Drawing on her expertise in Art & Design education and curriculum development, Emily helps gallery teams explore what schools and pupils need from gallery experiences — and what galleries can offer that school simply cannot.
Through practical, collaborative training, Emily explores rethinking the school tour, moving from guide to facilitator, learning through encounter, reaching more learners and creating multiple ways into an artwork.
The focus is not simply on delivering more information, but on creating experiences where pupils can look, think, make, question, experiment, connect and discover.
Emily works with teams to consider how gallery programmes can be participatory, inclusive, ambitious and complementary to Art & Design education in schools, while making the most of the gallery’s collection, spaces, grounds, people and expertise.
Emily can support teams to explore:
- The emerging Art & Design landscape and what it means for galleries working with schools
- The realities of Art & Design education and what pupils may be missing in school
- The gallery’s unique offer — what can happen here that cannot easily happen in a classroom?
- Rethinking the school tour and creating more active encounters with art
- From guide to facilitator — using educator expertise to create curiosity and agency
- Learning through encounter — incorporating looking, making, movement, discussion and experimentation
- Reaching more learners through multiple ways of participating and communicating
- Progression — developing questions and provocations for different ages and stages
- Inclusive practice that values different perspectives, experiences and prior knowledge
A practical approach
Emily’s training is hands-on, reflective and collaborative. Participants don’t simply discuss new approaches; they test them, question them and apply them to their own collection, spaces and school audiences.
The training asks gallery educators to consider:
What might pupils be missing in school?
What can a gallery offer that school cannot?
What happens if we shift the balance from being told about art to learning through an encounter with art?
What could pupils do, make and discover for themselves?
The result is a training experience that helps teams reimagine what a school visit could be — and the role the gallery can play in Art & Design education.
Emily Gopaul 