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Scroll down to find out about engagement programmes, opportunities, youth programmes and exhibitions offered by the following galleries and arts organisations:
National Portrait Gallery, Four Corners, UCL, British Library, Nationa Saturday Club, V&A, Open City, Beyond the Box, Whitechapel Gallery, Chisenhale Gallery, Auto Italia, Bow Arts, A Team Arts Education, The King's Foundation, RA, Peer, Raven Row, Royal Drawing School, The Wallace Collection, Autograph, Tate, The Photographers' Gallery, Goldsmiths CCA, Saatchi Gallery, Hayward Gallery, October Gallery, Architecture for Kids
NPG Youth collaborates with young people to explore what culture means and looks like to them, so we are the most vibrant, inclusive Gallery we can be for our future generations. It takes place in the Gallery and online, using the Collection and accompanying themes as a source of inspiration.
If you are a young person interested in getting involved, this page is where you can learn about how to be part of NPG Youth and see our current and future opportunities. Whether you are interested in producing events for other young people, developing creative skills, working with artists, attending digital sessions, meeting new friends, or attending free late-night events exclusively for young people – there is something for everyone.
All of our activities, workshops and events are free. We also offer a bursary-funded programme that covers the cost of your food, travel and other costs.
NPG Youth
NPG Youth
Free workshops, activities, events and more for young creatives aged 14-21NPG Youth is for all young people aged 14-21. It takes place in the Gallery and online, using our collection and accompanying themes as a source of inspiration.
Going Pro
Going Pro
Are you aged 15-18 and interested in finding out more about creative careers?
28 May - 30 May 2025, 10.30-16.00
In Gallery and Learning Centre
Free (application required)
At the National Portrait Gallery, we work alongside colleagues with different interests, skills and journeys – all of whom help look after the Collection, deliver programmes and exhibitions, and welcome visitors every day.
This three-day insights programme offers behind-the-scenes access to the Gallery, where you will meet and work with different teams to gain a deeper understanding of what type of careers and pathways are available.
Going Pro is an open call for ten young people. Read on to find out more and apply.
Applications close on Wednesday 30 April, 12 noon.
Our new Youth Programme for 2025
Our new Youth Programme for 2025
Since reopening the Gallery in 2023, we’ve reached over 10,000 young people through youth designed late night events, festivals, films and podcasts. Along the way, we’ve been asking those young people what it’s meant to be involved in a project at the Gallery and what they’d like more of. You’ve spoken, we’ve listened!
Below you'll find details of our four main offers for 2025 and how you can get (and then stay) involved with the Gallery: NPG LINK, NPG LENS, NPG LAB and NPG LOOP.
NPG LINK
NPG LINK
What: Enjoy free art workshops and portfolio reviews, plus discover more about museum careers through behind-the-scenes opportunities at the Gallery. A focus on portfolio and CV building, inspired by our temporary exhibition programme.
Who: For young people aged 14–18 (further age restrictions may apply)
When: During school holidays throughout 2025
Where: IRL and online
How to get involved: Check out our NPG LINK events below and book and apply online. Sign up to the Youth enewsletter to be the first to hear about opportunities.
NPG LAB
NPG LAB
A 9-month creative programme for young people aged 16–21
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Schools hub - Discover portraits that inspire learning
Schools hub - Discover portraits that inspire learning
HOW TO APPLY
For further details, please email Dave - dave@fourcornersfilm.co.uk
Camera-works is a series of FREE part-time courses in photography
They are open to Tower Hamlets residents aged under 25.
This three year programme will enable 84 young people to learn a variety of photography skills and help prepare them for further education or work within the photographic industry.
There are three projects within the programme each year:
Project 1: A 12 week project, which could include East London street photography, 35mm camera operation, portrait studio lighting, pin hole photography, collage and darkroom workshops to produce photograms and black & white exhibition prints. Whilst working in groups of 5, participants will co-design and curate a final exhibition of their work, which will be shown at Four Corners Gallery in June 2024.
Project 2: A 6 week course where 8 participants will learn professional studio lighting. These workshops will teach 35mm analogue and DSLR camera operation, continuous lighting techniques using LitePanels, Red Heads & Blondes, and flash lighting using soft boxes and reflectors.
Project 3: A series of masterclasses, designed to mentor 10 young people over 3 days. Workshops and 1-2-1 mentoring will offer careers advice and aim to develop participants creative and professional practice.
Under 26? Get involved in free events, creative workshops, and festivals for young people. Explore new skills, meet likeminded creatives, and gain an insight into the creative industries.
Sign up to be the first to hear about activities for young people.
Events for young people
Events for young people
What we do
What we do
We provide workshops, events, and courses, led by artists and designers in a range of creative disciplines including art, design, fashion, digital media, performance and architecture. This includes a variety of creative activities for ages 13-26.
Open City makes architecture and cities more open, accessible and equitable
Open City makes architecture and cities more open, accessible and equitable
Open City is an educational charity empowering communities to learn about, experience and have a role in shaping places where they live.
We create educational programmes engaging broad audiences with city-making and built heritage. Our work is organised into three strands:
Our public education programmes like the Open House Festival and year-round urban tours support tens of thousands of people to experience, learn about and feel more connected to places and communities through festivals and tours.
Our young people’s education programmes support children and young people from under-represented communities learn about, and are empowered to pursue, careers in city-making.
Our professional education programmes provide courses and thought leadership supporting professionals to develop skills and knowledge in contemporary urban issues.
Architecture for Kids Podcast
Architecture for Kids Podcast
A brand-new podcast aimed at bringing together practitioners and creatives working with children and young people to inspire them to make the built environment more inclusive, diverse, and attractive for everyone.
Hosted by Antonio Capelao co-founding director at Architecture for kids CIC, and in collaboration with the Built Environment Trust, the Thornton Education Trust, and the Welsh School of Architecture Cardiff University.
CEOs surveyed by PricewaterhouseCoopers reported that as they anticipate an increasingly automated workplace, the human skills that they will most prize are 'problem-solving, adaptability, collaboration, leadership, creativity, and innovation' (PwC, 2018).
These short and to-the-point podcasts hope to improve the interplay between the fields of the built environment and education as we share knowledge between the practitioner, the creative, and the primary school teacher. Exploring how to prepare children and young people for economic, environmental, and societal challenges, and for their professional lives according to today’s needs and those of a sustainable future.
London Met alumni Antonio Capelao launches Architecture for Kids podcast series
The Architecture for Kids podcast series, airing every Saturday between 4pm and 6pm, features over 25 episodes delving into project-based learning pedagogies and co-design practices involving children and young people. The podcast explores the importance of involving children in discussions about architecture, making it a must-listen for parents, guardians, educators, and anyone passionate about the future of our built environment.
To date, the series has received acclaim, with featured episodes available on major platforms like Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, and YouTube. As the series evolves, future episodes will showcase interviews with children, young people, and their parents, comprehensively exploring the multifaceted world of architecture.
For over a century, the Whitechapel Gallery has premiered world-class artists from modern masters such as Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Frida Kahlo to contemporaries such as Sophie Calle, Paul Noble, Thomas Struth, Sarah Lucas and Mark Wallinger.
With beautiful galleries, exhibitions, artist commissions, collection displays, historic archives, education resources, inspiring art courses, Cafe/Bar and Bookshop, the Gallery is open all year round, so there is always something free to see.
The Whitechapel Gallery works closely with teachers and schools to develop engaging learning projects. Discover our exhibitions, join workshops, download teachers’ resources or find out more about our projects.
The Whitechapel Gallery works closely with teachers and schools to develop engaging learning projects. Discover our exhibitions, join workshops, download teachers’ resources or find out more about our projects.
What is contemporary art all about?
What is contemporary art all about?
The Whitechapel Gallery Youth Programme is open to people 15 – 24 and gives young adults the chance to explore contemporary art, meet creative professionals and peers, and open up career paths into the sector.
Sign up
Sign up
Join the Youth mailing list to be kept up to date with forthcoming events.
Click on the images below to take you to the Whitechapel Gallery information on creative Careers.
What's on at the Chisenhale Gallery, founded by artists. The same experimental vision and spirit of possibility that changed an empty veneer factory and brewery warehouse into an art gallery guides our work today. We commission and produce contemporary art, supporting international and UK-based artists to make their most ambitious work to date by pursuing new directions in their practices. We are committed to our audiences having access to the energy and ideas of an ever-expanding artist community.
Chisenhale Gallery has an award winning, 38-year history as one of London’s most innovative forums for art. With a reputation for identifying new artistic talent, we believe in making cultural impact through working with artists and learning from our neighbours. We develop ideas with artists over a one- to two-year incubation period, from concept to completion.
Research and public discussion are central to Chisenhale Gallery’s Engagement Programme, which is informed by artistic practice and acts as a site for collective learning. The programme includes a series of talks and events devised in collaboration with each commissioned artist and local school and community partnerships. The programme creates opportunities for audiences to discuss themes that recur throughout the gallery’s Commissions Programme, and address key social, political and formal questions raised by each artist’s work.
Chisenhale Gallery's Schools’ Programme 2020-21 has been made possible through the generosity of Headline Supporter Goodman Gallery. With additional support from the Schools' Programme Supporters' Circle.
ARCHIVE - engagement
https://chisenhale.org.uk/event/creative-careers-day/
https://chisenhale.org.uk/programmes/a-sense-of-place/
From 2019 – 2021 Chisenhale Gallery worked in partnership with The Institute of Contemporary Arts, BBC Arts and Arts Council England to present New Creatives, a series of commissioning opportunities for emerging artists aged 16 - 30, who work with audio or moving image.
Commissioned artists present their work in a dedicated showcase at the ICA and their work may also be selected to be broadcast on television and radio under BBC Introducing Arts, on BBC iPlayer or BBC Sounds.
Bow Arts is an educational arts charity that provides affordable creative workspace for a community of over 400 artists, makers and creatives.
Bow Arts manages 12 different studio sites across London, many of which deliver public art programmes alongside. The Nunnery Gallery is run from their HQ on Bow Road, a free public gallery with a local focus, championing the work of emerging artists and uncovering local history and heritage. Situated in a unique building on the ground floor of a former nineteenth-century convent, complete with gothic arches and the original tiled floor, the Nunnery Gallery is surrounded by over 100 of Bow Arts' artist studios.
Presenting a diverse programme, exhibitions aim to appeal to a wide audience with a particular focus on site-responsive work and works that explore the history and themes of the local area. Events accompany all shows, including panels, workshops and film screenings, creating debate and discussion around art in the community. There's also the beautiful Nunnery Café on site, offering AllPress coffee and excellent, locally-made cakes, pastries and hot meals.
Bow Arts’ award-winning Learning Department works with over 100 schools, delivering an innovative programme of workshops, projects and training.
The Alexander McQueen relationship with A Team Arts Education, has been cemented through one of the educational out-reach programmes of workshops which Sarah Burton had been running with in-house design team members throughout the pandemic. While other Alexander McQueen educational schemes connect with colleges and university students nationally, the association with A Team Arts Education forges a practical link with younger people locally through its dynamic and free art-led school holiday and Saturday programmes. “At a time when schools and local authorities are reducing their arts budgets and provision, we still need the arts to help bring about a positive recovery and come together after the Covid-19 pandemic. Working with Alexander McQueen will provide inspiration, hope and opportunities to an area that has established links to the fashion and textiles industries that are now hidden through layers of history and a changing urban landscape. The collaboration will help the arts to flourish in a positive way for young people and the wider community of East London.” – Sarbjit Natt, Director, A Team Arts Education.
A Team Arts Education C.I.C. is based at The Brady Arts and Community Centre at 192-196 Hanbury Street, E1 5HU. It sits in the heart of the community, building trust with families and local communities to enable young people and their parents to get a broader view into education in the creative sector, careers, and education support at college and university level. The focus on art began in 2009, led by Berni Yates, Outreach Practitioner at Central Saint Martins, part of the University of Arts London, in order to provide structured educational introduction to young people. It reaches students in schools from the ages of 11 to 18. Many young people are not able to take up GCSE or A levels in creative subjects. A Team Arts Education works with them to help them build portfolios so they can apply to an art Foundation course and further their knowledge on the sector and pathways to achievement in higher education.
https://www.alexandermcqueen.com/en-us/a-team-arts-education-3
The work of The King’s Foundation is inspired by The Prince of Wales’s philosophy of harmony: that by understanding the balance, the order and the relationships between ourselves and the natural world we can create a more sustainable future.
The Prince’s Foundation offers a diverse range of innovative and inspiring education and training programmes for all ages and backgrounds, from traditional arts and heritage craft skills, to architecture and design, science, engineering, horticulture, wellbeing and hospitality. Programmes take place within and beyond the charity’s sites, both nationally and internationally.
EDUCATION
EDUCATION
The King's Foundation offers a diverse range of innovative and inspiring education and training programmes for all ages and backgrounds. Explore our expansive curriculum below.
Explore courses on offer at The School of Traditional Arts
Find out more about our Building Craft Programmes
Explore FUTURE TEXTILES Introductory programmes through to internationally recognised training in luxury apparel.
THE KING’S FOUNDATION DIPLOMA YEAR
Is A NEW COURSE IN FINE AND APPLIED ART - The King's Foundation Diploma year is a dynamic skills-based course with five days’ teaching per week. The small cohort’s size of up to 60 students allows for targeted one-to-one teaching in a supportive and creative environment. Located at Trinity Buoy Wharf, the programme benefits from its creative and inspiring neighbours in its Thames-side location.
The programme is unique in its focus on the interplay between traditional skills, innovation and creativity – all essential requirements for successful progression to Higher Education and careers in the creative industries.
Raven Row is a non-profit contemporary art exhibition centre in Spitalfields. It has been constructed within eighteenth century domestic rooms, onto which 6a architects have added two contemporary galleries, and it stands on the part of Artillery Lane that was known as Raven Row until 1895.
Raven Row’s programme is intended to appeal both to a specialist audience and a broader, curious public. It is led by a desire to test art's purpose outside the market place. It exhibits diverse work of the highest quality, often by established international artists, or those from the recent past, who have somehow escaped London's attention.
Students aged 15 to 18 are eligible for our Young Associates programme, whilst those aged 10 to 14 can join our weekly Drawing Clubs. Both fee-paying and scholarship places are available on these programmes.
Young Artists Online is a new programme of courses students can take part in from home, with live and interactive tuition. This is an alternative option for those uncertain about returning to ‘in-person’ teaching or where there is a phased or delayed return to some of our venues. A Young Artist Toolkit of art activities is also available to access by annual subscription. This provides over 50 hours of planned drawing activity and instruction that can be undertaken at a time that suits you.
Our programme for young artists offers a unique opportunity to students from all backgrounds, who want to develop their drawing skills. Students aged 15 to 18 are eligible for our Young Associates programme, whilst those aged 10 to 14 can join our weekly Drawing Clubs. Both fee-paying and scholarship places are available on these programmes.
YOUNG ARTISTS
YOUNG ARTISTS
Summer Term bookings are open!
Our programme for young artists offers a unique opportunity to students from all backgrounds, who want to develop their drawing skills. Teaching, inspiration and encouragement is provided by professional artists who are alumni of our postgraduate programme.
Auto Italia is an artist-run organisation and project space that commissions new work, bringing together international networks of artists committed to the development of emerging practices and discussions in contemporary art.
We support early and mid-career artists to develop discourse, active research and experimental projects. This focuses on collaborative models for producing and distributing artwork, and is made possible through the development of relationships and conversations with artists, grassroots networks, and a growing peer network of artist-led organisations in the UK and internationally.
Young Artists Programme is a free to access programme of workshops and mentoring opportunities delivered by artists, designers, technologists and filmmakers for young people ages 14 to 18 living in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Want to Get Involved?
Taking part in the Young Artists Programme introduces you to experimental art and design projects with hands on experience exploring your ideas in new and ambitious ways. You’ll meet young people from schools across Tower Hamlets and gain access to:
Art & Technology Workshops: explore your ideas outside of school by getting stuck in with experimental art and technology projects. Past projects have included experimental filmmaking using mobile phones, digital photography, live composition using dj equipment, music-making, virtual reality and more.
Gallery Tours: come and explore a world of small and independent art galleries that are right on your doorstep! You will get to see exciting art projects right across Tower Hamlets, including small commercial galleries, non-profit organisations and artist-led spaces.
Portfolio Workshops: get one-to-one feedback on your university applications from artists and members of the team at Auto Italia. If you’re feeling stuck or just want another opinion we can help – from tutorials on how to put your portfolio together, advice on interviews and applications and feedback on coursework and sketchbooks.
Working with Schools
Auto Italia works in collaboration with local secondary education partners across the borough with support from partners Tower Hamlets Art Teachers Network, Tower Hamlets Art and Music Education Services and Tower Hamlets Council. We are always welcome to new schools who would like to get involved.
Core outputs of the Young Artists Programme include:
In depth contact and collaborations with leading international artists and critically acclaimed exhibitions and artists’ projects at our project space
Introduction to cutting-edge creative media with focused training, support and mentoring for participants from artists, technologists and technical specialists
Digital showcasing opportunities for work produced in the workshops and as part of GCSE and A Level coursework on the Auto Italia website
Increased understanding of how studying art and design at GCSE and A Level can lead to a range of exciting career opportunities both in and out of the creative industries
Support for participants to explore their own creative career possibilities and futures through discussions and mentoring on higher education courses and art school journeys
Tailored guidance on university applications, portfolio feedback and interview preparation
Get Involved
If you would like to get involved with our workshops then we would love to hear from you. We welcome questions and enquiries from pupils, parents and guardians and school partners. Contact info (at) autoitaliasoutheast.org.
PEER is an independent arts organisation that has evolved from the ground up over the past twenty years, putting down deep roots within the socially, culturally and economically diverse area of Hoxton in East London.
PEER’s core ethos is to embed its activities into the local community and to offer and promote the highest quality art as being part of daily life. We have done this through our ambitious programme of projects working with nearly 150 artists, writers, curators and educators over two decades.
PEER’s big aspirations and modest size play key roles in securing our place within the broader London art ecology. We offer both emerging and established artists the opportunity to test bold ideas in an intimate environment that stimulates experimentation and dialogue.
Peer offers various opportunities for supporting educational settings on their Artsmark journey and enabling children and young people to access a high-quality arts and cultural education. https://www.peeruk.org/artsmark
PEER Ambassadors is a six-month, free, collaborative, and creative programme offering paid work-experience at PEER, alongside a professional development and learning programme. The Ambassadors also work closely with an artist in residence throughout 2023-24, as part of PEER Notices.
Autograph’s mission is to enable the public to explore identity, representation, human rights and social justice through work produced by artists who use photography and film.
Autograph’s mission is to enable the public to explore identity, representation, human rights and social justice through work produced by artists who use photography and film.
We believe that visual representation is a powerful force for change. Autograph creates ground-breaking exhibitions, sharing the work of artists who use photography and film to highlight issues of identity, representation, human rights and social justice. We’ve been doing this since 1988.
ABOUT LEARNING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
ABOUT LEARNING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
For 30 years Autograph has engaged with diverse groups and communities to explore issues of identity, representation, social justice and human rights through photography and film.
At our gallery and in the community, we create welcoming spaces for people to share experiences, make artwork and become inspired by contemporary photographers and our unique archive.
We offer a range of tailored activities including tours, workshops and long-term engagement projects, suitable for schools, higher education and community groups. For more information on workshops and resources: Autograph-Learning
attRAct is a series of free online workshops for people aged 15-19. If you’re interested in learning more about art, architecture, and other creative industries alongside like-minded young people, then you’re in the right place.
The monthly workshops are led by professional artists, architects, and other creatives. In practical sessions, group discussions, tutorials, career advice, and portfolio reviews, you’ll be supported to develop your creative thinking, artistic practice and learn about what it means to pursue further education and a career in the cultural sector.
The whole series lasts a year. You can come to as many events as you like. The more sessions you join, the more likely you are to benefit from the programme! See examples of work by previous attRAct cohorts on our Instagram @attract_ra.
If you have any questions about the programme, please email us.
Applications for the 2025 programme will open in September 2024.
Activities for young people
Activities for young people
Our activities for young people include works from our collection and works by attRAct students. Our activities provide information and inspiration for coursework or independent learning.
Create
Create
From collage to animation, learn a new creative skill with our step by step guides.
Watch
Watch
Our range of short films offer introductions and tours of RA exhibitions, as well as sharing conversations with artists and behind-the-scenes visits, as we look at how their work was created.
Drop in and draw
Friday 2 May 2025 6 - 8pm
Benjamin West Lecture Theatre | Burlington Gardens
Free. No booking required
Drop in on the first Friday night of the month for an evening of free drawing.
https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/event/drop-in-and-draw-20250502
Pick up a pencil and get creative at this free drawing evening, inspired by our Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo exhibition.
The drop-in session will be led by poet Luke Davis and artist Harry Baxter, for an evening of experimental drawing and poetry.
All abilities are welcome. You will be provided with basic drawing materials but feel free to bring your own dry materials too. Due to high demand capacity may be limited. Queuing is likely, and we allocate spaces on a first come, first served basis.
This workshop has been designed for members of our 25 & Under scheme.
When Tate first opened its doors to the public in 1897 it had just one site, displaying a small collection of British artworks.
Today there are four major sites Tate Modern, Tate Britain both in London, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives which show the national collection of British art from 1500 to the present day and international modern and contemporary art, which includes nearly 70,000 artworks.
Tate Collective part of the Tate opportunities and resources for young people ages 16 to 25.
This gives young people access to £5 exhibition tickets, free events, creative opportunities and discounts across Tate?
Sign up for a free Tate Collective account. Check out benefits, exhibitions, exclusive events, resources and careers. https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-collective
COURSEWORK GUIDES
COURSEWORK GUIDES
You have art coursework and need to research artworks for it. Where do you start? How do you find relevant inspiration? How have other artists approached the themes?
Our thematic coursework guides provide ideas and inspiration to get you started. Try our 'Have A Go!' section at the bottom of our guides for activities to keep you motivated!
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/student-resource/exam-help
The Photographers' Gallery was founded in London by Sue Davies opening on 14 January 1971, as the first public gallery in the United Kingdom devoted solely to photography.
Develop is an ongoing series of talks, events, and workshops for anyone aged 14–24 years interested in learning more about photography related career opportunities.
> Join our Young People (14–24) mailing list to get the latest news on Develop events.
The Wallace Collection is an internationally outstanding collection which contains unsurpassed masterpieces of paintings, sculpture, furniture, arms and armour and porcelain.
LEARN WITH THE WALLACE COLLECTION
LEARN WITH THE WALLACE COLLECTION
We enable people of all ages to develop a greater understanding and enjoyment of art.
Through a wide range of opportunities that combine discussion, observation and creative activities, our online programmes aim to inspire primary and secondary students and teachers, children and their families, adults and young people, and our diverse communities.
We offer accessible events for children and adults with SEN, and for D/deaf and visually-impaired people. Our extensive digital outreach programmes connect with older people living in residential care as well as children and adults in long-term hospital care. And our growing range of downloadable resources support self-directed learning in the classroom and at home.
Why not book a lively digital session for your school or learn more about our collections through an online talk or course?
Located on the campus of Goldsmiths, University of London, Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art is London’s newest contemporary arts institution, and open to everyone. Hosting world-class exhibitions by international artists, and providing a space for established and emergent practices, the institution aims to enhance Goldsmiths’ reputation for excellence and innovation in the arts.
Learning
Learning
2. Schools, Colleges & Universities
Follow our Saatchi Gallery Learning Instagram page:
@saatchigallery_learning
Let us know what you think about our Exhibition!
Let us know what you think about our Exhibition!
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