ABOUT
Manchester Artist Teacher Collective (MATC) is a group of artist teachers from secondary schools and colleges across Manchester, and gallery educators from Manchester Art Gallery, the Whitworth and HOME. We foster collaboration between art educators, local artists, studios and gallery spaces. Through this collaboration, we seek to develop and share artistic and educational expertise, enabling teachers to engage with contemporary practices and sustained personal making. By centering on the artist teachers’ own creative development, the collective highlights the local cultural ecology and future opportunities within Manchester for the young people they teach.
MATC was formed in 2022 through British Art Show 9’s Art Agents programme with the ambition of developing peer to peer support and championing the importance of art in the curriculum and its value in our everyday lives
For the past two years, with funding from Freelands Foundation, we have been working on Art Matters, an action research programme that has encouraged us to rediscover our arts practice, deepen making skills and embed our work in Manchester’s arts ecology.
The collective is supported by core partner organisations, Manchester Art Gallery, the Whitworth and HOME. Gallery educators form the steering group along with project coordinator Kayt Hughes, a freelance/consultant artist and producer, and collaborate with the artist teachers to develop programmes, seek funding opportunities and deepen their engagement with Manchester’s Arts ecology.
OUR AIMS
- To inspire the inspirers, by giving art teachers opportunities to take time to connect, think and reflect and develop as artists in their own right
- To work generously, using our collective skills, resources and influence to provide a richer education for the children and young people of Manchester
- To support and connect Manchester arts ecology through increased awareness, confidence and participation of schools
- To make art relevant by working with contemporary culture within the city and developing art curriculums that focus on local artists, studios, collaboratives and exhibitions
- To champion visual arts in education, not as a conduit for other skills or subjects or as creativity or culture – but in its own right. We will develop case studies that help us advocate for this
- To advocate for this approach across all subjects by demonstrating how ensuring time for teachers to connect with their subjects deeply and creatively supports their wellbeing and teaching