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

Have fun and learn about the history of Berwick-Upon-Tweed as you walk through the alleys of the old town recreated in the Window on Berwick displays. Meet some of its fascinating characters and find out about the old ways of life including the Mayor’s power to sentence to death!

A family home for 500 years

Situated on a plateau above the gorge of the River Severn, this fine stone house has mullioned and transomed windows, a stunning interior with carved oak staircase and decorated plaster ceilings and oak panelling.

Glorious gardens surround this baroque mansion with National Portrait Gallery paintings

Inspired by his Grand Tour, John Bourchier created Beningbrough, an Italian Palace nestled between York, Harrogate and Leeds. The impressive rooms are a perfect backdrop for the rich collection of portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery, Beningbrough’s long-term partner.

The Ben Uri Collection is the world's most distinguished body of work by artists of European Jewish descent.

Schools

Ben Uri is dedicated to providing inclusive learning programmes for schools, families, communities and adult learners.

The Beaney is an Art Museum and Library situated in the heart of the historic city of Canterbury. This fabulous new facility provides state of the art exhibition galleries, a brand new 

Set within the beautiful, originally Elizabethan, walled gardens of The Almonry, Battle Museum of Local History preserves and exhibits hundreds of fascinating artefacts from the town's past, including objects from prehistoric and Roman times to the world's oldest effigy of Guy Fawkes and  items from the two World Wars.  

An 18th-century house, a 1950s home

Basildon Park, a Georgian mansion surrounded by parkland, was lovingly rescued by Lord and Lady Iliffe in the mid 1950s. The house you see today is a re-creation and restoration of the 18th-century mansion. They restored the elegant interior and scoured the country salvaging 18th-century architectural fixtures and fittings.

This museum houses the agricultural and social history collections of Craigavon Museum. There are displays on domestic life in rural areas, blacksmithing, haymaking and local industries. The collections on display include the tools of a local blacksmith as well as items illustrating the area's links with the linen industry, apple growing and rose growing.

Climb to the top of this 1000 year old Norman Castle for stunning panoramic views across Sussex.

The adjoining Barbican House is home to the Museum of Sussex Archaeology and houses local collections from the Stone Age to medieval times. A mini-cinema tells the story of Lewes from prehistoric to Victorian times.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is housed in one of Birmingham’s finest Art Deco buildings, purpose built and opened by Queen Mary in 1939.

Restored to its Edwardian glory, Bantock House is a hidden treasure set within 43 acres of parkland and surrounded by delightful formal gardens.

Banbury Museum is a great museum full of local interest with a range of activities for kids of all ages.

There are prize trails for all ages, plus Drawing for All, activity backpacks for 3 to 5 year olds and Craft Activities through the ArtCart.

The Ballycastle museum is housed in the 18th century courthouse and market building. The Collection includes the very important and fine Irish Homes Industries Workshop which was part on the Arts and Crafts Revival in Ireland. Much of this material was displayed in the Irish Pavilion at the St Louis World Fair in 1904 through F.J. Bigger and R.J. Welch.

Explore the World at Bagshaw Museum. A Victorian former mill owner's house set in 36 aces of parkland and ancient woodland, the museum is host to a wide range of unusual and exciting collections of collections from around the globe.

Ayscoughfee Hall Museum is set in a Medieval Hall dating back to around 1451. This fascinating grade I listed building includes exhibitions, displays and educational opportunities for all to enjoy.

There's always something going on at Ayscoughfee, whether it's concerts, theatrical performances, craft sessions or art exhibitions.

The Auld Kirk Museum is located on one of the oldest sites in Kirkintilloch. 

The museum houses a rich collection of objects of local, national and international significance, interpreted in an innovative, exciting and educational way for visitors of all ages and abilities.

A museum capturing the history of Malmesbury

Malmesbury’s pretty old; archaeological digs have shown there was a Neolithic fort here around 2,500 BC so people have lived here for four and a half thousand years! So Malmesbury may be the oldest town in the country.

It claims as well to be the oldest borough as King Alfred (you know, the king that burnt the cakes) granted a charter to the town in 880 AD.

The most exhilarating house in Lancashire

Astley Hall is a museum and art gallery housed within a Grade I listed historic house. The Hall is set within the beautiful surroundings of Astley Park which include historic woodland, a lake, a fully renovated Victorian walled garden alongside clean and modern facilities for visitors to enjoy.

Aston Hall and Park are hugely popular with family audiences and have a full programme of events, activities and trails throughout the season.

Admission charges apply to the Hall only. Gardens, grounds and visitor facilities are free to all vistors. There is free admission to the entire site on the first Sunday in every month during the open season.

Astley Cheetham Art Gallery in Stalybridge was built as a gift to the town by John Frederick Cheetham and his wife Beatrice Astley in 1901. The gallery originally opened as a lecture theatre and then the space was turned into a gallery to house the Astley Cheetham Art Collection, bequeathed in 1932. This collection has grown with gifts and donations throughout the twentieth century and is one o

The Ashmolean Museum is packed full of archaeology and art works from all over the world. Families can discover mummies in ancient Egypt, find coins from ancient Greece, and travel through time to find modern paintings, statues and more.

In 1285 by a Charter of Edward 1st Ashburton became a Stannary Town - one of four in Devon. 

Tin Mining has played a great part in the development of the town as has the Woollen Industry.

Quality art & craft fairs in Landsea Square: "On the Fringe" alongside the International Food & Drink Festival in Roald Dahl Plass and August Bank Holiday alongside the Harbour Festival.

Displaying and selling high quality craft and art by members of the Makers Guild in Wales and invited national and international artists. Practical craft workshops, art parties, conference facilities, workshop room hire, café.

Services for Schools & Colleges

Formerly a Norwegian Seamen’s church, this is one of Cardiff’s most iconic buildings, dating back to the industrial revolution, when Cardiff Docks was the world's greatest exporter of coal.

Offering a varied events calendar, regular exhibitions, unique conferencing space and a coffee shop (with an outside terrace) open 7 days a week.

Roald Dahl

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