Zine Workshop

The 5s to 13s Befriending children and their volunteers throughly enjoyed a free workshop provided by the Winchester Art Gallery on Monday 6th January.

Kate Maple, the gallery manager, invited the children and their befrienders to come in and see the wonderful exhibition that is currently installed in the gallery by 1980’s fashion designer Sue Clowes. The children and their volunteers were encouraged to look around the exhibition and choose an item of clothing that they liked. Kate then explained how the designer had used hobo symbols in their designs and that they had taken their inspiration from the symbols that travellers that had used them across America to communicate secretly with each other.

Kate then demonstrated how to create a mini book called a zine out of a sheet of paper. Once everyone had made their zine we were then shown how to use a variety of secret codes to write our own secret messages. The children and adults were entharalled with this activity and not only enjoyed creating their own secret codes but also decoding each others as well. They also got to take their zine home in a secret wallet that they attached to a lanyard.

One focus child said “I liked making up my own code and wrote this secret message to my family. I will have to let them know what the code is though so they know what it says!” and another said “I am going to make a secret code up for my friend so that no one else will know what we are talking about!”

Our thanks go to Kate for providing such an interesting workshop for the children and adults, everyone had a super time.