Celebrating Creativity: The Legacy of the National Gallery’s NG200 Art Road Trip in Gloucestershire
Hans Holbein the Younger’s ‘The Ambassadors’ reproduced and used as inspiration for community based sessions
Image Credit: Kazz Hollick at GAWP, Kings Square
In 2024, the National Gallery (NG) marked a historic milestone—200 years of bringing people and paintings together—with a year-long celebration known as NG200. This ambitious initiative looked both to the past and the future, launching a nationwide festival of art, creativity, and imagination to seed and energise the Gallery’s third century.
Create Gloucestershire (CG) was proud to be selected as one of 18 National Gallery UK wide partners. With 4 Gloucestershire arts and community organisations, we co-created an inspiring programme of visual arts experiences delivered in diverse locations in Gloucestershire.
The National Gallery Art Road Trip arrived in July 2024 —a travelling art studio stocked with easels, stools, paintbrushes, art materials and display shelving journeying across the UK, to share high-quality art experiences with communities targeted because of their limited access to cultural infrastructure and resourcing.
NG Educators Elisha Keyworth and Sadegh Aleahmed, were on board the NG bus alongside a collection of 40 well-known pictures from the NG collection such as Hans Holbein the Younger’s The Ambassadors Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Cypresses, and Edgar Degas’ Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando, which were printed onto fabric.
NG educator Sadegh Aleahmed in Kings Square, Gloucester.
Image Credit: Kazz Hollick, GAWP
Reaching New Audiences Through Art
Just under 3,000 children and young people engaged with Art Road Trip in Gloucestershire.
76% of participants had never visited the National Gallery before—the second-highest figure among all 18 of the national partners.
“Bringing creative activities to people’s doorsteps is such an important thing to do. How else do we break down barriers to artistic engagement and make creativity more accessible and integrated into daily life? . Take a look at some of our road trip highlights here” Dawn Barnes, CEO of The Venture.
We achieved this because of the deep roots our 4 arts and community partners have in neighbourhoods with the least access to cultural resources. CG’s job was to convene weekly meetings that brought these partners together with the NG creative team, to ensure each and every event responded creatively to the specific ambitions, assets and appetites of each neighbourhood.
Artwork made at Forest High with Wyldwood Arts
Image credit: Rich @supreme.perspective Wyldwood Arts
Wyldwood Arts who worked with Forest High, in Coleford to offer young people outdoor creative workshops and community drop-in sessions.
Cam and Dursley Creatives & Creative Community who were based at Rednock School, and their feeder primary schools to deliver full-day workshops with pre-GCSE, GCSE, and A-level Art students.
GAS Projects who transformed King’s Square, Gloucester and an empty shop into a vibrant gallery and exhibition venue with a team of young creatives.
Culture Matson & The Venture hosted creative workshops as part of the HAF summer programme.
You can find out more about each project in Cotswold Life
Debs Brooks, Abi Nicol (Creative Community) and Pippa Jones (CG)
Image Credit: Create Gloucestershire
A Night to Remember: Opening the New Sainsbury Wing
This June, the Art Road Trip returned to London, and CG joined the National Gallery to celebrate the opening of the newly refurbished Sainsbury Wing and Education space. Representatives from CG and Creative Community attended the event, reflecting on the journey and the legacy left behind in Gloucestershire.
“The children, young people, and teachers loved experimenting with materials and learning about the collection—including Holbein’s The Ambassadors and Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Cypresses. Hosting the National Gallery in Dursley was incredible—it brought energy, excitement, and a sense of pride to our community.”
Abi Nicol, Creative Community
The NG ART van in Kings Square, Gloucester
Image Credit: Kazz Hollick, GAWP
Building Lasting Partnerships
From National to Neighbourhood
NG200 was CG’s first partnership with a national cultural institution that has inspired us to pursue similar collaborations in the future. The experience helped CG develop some governance, management tools and frameworks that enabled equitable and creative collaboration between a national organisation and neighbourhood based arts and youth work organisations.
“It’s the first time we’ve partnered with a national organisation and we can’t praise the NG 200 team enough. They offered their insights, learning and resources with curiosity and humility which created the right conditions for us to shape and deliver something that none of us could have done on our own. We are really excited to be building on these foundations to bring more arts and culture to people in Gloucestershire.” Pippa Jones, Create Gloucestershire
Strengthening Local Networks
The project also deepened relationships between CG and our talented, passionate and experienced local delivery partners, who are based across the county and share a commitment to improve access to the visual arts. Moving forward we are working with them to support joint funding bids and collaborative initiatives including how we might re-purpose empty shops in our towns and cities to offer gallery spaces curated by artists and residents.
Empowering Artists and Educators
The Art Road Trip offered Gloucestershire based artists high quality professional skills development in a series of workshops run by the NG education team to experiment with new techniques, such as egg tempura painting. Six young creatives worked with GAS Projects to co-curate an exhibition in an empty shop on Kings Square, Gloucester.
“All the artists commented on the quality and ambition of the National Gallery team—it truly inspired their own creative practice.” Louise Bardgett, Create Gloucestershire
Experimenting with egg tempura
Image Credit: Creative Community
Van Gogh installation at The Engine, Dursley
Image Credit: Creative Community
Unlocking New Investment and Opportunities
The profile and reputation of the National Gallery helped CG to attract new funding for arts and culture from local authorities and community organisations. In Cam and Dursley, Creative Community secured support from Dursley Town Council and The Quarry Chapel to deliver a series of workshops and a large-scale Van Gogh installation at The Engine, which drew visitors of all ages.
“The buzz created by the partnership helped us engage with different people in our community and bring fresh investment to the table.” Abi Nicol, Creative Community
Strengthening School and Community Links
Wyldwood Arts at Forest High
ImageCredit: Rich@supreme.perspective Wyldwood Arts
The project also fostered stronger relationships with schools. Wyldwood Arts is now in discussions with Forest High about future collaborations, and it has strengthened links with the school’s inclusion group, building work with more diverse communities / newly arrived communities, such as shared translated marketing. Several students from Rednock School have joined weekly art workshops at The Quarry Chapel in Cam. Creative Community hosted a two-week work experience programme with GL11 for young people with anxiety—55% of whom had participated in the Art Road Trip.
“It’s important for Wyldwood and our work in the Forest of Dean to be part of conversations. We often feel on the fringes of activity. It’s helped us feel part of wider opportunities and collaborate with a high profile organisation” Wyldwood Arts
Looking Ahead: Sustaining the Legacy
National Gallery extension project at The Engine
Image Credit: Louise Bardgett
The impact of NG200 continues to ripple through Gloucestershire. Partners are actively fundraising for legacy projects, including:
Visits to the National Gallery and other galleries closer to us with young people and artists.
Pop-up exhibitions and doorstep art sessions led by local artists.
A potential long-term use of the King’s Square empty shop as a gallery space.
Further training and support for artists and facilitators.
“We wouldn’t have known the potential of using an empty shop without our involvement in the Art Road Trip. We’ve learned from the challenges and are now offering a new model.” GASP
Creative Community has since received funding from Cam and Dursley community chest for an extension project at Rednock School with GCSE and A level Art students, resulting in an exhibition and skills development around hanging work and leading art sessions at The Engine in Dursley. The Venture are now employing more local artists to join them at their Pop Up Activity Days to deliver art on doorsteps in their local neighbourhood.
What We’ve Learned
Outside activity GAWP, Kings Square Gloucester
Image Credit: Kazz Hollick , GAWP
Throughout this journey, CG and its partners have gained valuable insights:
Freedom to explore: Pupils thrived when given the chance to work playfully and outside curriculum constraints.
Flexibility is key: Aligning with school timetables and agreeing shared policies around behaviour and code of conduct to avoid last-minute challenges.
Co-creation matters: Open and regular communication to ensure decisions were made collaboratively, not hierarchically.
Time to build trust: willingness of the NG team to get to know local partners and flexibility and sensitivity to the local context.
Quality of materials and equipment: Participants felt valued and special, particularly using the easels.
Local knowledge is vital: National partners understanding the realities of rural travel and infrastructure.
The role of CG: Acting as a filter and facilitator, CG helped reduce pressure on local partners and ensured smooth delivery.
Final Thoughts
The NG200 Art Road Trip was more than a celebration—it was a catalyst for connection, creativity, and community. As we look to the future, we’re excited to build on this momentum, deepen our partnerships, and continue bringing world-class art experiences to the heart of Gloucestershire.
The Venture Community Hub Outdoor painting with the NG Art Road Trip
Image Credit: The Venture