ho do you think should be our next Missing Portrait?
Classroom research
At school, the children each chose an influential Black person to research, either from the local area or beyond.
They were tasked to write poems and a persuasive letter to the Earl and Countess of Harewood to argue for their person to be the next portrait in the series.
A day of discovery and inspiration
As a grand finale for the project, the children were invited to visit Harewood House for the day!
They were asked to bring along their written work and prepare a performance of their poem to present to the Harewood Learning Team.
They also took part in a bespoke portrait painting workshop to create an eye-catching image of their person.
Portrait painting workshop at Harewood
The children had an amazing day learning new skills, exploring the House and grounds and became fully invested in Harewood and the project.
Involving children in the Missing Portraits project was a wonderful way to help teach the next generation about Black role models and inspire them to learn more about people and places in their community like Harewood"
Alexandra Claxton-Ruddock - Year 5 Teacher, St Matthew's Church of England Primary School
“The children absolutely loved working with the Harewood Learning team! They enjoyed being given the opportunity to execute some research around Black role models both in the community and further afield. Having the opportunity to express themselves in different creative ways (writing, performing and painting) enabled all the class to showcase their talents and helped to make cross-curricular links to other parts of their learning. The children learnt a lot about different people and how they have contributed to society.
I welcomed the opportunity to teach the children, highlight the talents different people hold and widen their thirst for learning in new and innovative ways.
I felt that involving children in the missing portraits project was a wonderful way to help teach the next generation about Black role models and inspire them to learn more about people and places in their community such as Harewood House.” Alexandra Claxton-Ruddock, Year 5 Teacher, St Matthew’s Church of England Primary School
Influencing change
The Learning team then had the very difficult task of selecting examples of the children’s work and recordings of their poems to be showcased as Missing Portraits. The Team were absolutely blown away by the effort the children had put into their work and even sent some examples to the Earl and Countess!
The Learning Team, children and teachers involved in the project hope you enjoy browsing their work and hope you feel inspired by the stories they have discovered. Who knows, we might see a portrait of one of these influential people hanging in Harewood House in years to come!
Creative People
Honouring Amanda Goreman, Bob Marley, Corrine Bailey Rae, Dame Margaret Ebunoluwa Aderin-Pocock DBE, David Olusoga, Geraldine Connor, Joe Williams and Maya Angelou.
Historical People
Honouring Bessie Coleman, Lilian Bader, Mary Seacole, Nelson Mandela and Pablo Fanque
Sports People
Honouring Mason Holgate, Muhammed Ali, Nicola Adams, Pelé, Simone Biles and Usain Bolt.
Missing Portraits
Missing Portraits is part of Harewood Open History, an ongoing commitment to promoting and celebrating equity, diversity and inclusion, and to combating racism. Our programme invites discussions about Harewood’s past by tackling urgent contemporary issues, working with artists to encourage understanding, celebrate diversity and explore Harewood’s colonial past.
Arthur France: Son of a Small Island
David Harewood: What’s in a Name?
Learn
Learning and Engagement Officer
I spent three years as a primary school teacher before my love of history led me to volunteer at Harewood. Now, with a Master’s in History from the University of York, I’m part of Harewood’s Learning and Engagement team. I love that every day is different, and I still get to share my passion for history with children!