Victoria Art Gallery Bath
Victoria Art Gallery Bridge Street, Bath, Avon, BA2 4AT UK
MONTHS OPEN
DAYS OPEN
AGE GROUPS SERVED
Listed under: Day Trip Destinations | Art and Design | Design and Technology | English | History | Leisure and Tourism | Music | Arts & Galleries | Museums
What we offer on a school trip
The Victoria Art Gallery is the free public art gallery for Bath and North East Somerset. The Gallery's collections range from the 15th century to the present day and were formed mainly by gift and bequest since the building first opened in 1900.
The upper gallery is displayed with three centuries of British paintings from Gainsborough and Turner to Sickert and Hodgkin. The lower galleries have an exciting and varied programme of exhibitions to cater for every taste. Artists past and present are featured, from big names such as the Impressionists through to young, up and coming regional artists.
We offer a range of visit options, from a teaching session to self-guided activities.
What makes us a great choice for education?
Our teaching sessions take place in the galleries and sometimes in our wet work room. We explore the collection and displays in a variety of creative ways.
What is typically included on our school trips?
Self guided visits - these must be booked in advance, telephone 01225 477232 to make a booking.
Facilitated visits
Our teaching sessions must be booked in advance and include working the galleries with a gallery educator. Our themes include:
KS1
Plasticine People
Take a lesson with the inventor of Plasticine, William Harbutt. Find out about his life, his time in Bath and his invention of Plasticine. Try a range of ways of using Plasticine and make a tile to take back to school. Special session combining history and art.
Sensing the Seasons
Use your senses to explore the changing seasons; look at paintings of summer, touch natural objects and smell the scents of summer. Use paint to create a seasonal landscape.
All About Me
Discover how portraits have changed from King Henry VIII to Pilu the performing dog. Create a royal self-portrait in mixed media and a quick pen picture of your favourite person or pet in the gallery. See portraits by Gainsborough, Zoffany and Peter Blake.
KS2
Face to Face: People and Portraits
Explore the lives of people in the past through portraits and paintings of people from Tudor times to the twentieth century. Use line and shape to record your discoveries and make a printed self-portrait inspired by our exhibitions. See portraits by Gainsborough, Zoffany and Peter Blake.
Who Do You Think You Are?
Explore identity through people from the past in our portrait collection and create a contemporary picture of a person or pet, using tactile materials.
Britain's Landscapes
See paintings by British artists from the past 300 years. Enjoy paintings of our landscape and culture. Sketch using watercolours and pastels. Experiment with mark making and look at the changing British landscape.
Great Greeks
Investigate and sketch the Parthenon frieze which is displayed on the gallery walls. Explore original Greek objects and find out more about Greek art and architecture. Design a mythical creature inspired by animals you can see on the gallery's zodiac ceiling and use pen and water-colour to complete your picture. Do a full Greek day by joining up with the Holburne Museum as well.
How to Design an Exhibition
Find out how galleries work: explore displays from a new, expert view point and design a poster for an exhibition.
Group Sizes Catered For
Large groups may be split into smaller groups to enter the galleries. Teachers must supervise their groups at all times. Teaching sessions have a maximum limit of 35 including children and adults.
Materials, Resources & Information Provided
Go to our video page and scroll down to Curating an Exhibition – take the time to watch and make displays and exhibitions back in the classroom.
Risk Assessment Details
Teachers can obtain a generic risk assessment from Lindsey_braidley@bathnes.gov.uk.
Teacher pre-visits can also be arranged.
Education Officer Information
You can contact our Learning and Participation Manager by telephone or email: 01225 477757 or heritage_learning@bathnes.gov.uk or Lindsey_braidley@bathnes.gov.uk
Pricing Information
Please see the website for the current prices http://www.victoriagal.org.uk/making-booking.
Available Facilities
We do not have facilities to eat a packed lunch.
There is a Gallery shop on the ground floor.
Accessibility & Disabled Facilities
For wheelchair users, the ground and first floors can be accessed via the ramped entrance on Bridge Street. Pressing a button on the outside of the building automatically opens the doors.
Opening Hours & Information
Opening hours: The Victoria Art Gallery is now open daily from 10.30am - 5.00pm. Closed 25, 26 December and 1 January.
Testimonials
The workshop leader was excellent at how she delivered the session to such young children. Stonar School
Many thanks for a great session. Rowdeford School.
The children enjoyed the learning boxes?. Thank you for a happy session. Kingswood School.
The session was well paced and engaging. St Philips Primary School.