ROCK PAPER SCISSORS Habiba Nabisubi 1 September 2023 – 30 August 2024 Back Images Over the autumn term and spring term, Habiba Nabisubi worked with a group of children from Grange Primary School for a weekly afterschool club. They have been exploring hair and identity but the club also became a creative space for them to process emotions around news and current affairs. The project culminated in a DIY exhibition and as a farewell Habiba gifted portraits of all the children! These beautiful portraits were then installed as part of a trail of exhibits around Drawing Room, ROCK PAPER SCISSORS: A Snapshot . Habiba’s recent Teacher Assembly: Drawing Race encouraged local primary school teachers to think critically about how drawing techniques, materials, tones and references provided in the classroom can better reflect the diversity of our communities. This session illuminated how important it is for all children to feel seen and have the confidence and tools to draw themselves and each other. For her Family Studio in April, Habiba invited families to celebrate the springtime through creating textured flower crowns. The sun flooded the community studio as families transported the space into a meadow! For Habiba’s Family Studio in June, families created sculptures of their hair using card, wool, ribbon, pipe cleaners and paraded their new styles down the catwalk! We recently hosted a forum for the ROCK PAPER SCISSORS artists to come together and reflect on projects whilst unpacking ideas through making and discussion. Habiba led a thoughtful session, sharing her fascination with hair and read an autobiographical text, whilst inviting the group to make stress balls and hair styles. Habiba Nabisubi is a British-Ugandan artist-illustrator and mental health advocate based in South London. Through drawing she celebrates Black people in authentic and beautiful ways and views her artworks as an opportunity for others to learn, grow and reflect. She graduated from Camberwell College of the Arts in BA Illustration 2016; then went on to participate in Arts Council funded Pathways Into (2019-2021). Selected projects include Hair, Untold Stories, Horniman Museum, 2020; illustrated ‘Our Rights: Stories and Poems about Children’s Rights’ edited by Jake Hope. Thank you to all involved: Ahsen, Alice, Alina, Angel, Anissa, Augustina, Cheryl, Ibrahim, Justina, Madina, Nabila, Rayane, Rozzena, Sana, Stephen, Solihom, Yusra: Afterschool Club Children, Grange Primary School Betsy Dadd, Learning Curator, Drawing Room Habiba Nabisubi, Artist Genevieve Miller, Learning Coordinator, Drawing Room Inemi Ese, Workshop Assistant, Drawing Room Jesse Ajilore, Workshop Assistant, Drawing Room Solomon Williams, Workshop Assistant, Drawing Room Will Nicholls, Workshop Assistant, Drawing Room https://drawingroom.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/12/Art-Club-Loop.mp4 Scrapbook Beautiful out of a brown envelope portraits of the workshop participants made my heart melt - one very special moment that I got to share with you - such a generous and unexpected act - that's why art is important and necessary - it reminds us what it means to be human. David Bickle, Board member. I've never been able to make a big inky mess before! Ahsen, child. Oh my! What energy! What joy! What chaos! What accomplished work from young people! What love! What drawings! David Bickle, Board Member My favourite thing was having Biba in art club she’s very kind and shows a lot of love. Ibrahim, child. I like the amount of tools we get to use, my favourites are the paint sticks. Augustina, chi;d. I found the best sessions were the ones when the children had the freedom and fluidity to experiment and discover new things on their own. I also found them the most rewarding because more often the not the children's ideas, curiosity and/or creativity took me by surprise. Habiba Nabisubi, artist.