Survey Results
Wolverhampton has been selected as the opening venue for British Art Show 9 which will be exhibiting from March 6th to May 30th 2021. The show is acknowledged as one of the most important recurrent touring exhibitions of contemporary art produced in this country and is unrivalled in its scope and national reach. Over 40 contemporary artists will be sharing their work through sculpture, painting, installation, drawing, photography, film, video and performance.
Arts Connect and the University of Wolverhampton are collaborating with teachers from across the West Midlands to create a British Art Show 9 Learning Programme that is an exciting and accessible catalyst for creative learning. We have been talking to teachers about what they would like from the British Art Show 9 Learning Programme and we have had a fantastic response to our British Art Show 9 teacher survey.
Here’s how we have used initial teacher feedback to begin to shape our British Art Show 9 Learning Programme-
British Art Show 9 learning opportunities-
26% of teachers surveyed said that learning resources and online activities would help them and their students to engage with British Art Show 9. In collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton Art Gallery and British Art Show partner organisations we are developing a range of accessible physical and online resources. We will be working with teachers from all education levels and settings across the West Midlands to create, trial and share resources and activities to grow a British Art Show learning exchange. We will also build a core group of BAS 9 Lead Teachers and co-ordinate a wider BAS 9 teacher network and online platform to share ideas, activities and resources. To support schools that are unable to visit the exhibition physically the University of Wolverhampton is also developing a 3D virtual guided tour of the exhibition with interactive features.
25% of teachers indicated that working directly with artists would benefit their students. From this we have developed our British Art Show 9 Partner School programme, this will include 10 schools (secondary and SEND) from across the Black Country working with an artist/s to co-create their own British Art Show 9 learning programme. We will be looking at ways that we can support schools to work across arts disciplines and ensure that students can interact with artists digitally or in a blended learning format if required. We are also creating opportunities for schools to work with trained arts students from the University of Wolverhampton to explore contemporary art practices through practical workshops and tutorials.
16% of teachers highlighted the importance of students being given the opportunity to publicly showcase their work. In response to this we are working with all British Art Show 9 partner organisations to build a range of opportunities for young people to exhibit their creative outcomes in a range of physical venues and online platforms; this will include British Art Show 9 venues and Wolverhampton City centre spaces.
Engaging with British Art Show 9-
32% of teachers expressed a want for physical exhibition tours for their students. From this we have developed a range of self-led and guided tours for schools to engage with. These will be taking place across all British Art Show 9 venues and there will be a ‘menu’ of tour lengths, focuses and engagement levels to suit school needs. Creative career focused exhibition tours and workshops will also be available and ‘out of school’ programmes for young people to develop their understanding of the creative industries and grow their creative leadership skills.
Teacher CPD and training-
Teacher CPD and training was highlighted as an important element of the British Art Show 9 learning programme, with introductions to the British Art Show, practical techniques/workshops and approaching contemporary art with young people being the most commented upon. Between October 2020 and May 2021 we will be running free sessions for teachers to enable them to engage with British Art Show confidently and to empower their students to explore contemporary arts practices through a range of creative outputs. We will also be offering training and funding opportunities to embed Arts Award accreditation for young people through British Art Show 9 related activities.
Our British Art Show 9 Learning Programme will continue to evolve and grow as we partner with more teachers, young people and arts professionals. Our aim is that all young people across the West Midlands will have the chance to experience British Art Show 9, explore contemporary arts practices and grow their creative talents and aspirations.
If you would like to find out more about the British Art show 9 learning programme or see how your school could get involved contact Becky Thompson
