Art

Art

Culture enriches lives, and participation in creative and cultural activities can have a significant impact on young people, by developing their appreciation, their skills and helping them to learn.

This has been shown repeatedly in international studies, and has also been backed up by recent evaluations of major programmes such as Creative Partnerships and Museums’ Strategic Commissioning. What these evaluations have shown is that culture and the arts can help young people achieve all of the Every Child Matters outcomes.

Cultural activities also gives young people the chance to develop important life skills such as creativity.

As well as being valuable and enjoyable in its own right, participation in cultural activities also gives young people the chance to develop important life skills such as creativity, confidence, self-discipline, effective communication and the ability to work in teams. These skills are particularly important in a world of rapid technological and social change where the cultural and creative industries are increasingly important to our economic future.

That is why a commitment was made in the Children’s Plan to work towards a position where all children and young people — no matter where they live or what their background — have the chance to participate in at least five hours of high-quality culture per week, in and out of school. The Find Your Talent programme looks at different ways of offering young people a range of cultural experiences.

The aim is to give young people the chance to develop as:

  • informed spectators (through attending top quality theatre and dance performances, world class exhibitions, galleries, museums and heritage sites)
  • participants and creators (through learning a musical instrument, playing and singing in ensembles, taking part in theatre and dance performances, producing artwork, making films and media art, or curating an exhibition).

Arts and cultural activities are also an important stimulus to develop young people’s creativity. Learning Outside the Classroom activities which give children and young people the opportunity to work on real-life challenges; handle risk; develop their capacity to think imaginatively and creatively; define and explore complex problems; use and adapt multiple resources both within their community and beyond in order to experiment and devise solutions to these problems — all of these experiences nurture the mix of thinking, imagining, facing the unknown and making things happen which are the ingredients of creativity.

School Art and Design courses provide students with a wide range of creative, exciting and stimulating opportunities to explore their artistic interests and design skills in ways that are personally relevant.

All schools aim to develop students’ ability to engage in practical ways with the processes of Art and Design. And at examination level all courses build on students’ innate creative skills through learning and doing in order to develop imaginative ways of working. They aim to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of media, materials and technologies in historical and contemporary contexts, societies and cultures.

The educational visits that can enhance the learning experiences outside the classroom obviously include art galleries and studios, but there are now many opportunities to have hands-on experiences in a variety of skills, including sculpture, wood carving, furniture making, weaving, jewelry making, and pottery.

The BBC offer a fabulous section of their website called Your Paintings. It boasts a superb schools section which grew out of a Your Painitings Masterpieces in Schools event that took place across the country. The event gave thousands of UK school children the opportunity to experience great art close-up when a masterpiece visited their schools for the day. To support the project the BBC have curated a host of online resources including: slideshows of paintings with ideas for use in the classroom; profiles of careers in the art world; and a guide to artistic styles and movements. These cover many areas of the curriculum including History, Music, Geography, English and Drama as well as Art.

Main organisations:

Arts Council

Engage

National Society for Education in Art and Design

National Foundation for Educational Research

Inclusion: NASEN, and the Royal Academy of Arts runs regular sensory workshops for SEN students.

Thought of visiting?

The National Gallery

National Portrait Gallery

Royal Academy of Arts

Tate Modern

The Tate, St Ives

Victoria and Albert Museum

Birmingham Art Gallery

Cardiff Art Gallery at the National Museum Cardiff

The Eden Project, Cornwall

Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music, Gloucester

Sir Richard Arkwright’s Cromford Mill, Derbyshire

Snibston Discovery Park, Coalville, Leicestershire

Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth

The National Stone Centre, Wirksworth

Articles about Art, Education and Trips on SchoolTripsAdvisor

Find out about the National Portrait Gallery's exhibition: Real Tudors: Kings & Queens Rediscovered

Read Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry's thoughts on Art Education, published recently in the TES.

Venues for this Curriculum

Experience the archaeology, history and natural history of the Island in the Bute Museum

Bute Museum is an independently run museum where visitors can explore the Natural and Historical Heritage of the Isle of Bute. The History & Archaeology Gallery has displays covering aspects of Bute's History from Mesolithic and Neolithic times through to the closing years of the 20th century. The Natural History Gallery allows visitors to explore the geology, plants, animals and birds

Cydebank Museum and Art Gallery is situated beside the now demolished John Brown shipyard where many of the famous liners of the Clyde were built. The Museum and Art Gallery showcases an exciting temporary exhibition programme featuring fine art and touring exhibitions and has small permanent displays relating to the shipbuilding industry and the Singer Sewing Machine Collection.

Situated within the town’s main library, the museum tells the story of Cumbernauld and surrounding area from pre-history to the Romans and on through the 19th century, to the development of the new town in the 1960s. A studies area allows for more in-depth research or browsing of photograph albums.

Admission free.

Fine Art

A four star visitor attraction, Motherwell Heritage Centre features Technopolis, an award-winning interactive experience on the area's past

Housed in a stunning modern building at the top of Hamilton Road, just opposite the station, Motherwell Heritage Centre features Technopolis, an award-winning interactive experience on the area’s past from the Romans to the great days of heavy industry.

Moorside Mills was built around 1875 as a small worsted spinning Mill by John Moore. Ownership of the mills changed many times, and they developed and grew. In 1970, Bradford Council bought Moorside Mills from Messrs. W & J Whitehead to create an innovative museum.

With the reopening of the museum there are a host of new and exciting displays and activities for you, including re-displayed period reception rooms featuring sparkling, restored chandeliers and new historic light fittings, and a new Dining with the Butterfields display which will give you a glimpse into how the family would have wined and dined their important guests.

Cartwright Hall is Bradford's civic art gallery and offers an exciting programme of contemporary exhibitions, with four permanent galleries displaying works from our art collections. The collections consist mainly of 19th and 20th century British art, with strong collections of international contemporary prints and contemporary South Asian art and crafts.

The UK's only China Clay Museum and Country Park. It's a blast at Wheal Martyn!

Set in 26 acres of woodland, on the outskirts of St Austell, the UK's only china clay museum and country park provides a fascinating day out for all the family. The park is set in the grounds of two former working china clay pits and provides visitors with a fascinating insight into china clay.

Stuart House is a late medieval town house restored by the Stuart House Trust as an arts and heritage centre.

The garden to the rear of the House has been laid out as a 17th century Gentleman'€™s Garden.

The House is used for arts and crafts exhibitions and sales, refreshments, lectures, music recitals and heritage exhibitions.

Porthmeor Studios is a complex of artists' studios, built on top of eighteenth century pilchard cellars below. It is the oldest, possibly the only such complex in Britain and is unique in its combined heritage of fishing and art. 

ARTIST ROOMS: ROBERT THERRIEN
Solo exhibition by American artist Robert Therrien, who is internationally renowned for transforming everyday objects into monumental sculptures that evoke the wonder of childhood. 

The Engine Room

For almost 120 years, Newlyn Art Gallery has been bringing the best in contemporary art to audiences in the south west.

Founded in 1920 by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada, the Leach Pottery is probably the most famous and certainly the most influential studio pottery in the world. Today the Leach Pottery is a living tribute to Bernard Leach and his legacy. Visitors to the Pottery can see the original workshops and kiln shed, including the three-chambered Japanese climbing kiln, built in 1923.

Housed in the former butter and meat markets, now also the Drill Hall, the museum was established in 1949. The collection is mainly Victorian and covers all aspects of life on the Lizard Peninsula. Additions in recent times include an Early Learning Area, art and costume galleries and a shop. New displays in 2009 included serpentine and wartime.

Falmouth Art Gallery has a vibrant exhibition programme. We change exhibitions regularly and hang works from our permanent collection alongside major museum loans, work from local artists, community groups, school children and students.

Historic house, museum and outstation of the National Portrait Gallery

Bodelwyddan Castle has over 500 years of history to discover. We are an independant charitable trust and a regional partner of the National Portrait Gallery with a mixture of UK and National Collections to discover. Our free, state of the art multimedia guides will take you on a fascinating journey through this historic house and will bring its stories and characters to life.

Come and see our wonderful collection of fashions dating from the early 18th century to the 1970's. Lime Tree House is a beautiful Georgian house built by John and William Bastard after the great fire of Blandford in 1731.

Schools

Children's Activities

The Blake Museum Bridgwater is established:

Blackwell is an internationally important icon of Arts and Crafts architecture. Built as a late Victorian holiday home for Manchester industrialist and Mayor Sir Edward Holt, it is a stunning example of the social mobility and artistic response to the Industrial Revolution.

As one of the first purpose built free museums to open outside of London in 1874, Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery houses a rich and fascinating collection covering fine art, decorative art, Egyptology, coins, manuscripts, natural history, social history and South Asia.

The Bishop’s Stortford Museum is housed in the original Victorian building which was the birthplace of Cecil Rhodes (1853 – 1902), financier and founder of diamond company De Beers. The museum is a local landmark and receives vistiors from all over the world many of whom come to see the unique collection of artefacts about Rhodes and his life.

Discover a world where costumed characters demonstrate life in the industrial age

26 acres of open-air museum, comprising village, live period craft, underground mining experience and tram rides, plus plenty more. Our award-winning corner of the West Midlands is now one of the finest and largest museums in the United Kingdom. 

Wednesbury Museum is Sandwell's Museum and Art Gallery. It is a purpose built Victorian Art Gallery, housing collections which include fine art paintings, applied art, old toys as well as one of the world's largest collections of Ruskin pottery.

It is free to visit the Museum and Art Gallery in Wednesbury. We have a platform lift to the first floor.

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) first opened in 1885.  It is housed in a Grade II* listed city centre landmark building. There are over 40 galleries to explore that display art, applied art, social history, archaeology and ethnography:

A gallery full of contemporary craft, displays of historic items, plus events for all ages. Great inspiration for your little art fans as you can hold and touch a number of items. Free to visit.

The gallery has a changing exhibition programme that features some great examples of modern craft such as jewellery, textiles, ceramics, woodwork and more.

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British schoolgirl assaulted on school trip to Iceland

hotel corridor

A viral video shows a black girl being assaulted by a white woman in a corridor.

Police in Iceland are investigating after a British schoolgirl was slapped and chased by a tour guide in a hotel corridor.

The schoolgirl, 13, who attended Harris Girls’ Academy, was assaulted whilst on a school trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. The incident occurred at Hotel Örk, Hveragerdi on 13th October.