
We are delighted to share that our UK Learning Partner, UCL Slade School of Fine Art, has named Yvonne Jordan as the inaugural recipient of the Slade Director’s Studio Summer Residency.
Yvonne is a teacher and lead practitioner at Central Foundation Girls’ School in Tower Hamlets, London. Working primarily with photography and collage, their practice explores themes of identity and pedagogy through analogue processes.
The residency forms part of a three-year partnership between Hauser & Wirth Learning and UCL Slade School of Fine Art, created for practising artists who also teach in secondary schools. The four-week residency recognises the essential, under-supported role art teachers play in shaping the next generation of artists and creative thinkers — arriving as the Cultural Learning Alliance reports declining secondary art provision, and research shows most art teachers have considered leaving the profession due to a lack of resources and recognition.
Beginning in late July 2026, the residency will provide dedicated time and studio space at UCL Slade School of Fine Art, culminating in an open studio event in London, UK, offering valuable time, space and professional development to educators who often work without either, while strengthening connections between education, contemporary art practice and the cultural sector.
‘The panel was very impressed by how Yvonne’s application and interview struck a delicate balance between the strength of their own practice and how they might use the residency to support their teaching back at their school. We look forward to welcoming Yvonne to the Slade for the inaugural residency.’ —Professor Mary Evans, Director, UCL Slade School of Art
Slade Access Summer School, 2023, London, UK. Courtesy UCL Slade School of Fine Art. Photo: John Moloney
‘Artist teachers play a vital role in shaping the UK's cultural future, bringing creative practice, fresh perspectives and real-world artistic experience into classrooms. Their ability to inspire curiosity and critical thinking helps young people develop the confidence to explore the world around them. Many of the artists we work with are also dedicated teachers, lecturers and mentors, including the late Phyllida Barlow, whose long association with the Slade influenced generations of emerging artists. We are delighted to support Mary and her team as this initiative develops, helping to champion artist teachers and create more opportunities for young people to access pathways into the arts.’—Debbie Hillyerd, Senior Director Learning and Partner, Hauser & Wirth
Support for educators is an ongoing part of Hauser & Wirth's learning programme, which runs educators' private views ahead of most London and Somerset exhibitions and produces learning notes to take back to the classroom. Hauser & Wirth also works closely with Engage and NSEAD, member organisations for gallery educators and art and design teachers, giving their participants a platform to meet and share challenges and progressive ideas across the sector.
Hauser & Wirth’s recent and longstanding partnerships with arts organisations across London also include Bold Tendencies, Drawing Room, Hospital Rooms, Royal Drawing School, South London Gallery and Whitechapel Gallery. Each partnership focuses on increasing access, support and professional development within the arts, working with partner organisations over a sustained period to create long-term, meaningful change.
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