Self-expression through painting, design, drawing and other media has always been a vital ingredient in the creative and receptive sense of community that defines the cultural and visual character of our school. The energy and commitment that we bring to our co-curricular art programme reflect this, as this page shows.
Self-expression through painting, design, drawing and other media has always been a vital ingredient in Harrodian's creative and receptive sense of community
Clubs and Competitions
Art clubs take place throughout the school week. In the Prep, pupils can choose from clubs with a range of different themes such as silk painting, above. In the Senior school, the art department is open for student use at lunchtimes and after school, five days a week. Here, extracurricular specialisms on offer range from Art History to Design and Photography clubs.
To inspire and enhance students' learning in the Prep, we stage termly creative House competitions and take part in annual external art challenges such as Youngart. Alongside class work, A Level students attend a Life Art class after school once a week, above, to build up their core observation drawing skills and also take part in competitions, including the Royal Academy School Show at A Level and the Saatchi Schools Prize.
Artist talks, workshops and studio visits
Students of all ages are welcome at our regular lectures by inspirational guest speakers, including artists, gallerists and thinkers, who we invite to share their views of Art. Whenever we can, we take the opportunity to watch and learn from practitioners by inviting artists (such as Ram Samocha to lead workshops and by visiting studios (like that of Jonathan Yeo, below) and centres of design and craft excellence such as the London Centre for Book Arts, below.
Galleries, Museums and Art Trips
Many pupils and students in the senior school take part in our frequent trips to London exhibitions and galleries, below, and to important art fairs and events including Frieze and the Venice Biennale, bottom.
Displays and Exhibitions
As the displays of student work around the school demonstrate, encouraging and celebrating artistic creativity is fundamental to Harrodian culture. Last year we staged our first ever Art Postcard Exhibition. Pupils, parents and alumni were invited to create and submit their own A6-sized artwork using design, photographic or art skills. The results were displayed in a special exhibition in the Harrodian theatre and sold for charity, below. Meanwhile, our annual Art Show transcends its function as a showcase of A Level and GCSE course work. Every year, its opening creates a stir throughout the school, attracting a steady stream of visitors eager to see the latest examples of Harrodian creativity, bottom
For Drama, Music, Art, Design or Photography curricula, please use this link for Prep and this one for Senior school
