Applications have just closed for our third HPQ Introduction to Art History course at the Courtauld, and we were thrilled at how oversubscribed the course was. So much so that we have decided to offer another version online, running from May to July!

Application information can be found here: https://www.arthistorylinkup.org/programmes/online-hpq-introduction-to-art-history

These are free courses for Y9 and Y10 students in UK state schools that introduce them to Art History through the extraordinary collection at the Courtauld Gallery. While learning about masterpieces like A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet, they also build their own virtual exhibition around a theme of their choice. These projects are then submitted to Pearson as Higher or Foundation Project Qualifications, equivalent to up to half of a GCSE in UCAS points.

It's so fun coming to school in a gallery, and learning about paintings, then seeing them with an expert and sharing ideas together, it's like the best club in the world.- Y9 AHLU HPQ Introduction to Art History student

To give a sense of what students can achieve, I wanted to highlight an incredible project from the last HPQ course at the Courtauld which our student was proud to share with our wider network: ”Fur and Feeling”: A virtual exhibition you can access at this link: https://www.artsteps.com/view/67acffdb86285f20c3bb84bd

As you walk around this exhibition, it is striking how much curatorial thought has gone into the project, from the colour of the walls to the grouping of the artworks. Works that you would not expect to see side by side, like Francisco Goya's Los Caprichos and Nic Joly's sculpture reflecting on the Covid-19 pandemic, have been skilfully brought together. This kind of lateral thinking and freshness of perspective on the canons of Art History is part of the joy of working with young people.

The most striking element of the exhibition, though, is the audio guide throughout. We did not teach or encourage the student to make one, and yet they did it anyway. They saw an opportunity to make their project more engaging and accessible, and they took it. As a result, each artwork is brought to life when you click on it by the student's own voice. Similarly, many of the artworks in the exhibition were new to me and not covered on the course. The student sourced them independently, online and in books.

The feedback from the courses overwhelmingly highlights the enjoyment that students took in this independence. Students are often directed towards specific learning outcomes, however project-based learning allows them to shape their work around their interests, and growing sense of identity. It encourages students to take agency over their own work and question the limits of the brief they have been given.

It has allowed me to be more creative and to give things a try before giving up completely. - AHLU HPQ Introduction to Art History student

The student who created this project received an A grade from Pearson, which is a fantastic, tangible outcome. Moreover, they learnt that their contributions to the History of Art had value. They developed soft skills like research, self-evaluation, critical thinking, and visual analysis. To borrow a term from a book by Anne Harding's term on the role of the arts in teaching, it is these "magic moments" that will shape a young person's life as much as the grades they receive.

Ludo Amory, Education & Outreach Officer, AHLU

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AHLU Founder and CEO, Rose Aidin, writes about AHLU’s Art History HPQ courses on The Courtauld’s website here.

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