Where the World Inspires the Classroom.....

What an inspiring few days I had facilitating the Category 1 Arts workshop in stunning Brussels!

We began by diving into the essentials of MYP unit planning, reflecting on how to create rich, inquiry-based learning experiences that empower students to connect personally and globally through the arts.

A true highlight of our time together was the field trip to the powerful exhibition “When We See Us”, inspired by Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us. With over 150 works by around 120 artists, the exhibition explored Black self-representation and global Black subjectivities, presented through six deeply resonant themes:

The Everyday
Joy & Revelry
Repose
Sensuality
Spirituality
Triumph and Emancipation

We also visited a local park, where public statues and a historical monument sparked rich conversations and provoked inquiry into concepts of equality, representation, and power. While the monuments themselves weren’t explicitly focused on equality, they prompted powerful questions that deepened our engagement with real-world issues and the role of art in questioning societal norms.

These experiences became catalysts for creativity - participants returned inspired, generating incredibly thoughtful and powerful unit ideas rooted in authentic, real-world contexts. From exploring social justice through sculpture to expressing identity through mixed media, the ideas that emerged were both diverse and deeply meaningful.

This workshop reminded us that the world around us is a living classroom, and when we draw on it with intention, we create learning that is relevant, inclusive, and transformative.

A huge thanks to the brilliant participants for your energy, openness, and creativity. It was an absolute privilege to work with you!