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In partnership with The Photographers’ Gallery, with Freelands Foundation support
The Visible Practice Residency is a three-year project designed to publicly champion the work of Artist Teachers from global majority backgrounds working in London’s state schools. It reimagines the classroom as a space where teaching and artistic practice intersect and inform one another.
Each year, one Artist Teacher undertakes a funded six-month residency, through which they are supported to develop a new body of work while remaining embedded in their school. The classroom becomes a studio, where creative exploration is shared with students in real time. Throughout the residency, the teacher has access to Autograph and The Photographers’ Gallery’s exhibitions, archives, networks and professional development opportunities, including mentoring, courses and training.
For each residency, participating teachers share their process and outcomes through a final public presentation, digital content and events at Autograph and The Photographers’ Gallery. Students, colleagues, families and communities are invited to engage in dialogue about the role of art in education, helping to foster lasting cultural change.
The aim of this project is to extend knowledge of the impact beyond the individual residencies. Through a public programme, a teacher peer network, commissioned resources and a final symposium, Visible Practice Residency will contribute to broader conversations about representation, education and creative careers. Its legacy is to share a model that invests in and supports teacher-artists, inspires diverse students, and strengthens the role and value of the arts in schools.
In 2017, the Department of Education recorded that children in UK schools (of whom 31% were ‘minority ethnic’) were introduced to visual art by teachers who were 94% white.¹ The Visible Practice Residency addresses the urgent lack of representation in art and design education. While UK school populations are culturally diverse, the teaching workforce remains overwhelmingly white, limiting student aspirations and perpetuating exclusion in the arts. This project confronts that imbalance by making the work of global majority Artist Teachers visible, supported and integrated within schools and the wider cultural sector.
Developed through conversations with artist-teachers, the residency responds to the challenges they face navigating an education system that often overlooks their dual identities as educators and practicing artists. Despite their vital influence on students, opportunities to grow their professional creative practice within schools and connect to the wider cultural field remain limited.
Teachers working in diverse and economically marginalised schools face increasing pressure, with few systems in place to support their growth as creative leaders. The absence of relevant content, leadership pathways and professional networks contributes to isolation and limits long-term sustainability both for teachers and for students seeking role models in the arts.
The VPR asks: what becomes possible when we invest in teachers not just as educators but as artists? By embedding creative experimentation into classrooms and partnering with cultural institutions, the residency supports artist-teachers in bringing their full selves to their work. Through co-created activities, public events and research, VPR reframes how creative leadership is nurtured and recognised.
Focused on long-term change rather than symbolic inclusion, the residency aims to build sustainable, reciprocal models grounded in care, equity and transformation.
Dianne Minnicucci's public realm display on Tabernacle Street, London
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New work produced by Dianne Minnicucci
Artist Zanele Muholi visits Thomas Tallis School
Minnicucci and students at the exhibition opening night
Teacher network session at the Photographers' Gallery
Installation view of Dianne Minnicucci: Belonging and Beyond at Autograph
School workshop led by Adrian Wood
Student work
Dianne Minnicucci was our first artist in residence
Over 200 students engaged with Dianne Minnicucci's residency
Showcasing the work produced by Minnicucci during her residency
Public programme events connected to Minnicucci’s residency and exhibition
Providing CPD and expanding ideas of practised based teaching
To support us in documenting and sharing the project
Documenting the project
Recruiting a new artist teacher and school to take part
Visited Thomas Tallis School and engaged students in professional artistic practices
Sharing learnings and reflections from Minnicucci's residency
Minnicucci's works were publicly presented on Tabernacle Street and Clerkenwell Road in London
Three of Minnicucci's works have been added to Autograph's permanent collection
Banner image: Courtesy Autograph, London
In pictures: 1) Dianne Minnicucci's public realm display on Tabernacle Street, London. Photo by Steven Wiggins. 2) Dianne Minnicucci, from the series Belonging and Beyond, 2025. © and courtesy the artist. 3) Minnicucci and students at the exhibition opening night. Image © and courtesy Jannell Adufo. 4) 5) Zanele Muholi visiting Thomas Tallis School, October 2024. Image © and courtesy Sajan Selvamaniy. 6) Installation view of Dianne Minnicucci: Belonging and Beyond exhibition at Autograph. 17 April – 13 September 2025. Curated by Jolie Hockings. Photograph by Kate Elliott. 7) Teacher Network Meeting. Image courtesy of Autograph.
¹ Visualise: Race and Inclusion in Art Education, The Runnymede Trust
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