‘Taking the museum to the kids...’
Art In Schools operates a network of large, bright digital ‘ArtScreens’ in common areas of secondary schools. The screens broadcast stunning images of famous and contemporary artworks comprising painting, sculpture, photography, and digital and video art. Students enjoy artwork displayed over the school year in a series of weekly exhibitions under the programme name ‘Sensations’.
The exhibitions are presented by gallery and celebrity ‘curators’, often around themes relevant to a young audience, such as personal identity, social issues, and the natural world.
In December 2021, we conducted a promising two-week pilot programme in a 1,100-student state secondary school in Dorset. Most students engaged with the Art Screens, and many interacted creatively with the art. School staff wished to continue the programme.
In April 2023, we conducted a ‘soft launch’, broadcasting on seven screens in four schools in London, the Midlands, and South Wales, with combined enrolment of 5,000.
Thirteen weeks of quality programming was created in partnership with the National Gallery and other leading collections. The screens and programming have been funded with £35,000 in grants.
In future, students will be able to interact with the art via smartphones and a website, where they can listen to audio, play games, vote for favourites, and post their own creations inspired by the artworks. In addition, the platform will serve as a national showcase for student art, including an annual art competition. A website will hold the exhibitions digitally, along with educational resources that teachers of all disciplines may integrate with lessons. The website’s rich content will also be promoted via in-school marketing and social media to children and schools that do not yet have Art Screens, fulfilling the promise of ‘great art for all children’.
