Art History Link-Up pilots Art History HPQ courses at The Courtauld
It’s completely changed what I thought art history was, I thought it was learning about the lives of individual artists, instead it’s using art to learn about the past, present and future – I definitely want to continue at A levelHPQ participant
In November 2024, Art History Link-Up (AHLU), a charity working in partnership with The Courtauld for the last three years, began an exciting new pilot course for younger students which could be transformative for the study of Art History in the UK.
The HPQ (Higher Project Qualification) is an accredited award in Art History equivalent to up to half a GCSE and offered to Y9/10 (13 – 15-year-olds) state school students. Forty students joined the 10-week programme, half online, and half at the Courtauld at Somerset House. This initiative is part of a broader commitment to broadening access to the study of Art History and the majority of students accepted on the course met widening participation indicators and/or were classed as belonging to a minority ethnic group.
The course was based around the ideas of gender, ethnicity, identity, exclusion, and centered on discussions around objects in The Courtauld and other public collections. The project focus was on curating an exhibition, either as an artefact, or an essay exploration of the topic. Ideas were wide-ranging and ambitious, including, ‘the divine woman’, ‘how lighting affects the interpretation of art’, ‘sin through the ages’, and many more.
The course was led by Nicola Hepworth, long-standing AHLU teacher, who commented:
I've been so impressed by the insights the students brought to the classes: I heard perspectives that I had never considered, about paintings I have looked at many times. I can tell that they are switched on to art now, and that many of them will be coming back to The Courtauld, as well as visiting other galleries confidently.
Following the success of the first intake, we are pleased to announce that a new course will be starting in late April. This project has been made possible by the generous funding of The Rothschild Foundation, who have made this transformative work possible.
It’s so fun coming to school in a gallery, and learning about paintings, then seeing them with an expert and sharing ideas together, it’s like the best club in the world.Y9 AHLU Art History HPQ student
This new course complements the existing AHLU programme based at The Courtauld which offers free-of-charge Art History A Level and EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) courses to state school students taught on Saturdays during term-time from the Courtauld and online.
To find out more about the HPQ and EPQ, and to sign up for ALHU’s newsletter, visit AHLU’s website: www.arthistorylinkup.org
Rose Aidin MBE, Founder and CEO, Art History Link-Up
