CIRCA PIPELINE: Frank Bowling Gives Free Art Supplies to London Students
CIRCA and Sir Frank Bowling OBE RA partner with Findel Education to deliver art materials to 7,152 children
CIRCA and Sir Frank Bowling OBE RA inaugurate the first phase of the CIRCA PIPELINE, working in partnership with Findel Education to deliver free art materials to 32 state primary schools across London and enabling 7,152 children to take part in a six week arts course inspired by the artist. The moment was marked with a presentation of the students’ paintings on Piccadilly Lights, giving thousands of young people their first public exhibition in one of the most visible cultural spaces in the world.
‘Seeing the children’s work on Piccadilly Lights shows why the pipeline must continue to grow,’ says Bowling. ‘When a child is given proper materials and encouragement, possibility opens. I hope to see many more schools across the country join this journey. Power to the teachers and everyone for their support. They are the real heroes.’
With the London rollout complete, preparations now turn to the next phase. Reaching schools across the United Kingdom depends on continued sales of Bowling’s limited edition print, ‘Understanding Frank.’ Each print directly funds the materials needed for 300 children to take part in the CIRCA PIPELINE, expanding access to creative time in classrooms that would otherwise go without.
Courtesy CIRCA
For six weeks, children studied Bowling’s life and his pioneering experimentations with paint, including his celebrated map paintings which feature fields of color overlaid with stenciled world maps. Guided by a curriculum developed with Frank Bowling Studio, Goldsmiths, University of London and CIRCA, students learned how to layer paint, explore texture, mix color with intention and develop independent artistic choices. For many, this was their first time working with stretched canvas or specialist materials.
Teachers have observed the positive impact of the initiative. Lise Bentley of Beavers Community Primary School comments ‘One of the best things about the project is that looking at Frank Bowling’s work has opened up the question of what art is for the children. It has given them license to immerse themselves in color and revel in applying paint in many ways. I am extremely grateful not to have to ration sketchbook pages. Normally each book has to last two or three years. Having a full art cupboard is amazing. There are suddenly enough brushes and paint tins to go around. CIRCA and Frank drawing attention to the reality of squeezed school budgets is so important. Art is vital for all children.’
Across these 32 London schools, more than 3,000 bottles of paint, 7,152 stretched canvases, 7,500 mixing trays, 7,500 sketchbooks, 7,500 watercolor sets, 8,250 brushes and 108,000 coloring pencils were delivered directly into classrooms through a coordinated distribution supported by Findel Education. This investment in materials gave every pupil the chance to take part fully, many for the first time using a stretched canvas or professional tools.
Frank Bowling, Understanding Frank, 2023 © Frank Bowling. Courtesy CIRCA. Photo: Rosie Feather
‘I felt relaxed smoothing the paint,’ said Amaira, 8. ‘We used so many colors to make other colors,’ added Ishem, 7. ‘My picture is a bit like a Frank Bowling painting because it has red and blue and it’s got a map,’ said Emin, 7. A pupil at Southwood Primary described the feeling simply: ‘Painting on canvas makes me feel like a real artist.’
Why this work is urgent
Arts education in UK state schools has reached a breaking point. Recent findings from Child of the North and the Centre for Young Lives reveal that arts spending in many English state schools has fallen to less than £1.80 per pupil per year, leaving teachers with almost no resources to deliver meaningful creative learning. 53% of schools report further cuts to arts budgets since 2024, and the consequences are stark. According to the same research, up to 93% of children are now excluded from regular arts and cultural education because their schools simply do not have the funding or staff to provide it. These pressures fall hardest on disadvantaged communities, where access to creative opportunity is already limited. In this landscape, basic materials are absent from most classrooms, and teachers frequently report rationing what little they have.
The CIRCA PIPELINE offers a direct response by placing high quality resources and structured creative guidance into classrooms at no cost to schools. This has been made possible through support from Findel Education whose expertise and nationwide distribution network ensured the London rollout could happen at speed and scale. Their involvement demonstrates how collaboration between artists, educators and industry can create meaningful change where it is most needed.
Help fund the national rollout
The CIRCA PIPELINE was created to reach 100 state primary schools. With 32 now complete, 68 remain. Each sale of Sir Frank Bowling’s hand signed print directly unlocks the full materials package for 300 students. ‘Understanding Frank’ is a 14 layer silkscreen based on a rare collage featuring the only known appearance of the British Isles in Bowling’s work. The work is a limited edition of 100, priced at £6,000, and available exclusively on circa.art/circa-pipeline
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Learn more about Sir Frank Bowling OBE RA’s collaborations with CIRCA.
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