By Maria Falgoust & Josefin Skoglund

On September 8, 2016, over 200 ISB students in Pre-K through 5th Grade kicked off the new school year with a cross-divisional collaborative workshop led by the French author and illustrator extraordinaire, Hervé Tullet. Tullet is the celebrated author of many innovative, colorful, and interactive books such as Press Here, Mix it Up, and I am Blop!  He is also well-known for his art workshops, which he has performed for children of all ages in locations across the world, including Los Angeles, New Delhi, London, Malawi, and most recently: Brooklyn!

On the first day of school, in anticipation of his visit, teachers prepared their students by creating works of art inspired by Tullet’s techniques and palette. Needless to say, the work they produced was phenomenal.

To warm up the crowd, Tullet began the workshop with a playful call and response greeting. He continued by reading from a selection of his books. A handful of students volunteered to assist, while the audience was encouraged to echo the readers with a series of silly sounds.

Next, everyone rolled up their sleeves, grabbed a paintbrush and a cup of paint, and found an open spot in the courtyard. Tullet called out prompts over his megaphone. Following his instructions, the students began to experiment with shapes and lines. Little by little, everyone worked some of their own magic on enormous works of art that stretched across the whole yard.

“It was fun to paint shapes with different colors and make a beautiful mess!” -Stoney, 4th Grade

Thank you to Hervé Tullet for hosting an incredible workshop. This was an unforgettable day for our students, and it was a great way to set the tone for a year of collaborative learning! Another big thank you to all of the parents, administrators, and teachers who volunteered and helped to make this event a success. We hope you enjoyed seeing this spontaneous work of art come together as much as we did! 

Check out this amazing video of the day’s workshop below, created by ISB Parent Caleb Cooks.