The third group the Ashmolean has worked with is the Oxfordshire Hospital School, based at the JR hospital. The amazing staff at the Hospital School ensure the children have the opportunity to continue with their education, join in with activities, have fun and learn new skills.
Every Tuesday, since September, the school has used Manet’s Portrait of Mademoiselle Claus to inspire their art sessions. Dionne Freeman, a local artist, runs the art sessions.
The children well enough to join the art sessions have embraced a myriad of techniques, approaches, themes and mediums: they have imagined the sitters’ view (one included a yummy ice cream shop), deconstructed and reconstructed the portrait, embraced the theme of celebrity culture (with none other than David Beckham!), created gorgeous fashions for Mlle Claus, used shapes and fashion to inspire prints and created 3D rooms or scenes in which she is sitting. 
They have had guests: an actress, also a teacher from Oxfordshire County Council used her skills to give the children the opportunity to get to know the Mlle Claus in a ‘Meet the sitter’ session and recently, we have been delighted to welcome the Oxford Concert Party to inspire artistic responses with music that Mlle Claus (who was a professional violinist) may have played (we used a piece from 1868!). The children got to play with a vast range of instruments from around the world and compose a piece which illustrated holidays.
Even children who weren’t well enough to leave their beds received bedside visits from myself, Dionne and the musicians to meet Mlle Claus and Manet to spark their own creative responses.
A selection of art work from Oxfordshire Hospital School will be on exhibition at from Ashmolean Museum in the Manet Community Exhibition, the Education Studio Gallery from 13 December to early January.