a multidisciplinary artist, a GCSE and A Level moderator, and a former Black Country Art Lead Teacher with Arts Connect. 
 
With 25 years of teaching experience, Sophie Doyle brings a wealth of expertise to the classroom, including 19 years as an Art Specialist at Manchester Hospital School. Sophie earned her degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing at the prestigious Birmingham School of Jewellery, incorporating diverse skills through semesters in woodworking and textiles. This multidisciplinary background continues to inform her teaching practice. Sophie has been a member of the Manchester Artist Teachers Collective since September 2024, which she credits with having revitalised her work and boosted her teaching. The surge of creativity, joy and collaborative fun she experienced has made Sophie an advocate for this kind of creative nourishment for everyone in today’s demanding world: for our students, and for teachers balancing a career with a busy family life. 
 
Sadegh (Sepanta) Aleahmad is a London-based, Iranian-born artist who examines the construction of his diasporic identity through performance, sculpture, poetry, moving image and photography.  His work de-territorialises various Islamic disciplines, detaching them from their personal, religious and socio-political connotations, fusing them with the aesthetics and ethics of Western contemporary art-making.  Sepanta’s research explores the connotations and applications of mirrors and visual displacement through the lens of Islamic discipline and Western culture. His practice focuses on solo work and community collaborations.  

make online is an international online forum for artist-teachers to share tools, skills and ideas.  
 
Every half-term, contributors showcase to their peers an innovative idea or approach from their practice; from resources that have sparked new responses in the classroom, to practical demonstrations of exercises and techniques, to snapshots of works-in-progress. 
 
Intended as a practical exchange of skills and knowledge, make online encourages playfulness and experimentation and prioritises process over outcome. 
 
The series extends the work of the make residencies held in 2021 and 2022, which brought together artist-teachers working in different contexts across the UK to exchange ideas and practices through a series of process-driven workshops. 

Image: Courtesy of Sophie Doyle.