The partnership between Ark’s schools in Birmingham and Ikon Gallery was led by Yvette Crawford, Ark Regional Lead Practitioner for Art (Ark Kings Academy) and Will Kew, Education Producer (Ikon Gallery).
The project began with a shared ambition: to strengthen young people’s connection to art, place and community through meaningful, sustained creative experiences.
For Ark, the project was part of a wider effort to build a collaborative artistic identity across the Birmingham schools and create opportunities for students to engage with traditional and contemporary art beyond the classroom.
For Ikon Gallery, the partnership aligned with its commitment to ensuring young people across Birmingham see themselves reflected in the city’s cultural spaces and feel a sense of ownership over them.
Rather than delivering a one-off workshop or gallery visit, both organisations wanted to create deeper, more responsive learning experiences tailored to the needs of specific groups of students. The project aimed to:
A key principle throughout was that the learning should be driven by the needs of the pupils and students involved. Rather than beginning with a predetermined outcome, each encounter was responsive to the group of learners, their interests and their school setting.
The project was funded by the Clore Duffield Foundation.
The partnership centred on three intensive projects co-produced by teachers, the Ikon Education team and West Midlands-based artists. Pupils and students visited Ikon and were later joined at school by an artist-in-residence.
1. Ark Kings Academy: Wild Clay
At Ark Kings Academy, a small group of Year 7 boys (ages 11-12) was selected to take part in a ceramics project over the course of the Summer term.
The students were identified by teachers as highly creative and particularly engaged by hands-on, practical learning. They would benefit from working in a smaller group and on a project specifically designed around their learning needs and strengths, which would allow them to develop confidence through practical encounters and shared challenges.
By combining classroom-based ceramics with opportunities to work outdoors and engage directly with materials and the natural environment, the project sought to broaden students’ understanding of what art-making and learning in the Arts can look like.
Guided by ceramic artist Hazel Tomlinson, students explored the history and geography of pottery in Birmingham, taking inspiration from the Deritend Jug, which was produced in the city alongside the River Rea during the 12th or 13th Century.
Following in these footsteps, Kings students explored the river in their local park, digging clay directly from its banks, which they sorted and processed into a workable material. Stones, leaves and other collected items became tools, stamps and inspiration for their artwork.
This expeditionary learning was complemented by a visit to Ikon Gallery’s Break the Mould exhibition. Here, they viewed a range of contemporary ceramics by artists who reimagine pre-industrial traditions. For many of the students, it was their first visit to an art gallery.
2. Ark Tindal Primary Academy: Nature and community
The second project involved 60 Year 3 students (ages 7-8) at Ark Tindal Primary Academy.
Visiting Ikon Gallery, students had the unique opportunity to meet and interview artist-in-residence Halima Cassel, who shared the inspiration and process behind her geometric clay pieces.
Students were joined in the classroom by artist Nessa Grimes, who supported the students to design a large collaborative artwork, made up of hundreds of ceramic tiles.
Responding to the school’s thriving eco-garden, wildlife areas and environmental initiatives, students made sketches and collected textures outdoors before creating their tiles. The pieces were fired at the nearby Sundragon Community Pottery, and will later form a permanent artwork on the school playground.
3. Ark Boulton Academy: Photography and heritage
The third project focused on photography with a mix of Key stage 3and 4 students (ages 11-16) and aimed to explore the unique architecture and history of the Ark Boulton site.
Photographers Niki Gandy and Jo Gane demonstrated historical processes including pinhole photography, cyanotype and ambrotype. Students discovered the work of George Shaw (1818-1904), who pioneered glass-plate photography in the Small Heath area of Birmingham.
In a makeshift darkroom, students learned to develop their own photographs, experiencing first-hand the chemistry and processes of early photography.
The project encouraged students to look closely at an environment they encounter every day. By focusing on details of the school’s Victorian buildings and recording features that may soon disappear through redevelopment, students created both artworks and historical records.
Across all three projects, learning was highly practical, collaborative and rooted in experience. Artists worked alongside teaching staff and the Ikon team, fostering a learning environment where exploration and experimental making were prioritised. During practical sessions, the time, space and trust given to participants allowed for valuable conversations and relationships to emerge.
“Students who often found traditional learning environments challenging became deeply invested in the ceramics project. By the end of the programme, several were already asking whether the project would continue and whether they could help mentor younger learners in future years. This desire to remain involved suggests a strong sense of ownership and investment in the learning.”
Yvette Crawford, Ark Kings Academy
Students in each school developed a greater awareness of their environment. Whether digging clay from local riverbeds, exploring wildlife habitats within their school grounds or documenting architectural details through photography, students began looking at familiar places differently. Everyday environments became sources of curiosity and pride.
The outcomes of each partnership are presented in Future Heritage (2-11 October 2026), a public exhibition including work from the five Ark Birmingham Schools. Alongside the artworks, participating students share their personal reflections through audio recordings.
“Students from across Birmingham have responded to Ikon’s public programme and will now contribute to it as exhibiting artists. Future Heritage provides an opportunity for reflection and celebration of these highly collaborative projects. It documents the alternative learning models we have explored, making the case for the sustained creative partnerships, which Ikon will continue to develop alongside Ark Schools.”
Will Kew, Education Producer, Ikon Gallery