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'ArtFULL'

'a wonderful opportunity for arts organisations and galleries without permanent collections to forge new links with schools' School Standards Minister David Miliband

introduction

This section of the engage site provides details of the ArtFULL grants programme which ran from January 2003 - March 2004, supporting 16 projects by contemporary art galleries and arts centres across England, created with funding from the Department for Education and Skills. The programme was designed to explore and demonstrate the important potential for gallery and museum education to enhance pupils curricular and personal development.

background, summary and outcomes

'ArtFULL' was an £80,000 grants fund managed by engage for the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). It was part of the 'Museums and Galleries Education Programme Phase 2' (MGEP2), a 1 million action-research programme created by the DfES to assess the contribution museums and galleries can make to the learning of pupils in schools. engage was invited to create a programme focusing on contemporary art galleries and arts centres; the other 900,000 supported museums and galleries with collections, through MLA and the regional museum agencies. MGEP2 was the subject of an ongoing evaluation by Warwick University's Centre for Education and Industry.

As well as linking into the National Curriculum and raising pupils' standards, 'ArtFULL' aimed to demonstrate the real benefits for pupils and teachers of working with the visual arts and crafts. School Standards Minister David Miliband said, 'We are keen to develop and promote the educational work of art galleries and museums with young people and teachers and I am very pleased that we are supporting the 'ArtFULL' grants programme. This is a wonderful opportunity for arts organisations and galleries without permanent collections to forge new links with schools, to complement the learning in schools across the National Curriculum, and to contribute towards raising pupil standards.'

'ArtFULL' was launched in autumn 2002 and over 70 pre-proposals were received. A grants panel including DfES, National Gallery, Tate Modern and engage invited 25 projects to make full applications. Sixteen projects across England were selected, focusing on art galleries and arts centres without collections. For further information on 'ArtFULL' and the selection process, download the ArtFULL Guidelines
(you will need Acrobat Reader to use this file).

Each project fulfilled some or all of the following criteria:

• Increased learning within the subject area, and/or between subjects, and/or across subjects;
• Fulfilment/satisfaction from achievement;
• Increased self-confidence/self-esteem;
• Increased cultural understanding and respect and tolerance for others;
• Increased ability to work with others;
• Increased involvement in class, school/community events;
• The ability to make informed choices within and beyond the planned experiences;
• Positive attitudes to the experience and a desire for further experiences.

All sixteen projects took place between January 2003 and March 2004, with most actual pupil involvement in the summer and autumn terms. Throughout, those taking part were encouraged to produce high-quality documentation on aspects of the project, for example through photography, video and tape recordings. In addition, the team at Warwick selected a number of projects with which to have a more in-depth involvement. This offered the opportunity for informed, objective feedback. University of Warwick's full evaluation of the Museum and Gallery Education Phase 2 (MGEP2) is available via the following link www.teachernet.gov.uk/mgep2.

engage, together with GEM and MLA, commissioned by DfES held a series of advocacy seminars during 2004 on the lessons and key issues coming out of MGEP2, particularly through the research and evaluation of the University of Warwick. A Powerpoint presentation, produced by Julian Stanley, the lead researcher on the project which summarises the key points raised is attached here.

As part of the evaluation process, engage held an end-of-project seminar 'Contemporactive' at Tate Britain (click here to download the seminar flyer and the conference programme) to disseminate ideas and experiences.

The seminar linked into a publication 'Encounters with Contemporary Art - schools, galleries and the curriculum', published November 2004 comprising case studies, focused articles and comment on other relevant issues. 'Encounters with Contemporary Art - schools, galleries and the curriculum' is available from engage - contact jack.fortescue@engage.org. The publication is free, but postal costs may apply.

The sixteen ArtFULL projects are listed below.