Blog

As the corridors empty, the classroom materials get packed away, and the last squeals of laughter echo through the playground to start a six-week Summer – we look back at a fantastic academic year of achievements in schools and here at Artis.

‘…as the arts become more widely accepted as an effective intervention for wellbeing, our challenge as a cultural organisation is to find new and creative ways to evaluate the impact these activities are having on children and young people.’

The arts cultivate cognitive abilities, nurtures positive character traits, and fosters critical thinking. It expands awareness, increases empathy, and develops an array of social skills. And that’s just the start! This visual guide by WeTheParents.org highlights an incredible 51 powerful ways that learning arts reward children and young people.

​Using the mathematical design in the ceramic works of William de Morgan as inspiration students can take part in a performing arts workshop led by Artis Specialist Wendy (Whirl) at the Guildhall Art Gallery. The sessions will support children’s understanding of geometry and help develop their spatial awareness.

More and more people are recognising the positive influence the arts has on our mental health and wellbeing. It can be difficult for students to know how to express their emotions and feelings especially with the pressures surrounding young people with the rise of technology, social and academic pressures. Here are a few ideas and tips on how to explore mental health and wellbeing with your students.

June Stevenson (Snap) joined as CEO of the Artis Foundation towards the end of 2017. After a busy start to this year settling into her new role, she takes some time to reflect on the theme of New Beginnings and Reinventions.

Artis worked with 150 young people and children in four Milton Keynes schools.  The aim of this project was to gain a better understanding of how children and young people in MK perceived mental health, to get them to understand and identify mental health and wellbeing in others (you), in themselves (me), and to support each other (together).

Did you know Artis has worked with more than half a million children across over 750 schools in the past 14 years? This fun infographic tells you more about Artis’ impact and why our work is crucial.

Artis Specialist Martha (Kablam) reflects on the You, Me, Together project which was a mental health and wellbeing commission by the Milton Keynes Cultural Education Partnership, Artswork, MK Council Public Health and the Milton Keynes CCG.

Following years of squeezed school budgets and the narrowing of the curriculum, arts activities at primary schools are in severe decline. The last “Taking Part” Survey published by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport found participation in the arts among primary-age children down by a third.