As part of Visual Literacy Week, Art UK is speaking to people in the art world who are passionate about the transformative power of visual intelligence and its role in the classroom – and beyond.
Artist Sarah Graham is known for her bright, photo-realist paintings that evoke memories of childhood and inspire feelings of nostalgia. She painted an album cover for British band The Kaiser Chiefs and has been mentioned in GCSE art exam papers. Sarah is an ambassador for The Superpower of Looking and host of the Art Adventure, the biggest-ever virtual school trip, which will take place during Visual Literacy Week 2024.
Gemma Briggs, Art UK: How important do you think art education is, especially for primary school-aged children?
Sarah Graham: Art education in primary school is vital because children learn skill sets that they wouldn't learn in other subjects. They learn self-expression, how to be creative and how to respond to the world around them. The beauty of art is that there's no right or wrong; you can make mistakes, and it just doesn't matter because it's all about expression. I think this is so important to a child's development: to their well-being, to their learning and to developing their own personality.
Gemma: Tell us about your experience of art lessons when you were in school.
Sarah: Art lessons were the standout memories for me; they're the things that had a huge impact – I absolutely loved them. I was very much encouraged as a kid because the teachers could see I had potential and it was fantastic that they nurtured that. I think art is really important at that age because it can help with well-being, and it certainly helped me. It made me feel like I had a power of my own, right through school, which I took on beyond the classroom.
Gemma: Do you believe that children need to develop skills of close looking and talking about what they see?
Sarah: Yes, it's so important that children learn visual literacy from a young age and understand how to talk about what they think and what they see. We are living in a very visual world, there are images all around us, and kids need to learn how to respond to that. It helps them engage more and have a greater understanding of the visual world around them.
Gemma: Why do you think that initiatives for teachers, such as The Superpower of Looking, are needed?
Sarah: I believe that art for all is crucial. Arts subjects have been marginalised in the past decade or so, and we must do more about that. Things like The Superpower of Looking are a great vehicle for establishing the importance of art at a very young age. Improving understanding at this age will hopefully influence kids to pursue creative careers, where they will find a wealth of possibilities. Art has given me a wonderful, interesting career and it was during my school years that this passion was ignited.
Gemma: We're excited that you're hosting The Superpower of Looking's virtual school trip, the Art Adventure. Can you tell us what it's all about?
Sarah: The Art Adventure is a way of taking children into two art galleries to give them an understanding of what it is to look at art, respond to art and be inspired by art. It is also to show young people that galleries are for everyone. I think it's a great resource for teachers and I'm excited to play a part in getting kids to look closely at art – I can't wait to see how they respond. I hope that they will learn a language that they can use to appreciate art – I think that it's so important to give them that foundation.
Gemma: What impact do you hope that the Art Adventure will have?
Sarah: I really hope it makes children realise that art galleries are for everyone and that there is an incredible amount of public art that is free to view, all over the UK. I want kids to know that art galleries aren't stuffy: that they are for them. There's so much they can enjoy, learn and use in their own lives.
Gemma Briggs, Director of Marketing and Communications at Art UK
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