Factory International

Schools and Learning

There is creativity in everyone, at any age.

About

We develop and deliver learning programs with young people and children from Cradle to Creative (the age of 0 through to 30) with a focus on underrepresented children, young people and artists including Free School Meals, Special Education Needs and those at risk of exclusion.

All of our programs have a social and emotional learning outcome and focus on improving mental health, wellbeing and helping young people successfully traisition to adulthood.

Learning programs are linked to Factory International artistic commissions, helping localize big themes for children and young people.

Mission

Access and Opportunity: We develop bespoke creative learning programs for and with underrepresented young people, children and artists. We create opportunity and share access to world-class art, artists and aligned learning programmes.

Power Sharing: We create safe spaces for people to share ideas. We are interested in exploring ways to share ownership of the work we create through building trusting relationships.

Artistic Development: We offer high quality artistic engagement alongside culturally competent and representative artists. We create opportunities for people to be curious, collaborative and think critically.

Transformational Change: We provide intentional pathways to positive and impactful change, and believe in the power of the arts to drive this in peoples lives, society and systems.

Representation: We represent the communities we serve and are committed to including the right voices in the right conversations at the right time to achieve equity and equality in the work we do.

Current Opportunities

Learning Resources

Explore our free learning resources.

Video Resources

Photo of blurry people moving in a studio

Learning Deep Flow

Boy Blue choreographers Lara McCabe and Nathaniel SB Jones

Dancing with Boy Blue Challenge

Still from Youtube video

Never Ending Patterns

Still from Youtube video

Observing Nature

Still from Youtube video

Drawing with Scissors

Still from YouTube video

Creating a Poetry Image Bank

10 Facts About... David Hockney

David Hockney sat on a striped arm chair with his two dogs. The wall behind him is filled with his paintings of the dogs.
Who is David Hockney? 10 facts about the world-famous artist, his artwork and his dogs – as part of our new series for kids, young people and anyone who wants a quick introduction to the artists we work with at Factory International.
Read now →

Plan your visit

If you’re bringing a group of 10 or more to Aviva Studios then please contact groups@factoryinternational.org in advance. Alternatively you can call 0161 817 4531 (phone lines are open 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday).

If you want to get in contact with our learning team at Factory International, then please contact learning@factoryinternational.org.

For more information about our visitor information, including access and facilities provisions, please visit the Aviva Studios page.

Our Work

As we open our doors to our new home at Factory International, we will be inviting the youngest of our audiences to get involved in a little creative mischief for them to start building their cognitive and social skills.

Our early years programmes are in development but they will harness the power of art, play and creativity to catch little ones’ curiosity and trigger their imagination. One of the first commissions to mark the opening of Factory International will be First Breath – a celebration of new life in the city.

If you have any questions and suggestions, or you would like to partner with us, then please get in touch with us on creativengagement@factoryinternational.org.

Adolescence is the second most prolific period of brain development, building on formative experiences in early years.

Greater exposure to arts and cultural learning not only improves a teenager’s chances of success in their studies and future career, it boosts health and wellbeing.

Our year-round programme of collaborative sessions are inspired by commissioned artists at Factory International. They nurture creativity in the widest sense, from making things to problem solving and critical thinking.

Factory International new school’s partnership programme will be open for applications in Spring 2023.  Through this new year-round programme we hope to inspire young people across Greater Manchester to gain confidence from working together, build resilience and develop a deeper sense of empathy as they use art to find meaning in their own lives. To find out more about our schools programmes, please get in touch on creativengagement@factoryinternational.org.

Educational Resources

We have created several activity packs that can be used in classes and group sessions to encourage collaborative learning. Click to download:

Throughout the year, young people can experience what it’s like to work at Factory International with priority given to pupils in our partner schools and colleges who wouldn’t usually get the chance to work in the arts. To find out about becoming a school partner, please get in touch with us at creativengagement@factoryinternational.org.

There is no age limit at Factory International, or on creativity. Curate, design, deconstruct, film, write, reimagine… Anyone can have a go, in any number of ways.

You will use commissioned work as your starting point to question and make sense of the world around you.

Along the way, you will meet new people, pick up a skill or two and find a new perspective on any number of topics – all you need is a sense of curiosity!

Factory International’s Lifelong Learning Programme will launch in Spring 2023 in partnership with our Community Hub partners across Manchester. Get in touch on creativeengagement@factoryinternational.org to find out more.

Past Projects

  • Takeover

    Our partner schools take over for an end-of-year celebration – with free exhibitions, workshops and music curated by 181 brilliant young people.

  • WOW Schools Speed Mentoring

    Bring students from your secondary school to Aviva Studios for WOW Schools Speed Mentoring.

  • UNLOCKED: Creative Careers

    A four-week programme designed to empower and inspire students to explore the vast world of creative careers.

  • Factory International Schools 23/24

    The 2023/24 programme brought our abundance of creativity, international art, music, theatre and dance directly to young people across Greater Manchester.

  • Crafty Penguins – A Lost and Found Adventure

    An opportunity for schools to receive up to two free full-day creative learning workshops for students when purchasing tickets to see Lost and Found

  • Reframe: Inspire Schools

    This digital project for secondary schools supported by Apple sparked a passion for creativity.

  • KUSAMA X FASHION – A CREATIVE PROJECT FOR SCHOOLS

    Students created wearable art inspired by Yayoi Kusama and for a catwalk to show off their creations.

  • 100 Waving Kites

    Primary School-aged children made unique kites which were transformed into an inspiring installation as part of The Welcome.

  • Therme Art x MIF: Today I Feel like Manchester

    Artist Jeppe Hein asked 1,000 primary school children to follow a breathing exercise and then paint a face that depicted their feelings in that moment.

  • Animals of Manchester (including HUMANZ)

    Thirteen pupils from Claremont Primary School were selected as Young Ambassadors to work with artist Sibylle Peters and curator Lois Keida.

  • Atmospheric Memory

    Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer was exploring how to visualise words and invited more than 600 primary school pupils to create their own responses.

  • The Walk: When the Birds Land

    To celebrate the arrival of Little Amal, we co-ordinated a region-wide participatory programme distributing activity packs to over 4,000 pupils.
  • Dancer wearing a red dress surrounded by dancers in black clothing in Free Your Mind

    Free Your Mind, the official opening production for Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International © Tristram Kenton, October 2023

    Invent a Better Tomorrow Together

    A huge thank you to our extraordinary supporters and partners who support our mission to invent a better tomorrow together.

    As a registered charity, we work to grow our community of individual donors, corporate partners, and grant makers. Their support helps us make art accessible to everyone, transform lives through creative engagement, develop the next generation of diverse talent and power the future of the arts sector.

    Find out how you can support our work to use art as a catalyst for social change, creativity and innovation – both in Manchester and beyond.

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