Learning Programmes with Portraits

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• How to develop a learning programme
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• Evaluation
• Themes around Portraiture
• Case Studies
• Festivals and National Events
• Acknowledgements
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Audiences in your local area

It is worth doing some research into which audiences there are local to you - what local history societies exist, what community organisations are near to you and etc. Partnerships with local organisations and community groups can develop new audiences and add to the understanding of your own collection.

If you have a strong collection of portraits of people from the local area and in local occupations then you have the perfect vehicle for making links with your local audiences. Local history talks and reminiscence sessions would be ideal learning activities.

Learning activities around Family History can be useful here - for more details see Family History and Portraits

A good example:

Homeless People Portrait Sessions

The Holburne Museum of Art in Bath runs drop in sessions at the Gardener's Lodge for people from Julian House Night Shelter. Peter Stone, the Holburne's photographer, has been working on self-portraits in the Lodge, and in the landscape, and on them photographing each other.

The participants were given disposable cameras to take pictures during the week, which the Holburne developed and put on CDs, giving them the prints. Peter worked with them on Warhol and Hockney collage techniques and they then collaged the images. They also made prints from the images using Styrofoam to print from.