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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.
Dianne Minnicucci (born 1977, Darlington, UK) explores the boundaries of documentary storytelling. She is Head of Photography at
Thomas Tallis School in Greenwich.
Aasha John (born 1989, Trinidad) reclaims, remakes and reimagines relationships with the past. She is Head of Art at
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in Islington.
Aasha John discusses her work with Autograph's Curatorial team
Artist Nilupa Yasmin leads a workshop with students from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School
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.
This project has developed from Autograph's long-standing commitment to supporting arts education and the educators who sustain it. Through our project Seeing Differently: Learning Together through Photographs, Dianne Minnicucci connected with Autograph and shared her experience of the challenges she faced in her arts career. This included structural barriers within the sector and practical difficulties in developing her own practice alongside teaching full time.
The Visible Practice Residency is the next step in addressing under-representation through progressive, collaborative design which values teachers’ expertise and professional practice.
Teachers' network session at The Photographs' Gallery
Dianne Minnicucci leading teachers' network session at Autograph
Two teachers completed six-month residencies, each producing a new body of work
Over 400 students took part across two schools
Professional development sessions supported peer exchange and practice-based teaching
Exhibitions showcased work created through the project
A short film captured the residency process
Guest artists worked with teachers and students in partner schools.
Shared key learnings and reflections from the residency
Banner image: Courtesy Autograph, London
The Resident Artist Teachers: 1) Courtesy Dianne Minnicucci. 2) Courtesy Aasha John.
Aims and What We're Building On: 3-5) Courtesy Autograph, Londdon. 4)© Jannell Adufo, documentation of teachers' session at Autograph, 2025.
¹ Visualise: Race and Inclusion in Art Education, The Runnymede Trust
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Autograph is a space to see things differently. Since 1988, we have championed photography that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice, sharing how photographs reflect lived experiences and shape our understanding of ourselves and others.
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