Visualising Art Education

The Runnymede Trust and Freelands Foundation published a landmark research report into race and inclusion in art education, following three years of partnership, from 2021 to 2024.

‘Visualise: race and inclusion in art education’ examines the current state of race in art education in England, confirming what art educators have been saying for years: that art education is at crisis point. Despite their best efforts, teachers and students are rooted in an education system that is failing to nurture diverse art practices.

These conversations dig deeper into the ideas 'Visualise' maps, while offering an alternative way to engage with the written report's provocations. 

Shade Podcast was founded in 2019 by photographer Lou Mensah to create a space for Black artists and creative practitioners to talk about their work in their own way.

The critically acclaimed podcast has run for 11 seasons and featured interviews with artists, critics, writers. and visionaries, including John Akomfrah, Amy Sherald and Ekow Eshun, and many more.

"Following the reports publication, I’ve regrouped with Freelands Foundation for this new weekly, five-part series of conversations with art educators, practitioners, and makers to dig deeper into the ideas presented by the report and to offer our listeners who work in education a toolkit, if you like, of conversations that we hope will help support you in exploring the ideas around providing a more diverse art curriculum." - Lou Mensah, @shade_podcast