Arab artists
in schools

Between 2005-2009 the Arab World Education Programme at the British Museum ran an artists-in-schools project in London. Funded by the Said Foundation, it aimed to promote a better understanding of the Arab world.

The artists worked with the Museum to raise students' awareness of Arab artistic media, counter misleading impressions of Arab achievement and enrich and extend their curricular experience and skills.

Artists with Middle Eastern heritage, whose work demonstrates a response to their background and contemporary issues, visited schools for up to six weeks to contribute to school enrichment programmes and the curriculum. The artists presented their specialist medium and historical and socio-cultural influences with students. The students developed special projects while working closely with the artists and making good use of the British Museum's collection.

After piloting the concept in autumn 2005, the British Museum worked with 15 schools across eight London boroughs. Over this period, more than 400 young people explored Arab culture through photography, calligraphy, puppetry, screen-printing and other media and developed many new skills to use in their art and design work.

The British Museum also took the project out of London, working successfully in partnership with Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Bristol's City Museum and Art Gallery in 2008.

Here you can find snapshots of the creative work carried out in individual schools since 2006 as part of the Museum's Arab artists in schools project.