About Artyverse

 

Artyverse is the brainchild of Dr Melissa Westbrook, an art historian, curator, multisensory educator and the founder of the international art movement known as the Neo-Outsiders. Our classes are based on workshops that she created for three multisensory exhibitions held in Oxford, UK:  Mirror Mirror (2014), Alice 3.0: An Alternative Wonderland (2014) and Thereby Hangs a Tale (2016).

Artyverse classes combine sensory activities and art-making. Our students explore a weekly topic through games, such as multisensory bingo. They are taught to think about the role that the senses play in our understanding - and interpretation of - the world around us.

Having raised this awareness, we then introduce students to a unique set of sensory tools which are used to create a multisensory piece of art.  These tools change each week and are tailored specifically to the week’s topic.

Artyverse classes teach students how to add scent, sound, smell, touch and even taste to add extra layers of meaning to their art work. They are unique and have been featured on BBC Oxford News and in the Oxford Times. Dr Westbrook has also written about her innovative approach to art education in Designing with Smell (published by Routledge) and in AD magazine, the official publication for the National Society for Education in Art and Design.

For more information please contact Melissa Westbrook at info@artyverse.com.