Research to investigate barriers to art education for diverse students

The Freelands Foundation and race equality think tank the Runnymede Trust are working in partnership to examine access to art education for Black, Asian and ethnically diverse students in the UK.

Runnymede Trust will deliver a wide-ranging two-year research programme, exploring issues ranging from the early engagement with art in schools to the makeup of the professional art sector.   

Current information reveals that by ‘A’ level, Black and Asian students select art courses at less than half the rate of their white counterparts. 

The research will focus on children aged 11-16 (Key Stages 3 and 4), covering the transition from compulsory art education in schools to art as a chosen subject.

An initial review will be published in Autumn 2021, mapping the representation of Black, Asian and ethnically diverse artists, curators and leaders of  organisations.

This will be followed by an investigation into art education in secondary schools, which will gather data on racial inequalities among both students and teachers. There will also be a consultation with art teachers, academic leaders, exam boards, students, artists and cultural organisations.

The final research report will be published in Autumn 2022, revealing how and why young people from non-white backgrounds are excluded from art education and publishing recommendations on how to address the issue.

Announcing the project, the partnership described the aim of the research as to catalyse "long-term structural change in a sector where, despite the success of individual artists such as Sonia Boyce, Lubaina Himid, Steve McQueen and Chris Ofili, only 2.7% of the workforce are from a Black, Asian or ethnically diverse background". 

Dr Halima Begum, Director of Runnymede Trust, said it is imperative school students "see and appreciate diversity in art".

She added: "We believe that the impact of this research will resonate beyond a single generation and provide the foundation for developments in the teaching of art in our nation’s schools, and in turn help to inspire new generations of children who value, appreciate, and indeed fall in love with art in all its forms."