Arts Award is a range of unique qualifications that supports anyone aged up to 25 to grow as artists and arts leaders.

It inspires young people to connect with and take part in the arts world, including museums and galleries, through completing challenges in a particular art form – from fashion to digital art, pottery to poetry.

Arts Award has five levels, including an introductory level and four qualifications:

  • Discover, the introductory level for ages 5+
  • Explore, for ages 5+, an Entry Level 3 qualification
  • Bronze, for ages 11+, a Level 1 qualification
  • Silver, for ages 11+, a Level 2 qualification
  • Gold, for ages 11+, carries 16 UCAS points and is a Level 3 qualification

For full information on what these levels involve, you can download the Arts Award annual guide.

To run Arts Award in your museum, you need to train as an Arts Award adviser for the level you want to offer. Training is widely available and you can find out about courses, including online options, on the Arts Award website.

To let young people and families know that you offer Arts Award, you can become an Arts Award Supporter. This provides you with a badge and marketing materials to advertise your involvement and reach audiences looking for opportunities in your area.

Arts Award in Museums

Arts Award is versatile and can work alongside a wide range of museum activities with children, young people and families.

Five reasons to do Arts Award

  1. It’s simple! The flexible framework fits around your learning and outreach programmes.
  2. It brings in new visitors. Children and young people come back with their family and friends.
  3. It connects you with others running Arts Award – including schools, youth clubs, scout groups and arts organisations, all looking for activities which relate to Arts Award.
  4. It strengthens young people’s voices within your museum, giving you new insights and fresh ideas. It can develop existing work with young people, or kick start something new.
  5. It’s rewarding to the museum and the young people. You help young people gain new skills and a qualification, and they get certificates. You can accredit your programmes with Arts Award and use this to show funders the impact of your young people’s work.

Maidstone Museum offers a range of options for families to work together to complete Arts Award Discover in a day.

When museums closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some museums moved their Arts Award offer online. You can complete Arts Award Discover at home with Historic Dockyard Chatham and submit your logbook online.

There are more examples of how museums are using Arts Award on the Arts Award website.

Arts Award and Takeover Day

There are many ways that Kids in Museums Takeover Day activities can contribute towards Arts Award:

Taking over museums roles, such as Visitor Welcome Hosts, Press and Marketing Officers, Tour Guides and Curators (find more ideas on our Takeover Day example roles page)

  • Exploring the work of arts and cultural organisations (Explore) – The Reading Museum Takeover Day is a great example of this.
  • Arts activities (Bronze and Silver) – The Norwich Castle Takeover Day was a great example of this.
  • Researching arts career paths (Silver and Gold)

Exploring and researching your collection and writing creative exhibition labels

Leading tours

  • Finding art forms all around you (Discover)
  • Finding out about the work of artists and arts organisations (Explore) – A good example is the Reading Museum Takeover Day.
  • Developing art form understanding (Bronze, Silver or Gold)

Designing visitor guides, audio tours and films, and developing new skills in photography, filming, drawing and creative writing

  • Taking part in arts activities (Discover, Explore, Bronze or Silver)
  • Developing arts practice (Gold)

Curating a pop-up exhibition or putting on a performance and developing creative skills by choosing objects, planning and managing how displays will look, and describing and explaining displays to visitors

  • Taking part in arts activities (Discover, Explore, Bronze or Silver)
  • Developing arts practice (Gold)
  • Leading an arts project (Silver or Gold)

Designing and producing objects for your organisation to sell in the shop

  • Taking part in arts activities (Discover, Explore, Bronze or Silver)
  • Developing arts practice (Gold)

Promoting, marketing and putting on a performance, exhibition or event

  • Taking part in arts activities (Discover, Explore, Bronze or Silver)
  • Developing arts practice (Gold)
  • Leading an arts project (Silver or Gold)

Creating young-person led workshops and activities for younger children and peers

  • Taking part in arts activities (Discover, Explore, Bronze or Silver)
  • Developing arts practice (Gold)
  • Leading an arts project (Silver or Gold)

For more ideas on how to combine Arts Award and Takeover Day, look at our Arts Award case studies.

Files for this Resource

Tags: , , ,

Categories:

Audience: , , ,