Why kids need to learn art history?

At Art Academica, we believe art history isn’t just about dusty paintings or gold frames — it’s about people, feelings, and big ideas. It’s how children discover they’re part of something much larger than themselves: a vibrant, ongoing conversation that spans centuries and cultures.

Let's look at the topic of art history and what we can learn from it from the hair point of view.

👑 Hair as History: Empathy Through the Ages

We begin with a crown — or rather, many of them. From the elaborate red wigs of Queen Elizabeth I to the ancient Egyptian braided headpieces crafted with wool, beeswax, and beads, children will discover how hair has always carried messages of power, beauty, gender, and identity.

When we show students how different cultures shaped and styled their hair, they begin to understand that people long ago weren’t so different from us — they wanted to be seen, respected, and remembered.

🌍 Hair as Culture: Mapping Identity with Every Twist and Knot

Hair tells us where we’re from, who we are, and sometimes, who we dare to be. Students will explore traditional African hairstyles, often sculpted like architecture — each braid or twist a reflection of status, community, or ceremony. Then we’ll visit the elegance of Japanese geisha hairstyles, layered with combs and symbolism, designed to reflect age, artistry, and social role.

By reimagining these styles through drawing, collage, and sculpture, students learn to appreciate the beauty of cultural identity — and the creativity behind it.

🧠 Hair as Expression: Seeing Like an Artist

Art history also teaches children to observe deeply — to ask better questions, to slow down and notice.

We’ll explore how Vincent van Gogh gave his figures wild, swirling outlines, even around their hair, as a way of painting emotion. We’ll look at how Modigliani elongated necks and slicked back hair to create elegance and mystery in his portraits.

Why did they do it? What were they trying to say?

These are the kinds of questions that sharpen visual literacy and develop critical thinking — through colour, texture, and line.

💡 Hair as Story: Inventing the Self Through Art

Perhaps most exciting of all: we’ll invite students to imagine their own hair as a symbol. What would it say if it could speak?

Inspired by surrealist artists who turned hair into forests, clouds, cages, or wind, we’ll ask children to create imaginative self-portraits where hair becomes a map of dreams and feelings.

Would it grow into vines? Twist into flames? Sparkle with stars?

In this space, there are no wrong answers — only personal truths waiting to be expressed.

✨ Hair as a Thread Through Time

From Botticelli’s golden curls in The Birth of Venus to the rebellious spikes in punk portraits of the 1980s, hair has always been used as a form of expression — both quiet and loud.

And now, it’s our students’ turn.

We’ll time-travel through history with brushes in hand and curiosity in our hearts. Because at Art Academica, we’re not just learning about artists — we’re growing them.

Let’s make hair history — one strand at a time.