SALFORD.- One of Tate’s iconic LS Lowry streetscapes has been brought to a school named in the artist’s honour. The painting has been on display at The Lowry Academy in Worsley this week as the centrepiece of a unique series of arts and careers workshops for schoolchildren. This is the first time Tate has lent a work from its collection to a school.

Lowry’s Dwelling Ordsall Lane, Salford 1927 depicts a crowd of children on the corner of a bustling residential road, reflecting the artist’s belief that ‘a street is not a street without people’. Students at the Academy have taken part in artmaking activities inspired by the painting as well as exploring a range of careers available in museums and galleries with guidance from Tate experts. Activities have included creating their own responses to Lowry’s artwork and stepping into the shoes of a curator, art handler or marketing advisor to discover the skills needed to deliver an exhibition.

Helen Legg, Director of Tate Liverpool and Tate’s National Partnerships, said “Tate’s collection of art is a national resource and it must be shared right across the country and beyond. That mission is the reason Tate Liverpool was set up in the 1980s and it remains at the heart of Tate’s work today. We lend hundreds of artworks to UK venues large and small every year, and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring a painting by one of our best loved artists to the school that bears his name.”

Arts Minister, Ian Murray said: “Our best and brightest artists come from every single corner of the country. Lowry’s works defined an era of art in our industrial cities, and Salford is rightly proud to showcase the largest collection of his works right in the heart of Salford Quays.

“There’s every chance that the next iconic artist of a generation is growing up in Salford right now, and this first ever loan from the Tate to a school is the perfect chance to inspire Salford’s young people and ignite the creativity that’s inside each and every one of them.”

Claire Coy, Principal of The Lowry Academy, Worsley, said, “We are so proud to be the first ever school to host a piece of art from the Tate, and none other than a painting created by the artist after whom our school is named. Our students have thoroughly enjoyed not only seeing such a prestigious artwork firsthand but also getting the opportunity to learn more about careers available to them in the art world from Tate experts. These past few days are an excellent example of how we deliver an Education with Character to our young people – an education that inspires them and broadens their horizons beyond the classroom.”

Freya a key stage 3 student at The Lowry Academy said: “Today was an absolutely amazing day! I loved learning about L.S. Lowry and attempting to recreate his art. It was really interesting to see one of his pieces in person. I enjoyed it so much.”

Today’s loan is part of Tate’s ongoing mission to encourage young people across the UK to develop artistic skills and consider careers in the creative industries. Recent collaborations have seen Tate participate in careers presentations and workshops in the Liverpool City Region, while the newly launched online platform Tate Schools is helping to bring the nation’s art collection into classrooms across Britain, offering free resources for teachers and students.

As one of the world’s biggest lenders of art, Tate shares its world-class collection with millions of people beyond its own galleries. Last year, over 3 million people in towns, cities and communities saw Tate works on loan to UK venues from Penzance to Dunoon. A further 1.5 million people visited one of the hugely successful exhibitions of Tate’s collection which regularly tour countries around the world.

• In the last year alone, Tate lent 605 works to 80 exhibitions in the UK and 568 works to 102 exhibitions internationally.

• Over 3 million people saw a Tate work on loan to British venues last year – more people than visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam or MoMA in New York.

• A further 1.5 million people saw Tate’s collection in international exhibitions, which bring the best of British art to a global audience.

• Grenfell by Steve McQueen is currently touring all four nations of the UK, having begun in Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast last year, before travelling to Liverpool, Plymouth and Birmingham.

• ARTIST ROOMS, a flagship national touring programme led by Tate and National Galleries Scotland, has attracted 62 million visitors to over 229 exhibitions since 2008. This year’s shows include Andy Warhol in Wolverhampton and Jenny Holzer in Scunthorpe.

• The Mobile Museum brought Tate works by the likes of David Hockey and Damien Hirst to people’s doorstep. In 2024, nearly 8,500 people across the north and midlands visited the ‘art truck’, including 105 school groups.

• At any given time, around 85% of Tate's collection can be accessed by the public in Tate’s own galleries, in museums across the UK and worldwide, and in Tate Britain’s Prints and Drawings Room.

As well as sharing its own collection, Tate’s national partnerships deliver major exhibitions and prizes around the UK, and help to bring together institutions, curators, and arts professionals.

• Plus Tate, a network of 46 visual arts organisations across the UK, welcomes over 6 million visitors annually, giving opportunities to over 4,000 artists and nearly 2,000 staff and generating a collective annual turnover of over £80 million.

• The British Art Network, led by Tate and the Paul Mellon Centre, brings together over 3,000 curators and academics at the cutting edge of British art research, including its Emerging Curators Group.

• The Turner Prize, one of the world’s best-known visual arts awards, comes to MIMA in Middlesborough this year. In 2025, the exhibition attracted over 40,000 visitors to Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford.