The School of the Arts has joined forces with one of its alumni to support a national programme which highlights the importance of arts education and foster creative thinking in school children.
dot-art was founded by arts graduate Lucy Byrne in 2006, and aims to support visual artists in the North West through a variety of services and promotional opportunities. The social enterprise also delivers art classes across Liverpool and works with schools across the city region through its dot-art Schools programme. Since 2022, it has expanded this provision to reach schools across England through its Art Bytes initiative, engaging with over 11,500 pupils to date.
dot-art founder and University of Liverpool graduate Lucy Byrne
With a shared interest in encouraging children and young people to develop creative practice, the School of the Arts is delighted to act as sponsor of Art Bytes until 2026.
This exciting partnership will help ensure access to art and culture to school children across England, many of whom live in disadvantaged areas; and raise the aspirations of young people to consider higher education or skilled careers.
The agreement also provides benefits to students in the School of the Arts, through work experience, volunteering opportunities, and access to online creative courses.
Kerry Traynor, Associate Dean for Education at the School of the Arts, commented:
“We are proud to be supporting one of our former students to increase creative opportunities for school pupils across England. The importance of participation in the arts should not be underestimated: students from low-income families who take part in arts activities at school are three times more likely to go on to higher education and achieve a degree. Yet teachers are struggling to prioritise art education in the face of budget cuts and other pressures, and arts GCSE entries have dropped 47% since 2010. Art Bytes works in partnership with schools to encourage creativity and foster lifelong interest in the arts”.
Having engaged with more than 200 schools so far, Lucy has ambitious plans to grow Art Bytes and extend the offering to more than 4,000 secondary schools over the coming years.
Lucy Byrne, Founder and Managing Director of dot-art, said:
“We are over the moon to be partnering with the University of Liverpool to help grow the reach and impact of Art Bytes across the country. Their support will be incredibly valuable, and we are also very much looking forward to welcoming placement students to give them an insight into working in the arts. On a personal note, to be working with my former University on a project so close to my heart is a real pleasure”.