ABOUT

ArtSpark is a new series of free creative learning resources, a commissioned project from the Government Art Collection that I devised and wrote. It is freely available as a dowloadable PDF from the GAC website.
ArtSpark is aimed at young and adult audiences, with a rich mix of activities designed to get you making, thinking and talking (and even dancing!) about art.
The first four artworks in the series are all about 'firsts':
King Henry VIII c.1527-50 a painting by an Unknown Anglo-Flemish Artist, and the oldest artwork in the Collection. What do portraits tell us about someone? Find out what links Henry VIII to Stormzy...
Portrait of a Lady wearing an Oyster Satin Dress c. 1650, a painting by Joan Carlile. This is the earliest work by a woman in the Collection. It was bought in 2018, the year the GAC only bought work by female artists - find out why. Create a miniature, be a bowerbird...
Male Standing Figure - The Priest 1939 by Ronald Moody is the earliest sculpture by a Black British artist in the Collection. It has an amazing story that links to different places around the world. Discover how to make a Storm Creature or a Mythical Bird...
Dancing in Peckham 1994 by Gillian Wearing is the first video work bought for the Collection. What is the intriguing story behind this video work? Try out a silent disco at home, or explore what we know (or don't know) about the person behind a mask.