Explore Art UK learning resources which focus on themes of sense of place (where we live) and identity (who we are).
The resources are designed to support teachers in lesson planning and to inspire students to learn more about art and artists and express their ideas, responses and creativity.
Most of the resources listed here have been created for secondary and 16+ students. We have included a small selection of primary-level resources which can be adapted for a range of learners.
Each resource offers information, analysis questions and creative activities that can be selected and modified to fit in with your own scheme of work.
Our places: landscapes, townscapes, histories and communities
What is special about the place where you live?
These resources focus on artists who are inspired by their sense of place. Some respond to the physical features of their place such as buildings and landscapes, others reflect the history of their place or celebrate the people who live there.
This photography resource explores the work of artists who photograph people in the places that they live in. As well as capturing the identity of their sitters, their places become an important part of the portraits.
Communities are essental to our sense of place. This resource looks at a very special public sculpture in Stoke-on-Trent. Unearthed (Lidice) was made to commemorate the people who died in a horrific massacre that took place in the Czech village of Lidice during the Second World War – and to celebrate the people of Stoke who came together to help rebuild the village.
Nicola Winstanley (b.1984) and Sarah Nadin (b.1983)
Lidice Way, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
Art on our streets
Street art is site-specific – often made to reflect the buildings and spaces of a place, or to celebrate local people, histories and events. Explore street art and plan a street art project to celebrate your place. This resource was created with secondary and older primary students in mind but can be adapted for a range of learners.
Public sculpture also reflects local people, histories and communities. Find out more about your place through public sculpture and experiment with animation techniques to bring your public sculpture to life!
UV Arts C.I.C and Raymond Boner and Aches (b.1992)
Orchard Street, Derry
Create word art inspired by the landscapes near you
The Scottish landscape was an inspiration for artist and poet Ian Hamilton Finlay and also for other artists who created text-based artworks along the Corbenic Poetry Trail. How could you use the landscapes near you to inspire poetry artworks?
Martin Reilly (b.1958) and Gavin Clark (1969–2015)
Corbenic Poetry Path
Celebrate local myths and legends
Every place has its myths, legends and folklore. Discover how sculptor Andy Scott combined the Scottish myth of the kelpies and the history of Scottish industry to create a spectacular public sculpture. Find ideas for developing a public sculpture project that celebrates your local myths or legends.
What will your village town or city look like in the future? How will environmental changes impact it?
This resource compares artist depictions of places across the UK from Belfast to Stoke-on-Trent to analyse how they have changed over time. Explore artworks that show your place and imagine how it might look in the future through a mixed-media creative activity inspired by artist Ade Adesina.
Tanzanian American artist Louis Mbughuni and Zambian artist Henry Tayali create expressive, atmospheric paintings inspired by people and places.
Mbughuni uses imagery, colour and composition to paint scenes remembered from his childhood home in rural Tanzania. Henry Tayali used lively and expressive brushstrokes to paint the people and the bustle of urban life in Lusaka.
Use these resources to find ideas and inspiration for using visual elements to capture the mood or atmosphere of your town, city or village.
These resources have been developed for primary-level students but the activities could be adapted for a range of learners.
Use the shapes and textures of local buildings to create abstract artworks
British Indian artist Lancelot Ribeiro used the shapes of buildings in Bombay, where he grew up, to create his abstract artworks. Investigate his techniques and make an artwork inspired by the architecture of your place.
Create textured artworks inspired by textures and shapes in your local environment
Sculptor David Nash lives in North Wales and transforms the shapes and textures – as well as the materials – from the landscape which surrounds him to create his drawings and sculptures.
How could you use nature and the environment near you to create drawings and textured mixed-media artworks?
Tanzanian artist Sam Ntiro was inspired by the people and activities of the village where he grew up. He often painted people working together. Compare his scenes of daily life with the people and activities in your place and create an artwork inspired by people working or interacting together in your place.
Dundee Art Galleries and Museums Collection (Dundee City Council)
Identity: personal histories, memories, culture and traditions
The term 'identity' refers to the qualities and beliefs that make us who we are – these include our background and culture, how we look, what we believe, the gender we identify as, and our sexuality.
Delve deep into the work of key contemporary artists with our artist-in-focus resources. Explore how the artists' backgrounds and histories inspire their ideas and the themes they address. Analyse key artworks through questions designed for group discussion or self-reflection and find inspiration for creative projects exploring identity.
Designed for older secondary level and 16+ students, and lifelong learners, these resources are also a useful reference resource for teachers planning lessons.
Explore identity through Autograph's diverse and inclusive photography collection
Find ideas for individual and group activities that use photographs from Autograph's collection to tell stories and explore narratives.
Investigate how the interpretation of photographs can be shaped by individual perspectives and how these might be similar or different to others depending on their lived experience and identity.
Investigate themes of identity and representation in portraits
Ghanaian Scottish artist Maud Sulter addressed the absence of Black people – especially Black women – in the history of art.
Through her photographs, she put Black women in the centre of the frame. Explore her photographs using activities and discussion and find ideas for developing portrait and identity projects.
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council
Engage with personal histories and identity through poetry and painting
Welsh poet Dylan Thomas wrote poems based on his memories of growing up in Wales. His poetry inspired Welsh painter Ceri Richards to paint expressive powerful artworks exploring themes of growth, life and death. Analyse Dylan Thomas's poetry and use it to inspire a creative project.
Artist Halima Cassell was born in 1975 in Pakistan and grew up in Manchester. She creates intricately patterned ceramic pieces, influenced by her Asian roots and her fascination with Islamic design and African pattern work.
Are there any shapes or patterns that reflect your culture, background or identity? How could you use them to express something about you?
Explore identity, community and place through Windrush stories
Using artworks and activities, discover the stories of people who moved to the UK from the Caribbean as part of the Windrush generation and the experience of their children growing up between two cultures. Memories, stories of home and the things they brought with them are used to explore their identities and histories. Be inspired to create artworks that explore your community and your sense of identity.
Welsh artist Laura Ford's sculptures are partly influenced by her childhood memories of growing up in a fairground family in Wales. Discover how she transforms found objects and textiles into sculptures that resemble oversized (and quite terrifying) soft toys. Experiment with textiles and techniques to create mixed media artworks that reflect an aspect of your identity.
The Superpower of Looking identity resources for primary level
These resources from our award-winning Superpower of Looking project explore identity by looking closely at the details in paintings. Adapt them for your teaching or learning requirements.
