Artsmark 

Artsmark is the creative quality standard for schools and education settings, awarded by Arts Council England, recognising their commitment to high-quality arts and cultural education. Bradford District Museums & Galleries is proud to be supporting schools and education settings on their Artsmark journey, inspiring children and young people to create, experience, and participate in great arts and culture.

We offer education settings who are working towards, or currently hold an Artsmark Award, with the following opportunities:

We provide inspiring, engaging and locally-focussed school workshops, many of which develop different arts skills. Across all our sites, we run workshops based on our nationally-recognised technique, the Art & Science of Noticing. This is a child-centred workshop, which is led by curiosity, and focuses on how children respond and react to our collections and buildings. It can be adapted to suit a range of topics and ages. We offer Discover Art Awards at two of our sites – Cartwright Hall Art Gallery and Bradford Industrial Museum, but can also support schools with Bronze & Silver Awards.

All our curriculum-linked workshops draw on inspiration from our collections:

At Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, we have a diverse collection of art from a range of cultures, including works by many well-known artists, such as David Hockney, L.S. Lowry, Salima Hashmi and Andy Warhol etc. The collections on display represent a range of techniques including paintings, drawings, sculpture, textiles, print-making and photography.

Bradford Industrial Museum has an extensive collection of machinery, vehicles and other objects that tell the industrial story of the district and allow people to experience the sounds, sights and smells of the past. It provides an opportunity to learn about Bradford’s rich textile heritage, from Victorian times to the contributions made more recently by various migrant communities.

Cliffe Castle Museum in Keighley tells the story of the local area through its archaeology and natural science collections. It is also the home of a vibrant William Morris stained glass collection and features period rooms filled with decorative arts and furniture.

Bolling Hall Museum allows people to step back in time and discover what life was like for the occupants of the Hall over the last 1000 years. This venue allows for immersive storytelling, writing and performance opportunities for budding writers and performers.

We’re happy to talk to schools about how we can support their curriculum.  We are a small team and work with great freelance artists and educators.

Find out more about Artsmark at www.artsmark.org.uk.

To find out how Bradford District Museum & Galleries can support your Artsmark journey, contact learning@bradford.gov.uk