Dwelling Ordsall Lane, Salford 1927 depicts a crowd of children on the corner of a bustling residential road, reflecting Lowry’s belief that ‘a street is not a street without people’. 

Pupils at the Academy have taken part in artmaking activities inspired by Lowry’s painting, as well as exploring the range of careers available in museums and galleries with guidance from Tate experts. Activities included creating their own responses to Lowry’s artwork, informed by workshops on the Tate Schools platform, and stepping into the shoes of a curator, art handler, or marketing advisor to discover the skills needed to deliver an exhibition. 

Helen Legg, Director of Tate Liverpool and Tate’s National Partnerships, said, “Tate’s collection of art is a national resource and it must be shared right across the country and beyond. That mission is the reason Tate Liverpool was set up in the 1980s and it remains at the heart of Tate’s work today. We lend hundreds of artworks to UK venues large and small every year, and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring a painting by one of our best loved artists to the school that bears his name.”

Claire Coy, Principal of The Lowry Academy, Worsley, said, “We are so proud that our school was chosen to be the first ever school to host a piece of work from the Tate, and none other than a painting created by the artist after whom our school is named. Our students have thoroughly enjoyed not only seeing such a prestigious artwork firsthand but also getting the opportunity to learn more about careers available to them in the art world from Tate experts. These past few days are an excellent example of how we deliver an Education with Character to our young people – an education that inspires them and broadens their horizons beyond the classroom.” 

This loan complements Tate’s wider activity to encourage young people across the UK to develop their own artistic skills and consider careers in the creative industries. Recent collaborations have seen Tate participate in careers presentations and workshops in the Liverpool City Region, while our bespoke online platform, Tate Schools, has helped bring the nation’s art collection into classrooms across Britain, offering free resources for teachers and pupils to bring art into the classroom. Tate works with hundreds of teachers to welcome over 140,000 schoolchildren into its galleries each year, offering them unique spaces for creative learning and inspiration.