Things at National Glass Centre are a little different as we continue to address the storm damage to the riverside front of the building. Find out more in our Visitor Information

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A group of school children stand in a workshop that has by tables with art supplies on them and various pieces of equipment. An adult at the head of the circle talks to the group looking down at something in front of them.
A group of school children stand in a workshop that has by tables with art supplies on them and various pieces of equipment. An adult at the head of the circle talks to the group looking down at something in front of them.

Learn & Create with National Glass Centre & Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

Schools & Education

Be inspired by Sunderland’s rich glassmaking heritage and contemporary artists with educational workshops for schools and home educators.

For more information on our learning programme, workshops and resources, please get in touch.

Learning enquiry form

 

A white room with a floating wall and white tables displaying an exhibition of glass artwork and pictures.

Gallery Glass

Year 1-6 | Full day workshop | £9 per pupil

Participate in gallery tours and discuss the contemporary art on display across our different gallery spaces.

Learn about the artists’ ideas and glassmaking processes. Create a glass painted decoration.

A group of school children sit at a white desk with jars, jugs of water, paper and pencils. One child stirs liquid in a beaker with a spoon and the other children watch closely.

Changing States

Year 1-6 | Full day workshop | £9 per pupil

Learn about the science of glass with exciting experiments using a range of materials.

Practise measuring and making predictions.

Create a fused glass tile using coloured glass tiles and frit.

Two adults and a school child sit at a desk with pencils, scissors and paper. In the background are other tables with adults and school children working with the same materials.

Architecture: Building and Materials

Year 1-6 | Full day workshop | £9 per pupil

Explore National Glass Centre and visit St Peter’s Church to compare old and new buildings.

Use a viewfinder to make observational drawings, draw a map of the route between the two buildings. Create a glass painted decoration inspired by the stained-glass windows in the church.

An excited school child sits at a desk drawing on paper with a pencil.

Sculpture

Year 1-6 | Full day workshop | £8 per pupil

Participate in gallery tours and discuss the contemporary art on display across our different gallery spaces.

Learn about artists’ ideas and making process.

Experiment with different materials to create different constructions and 3D models

A group of teenagers sit at a table in a workshop space wearing safety glasses. They are working with pieces of glass and various glass cutting tools.

Glass Cutting and Fusing

Year 7+ | Full day workshop | £16 per pupil

Use glass cutters, sheet glass, glass grains and kilns.

Learn about glass techniques and design your own artwork.

Create a fused glass panel inspired by our exhibitions or your work at school.

Countless orange, ceramic figures of varying size and shape are tightly packed into a room with concrete columns just visible to the rear.

Workshops linked to exhibitions

Bespoke workshops that can be created for all ages

A workshop at Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art gives pupils the chance to work with professional artists to discuss responses to the artwork and express themselves creatively through a practical activity.

All workshops are designed for specific key stages.

An adult and two school children stand next to a display of glassmaking tools. Next to them is a blue wall with information about the display. The adult and one of the children are holding a large plier-type tool by the handles demonstrating how it is used.

Self-led visits

Visit National Glass Centre for free with your group.

Let us know you’re coming by filling out our learning enquiry form, and we can provide a suggested itinerary to make sure you get the best out of your time here.

All self-guided visits must be booked in advance to avoid overlap with others.