Yesterday (12th November), I attended the official launch event of our online A level History of Art course, held at The Grammar School at Leeds, one of the project’s academic partners. Griselda Pollock (pictured above), Professor of Social and Critical Histories of Art at the University of Leeds, delivered a lecture to students from schools across Leeds. Her talk on ‘Margaret Atwood, dystopian fiction, women and image’ was a great insight into why studying art history is important and how learning to read the images around us can help us in other areas of our lives. It was inspiring to see young people and their teachers enthused about the subject and looking forward to enrolling on the course over the coming months.

Charlotte Jones (Marketing and Communications Officer at NEC)

The following is an extract from our press release

This innovative online course arises from a partnership between the Association for Art History and the National Extension College, working with universities, schools and teachers.

Artists, museum and gallery professionals and academics across the country welcomed this news. A hard-won campaign in 2016 to keep History of Art on the A level curriculum led to renewed interest in the subject, but large areas of the country still lack access to it in schools and colleges. Prospective students of art history can now study the subject wherever they are, thanks to a new online course leading to the Pearson History of Art A level.

Professor Pollock said: “I’m delighted to support the launch of the online version of the A level in history of art. The study of art history gives us the tools to analyse both the images the past has left us and the image cultures we are making in the present and that are making us.”

Gregory Perry, Chief Executive of the Association for Art History, said: “The A level has always been a cornerstone of our ongoing work to promote art history in schools. Our partnership with the National Extension College allows us to develop more opportunities to study art history anywhere, anytime.

 “Launching the online course with our partners in Leeds also represents our continued commitment to ensure access to art history throughout the UK.”

Ros Morpeth OBE, Chief Executive of the National Extension College, said: “NEC exists to transform lives through education. Our particular focus is students who are looking for a second chance to open doors to their futures. We are delighted to be working with the Association for Art History. This interactive online course will open up the possibility of studying art history to a much wider and more diverse group of students.”

Further information about the course, how to enrol and starting dates can be found on our website at https://www.nec.ac.uk/a-level-history-of-art/

Find out more about the Association of Art History’s vision, mission and their work in education at https://forarthistory.org.uk/about/