Amy Leung is a London-based artist working across sculpture, drawing and workshops to explore the articulation and communication of joy. Working in art education, she is interested in the intersections in which community, craft, objects and cultural identity meet. Material exploration and playing collaboratively are key to her practice, with ideas emerging through making together. Her favourite materials are fabric, paper, ink and clay and she is interested in how we move through spaces and places. Amy has previously worked with schools, families and communities on projects at Camden Art Centre, Firstsite, the Royal Academy, South London Gallery, Towner Eastbourne and MK Gallery. She has a MA in Art and Design in Education from the Institute Of Education, University College London.
Growing Together Year 6 Project
June 2024–June 2025
Growing Together strategically focuses on the Year 6 cohort at Heathbrook Primary School less than a mile from Studio Voltaire, at a critical moment in students’ mental health and well-being.
This long-term learning project focuses on the transition of Year 6 students to secondary school, working to centre and support students and teachers to develop well-being strategies through creative practice.
Taking inspiration from the changes and cycles of the natural world, artist Amy Leung is working with students and teachers to explore wellbeing and joy through a range of artmaking activities. The programme encourages students to reflect on their own experiences of a transitory time to create a personal and collective toolkit to have with them for the next stage in their education and artistic practices.
The project takes its cue from ‘Philosophy for Children’ or enquiry-based learning, which offers a way to open up young people’s learning through inquisitive exploration of ideas and open-ended discussion. Students learn that their individual and collective ideas have value, gaining the confidence to ask questions and be curious.
Discussions around time, growth, emotions and change are rooted in making and playing. Through the use of natural materials, participants strengthen existing and learn new skills, including weaving, field recording, journal making, seed bombs, sketching, growing, and conversation and asking questions such as ‘How can you carry your home with you?’ and ‘What can make you feel grounded, calm, comfortable when things are changing?’.
Taking place at Heathbrook and Studio Voltaire, workshops and trips which started in Year 5, have been spaced apart throughout the academic year to reflect the changing seasons. Workshops have been designed to plant seeds of ideas and questions to pick up on in future sessions.
Heathbrook Primary School teachers are participating in a series of Creative Professional Development Sessions led by artists Amy Leung, Katka Krajci and Hot Desque. The sessions explore the school’s art curriculum and teaching methodologies to support Year 6’s transition to secondary school and aim to replenish educators’ creativity and connection to nature and time. The sessions aim to ensure that more teachers and staff participate in training and lead art activities across the school.
A final celebratory sharing with teachers, young people and their families took place in May 2025.
Growing Together was supported by Freelands Foundation
Heathbrook Primary School, located in Lambeth, is committed to creating an environment that inspires children to learn. The school’s vision emphasises energising children to become lifelong learners within a thriving learning community, where each child aspires to achieve their dreams.
Heathbrook Primary School is a caring and welcoming environment where children are encouraged to aim high, fulfil their potential, and take advantage of all opportunities available. The school firmly believes in establishing a strong partnership between home and school, working closely with parents, carers, and the wider community to ensure the success of its pupils. Recognising that children deserve the best possible opportunities in life, Heathbrook prioritises building strong connections between home and school to support every child’s learning journey.
Dedicated to providing an emotionally supportive and creative environment, Heathbrook fosters strong, trusting relationships between staff, pupils, parents, carers, governors, and local partners. The school values the uniqueness of every child and strives to nurture their individual potential.
Heathbrook encourages children to reach their full potential and develop a love of learning in its broadest sense. To achieve this, the school offers exceptionally varied opportunities, including an extensive outdoor learning environment and a highly creative Community Curriculum.
In addition to maintaining high expectations in English and Maths, Heathbrook provides children with opportunities to participate in an orchestra, experiment in an art studio, and engage in a wide range of local sports activities. Strong relationships with families are central to the school’s ethos, and the Friends of Heathbrook Primary, a thriving Parent Teacher Association, plays a key role in supporting its vision and values.
