Sky Arts
Art for everyone.
Sky Arts is the UK’s only TV channel dedicated to the arts. Great art fires up our imaginations and brings us together. That’s why we are incredibly ambitious with the stories we tell on Sky Arts. And it’s why we share Sky Arts, free of charge, with everyone in the UK.
Every day, Sky Arts beams the best British art and culture to millions of people. From opera masterpieces to pop culture, our definition of the arts is unashamedly broad. Sky Arts is for art in all its forms. We’re for more inspiration and more creativity, for everyone.
Director of Sky Arts and Entertainment
Celebrating ten years of Portrait Artist of The Year
We’re back at the easel this month to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the nation’s favourite art competition, Portrait Artist of the Year. Budding artists keen to join the celebrations for the show’s tenth birthday also took part in a mass portrait painting event on 28 October where Sky Arts attempted to set an official world record for the most people painting online and in a single venue simultaneously, with national treasure Sir Lenny Henry as our sitter.
If you took part in the world record attempt and need additional images of Sir Lenny to complete your portrait visit the gallery.
Pablo Picasso famously said that every child is an artist. We believe every child can grow their confidence and their self-expression through the arts, which is why we launched Access All Arts Week, our annual nationwide initiative to support primary schools with the aim of getting more children painting, performing, and creating.
Unleashing children’s creativity and confidence
Through Access All Arts week, Sky Arts supports teachers to take their pupils on a confidence-boosting creative journey, with free easy to use and engaging resources that cover 10 different artforms. Aligned to the curriculum, we create a brand-new set of resources every year, working with a team of educationalists and arts organisations like the National Theatre, National Portrait Gallery and English National Opera. In 2023 over 360,000 children took part in Access All Arts week across the UK and Ireland.
“Sky Arts Access All Arts week was tremendous fun. The lessons and resources gave our children the opportunity to learn about engaging and exciting artists and added depth to our art curriculum. Our children were very proud of the work they produced during this week, which is vital for developing confident, independent artists.”
361,200+CHILDREN TAKEN PART
7,900+SCHOOLS
13,500+TEACHERS
92%POSITIVE IMPACT ON PUPILS
More people watching, painting and creating
Our research shows that one in ten of British adults have tried a new creative hobby such as painting, music, photography after being inspired by a TV programme.
To do justice to the incredible arts and culture we feature, we need to be creative in the way we share it. We team up with artists and arts organisations to create powerful nationwide campaigns, ground-breaking new original TV shows and more to capture people’s imaginations and encourage them to take part.
