Scholarly residencies, arts apprenticeships, and community programs — for researchers, artists, and curious minds at every stage.
The National Fantasy Museum is not just a place to look — it's a place to learn, to make, and to build. Whether you're a scholar applying for archive access, an emerging artist beginning a four-year apprenticeship, or a school group visiting for the first time, our education programs are designed to meet you where you are.
We believe that the skills of the fantastical — drawing, storytelling, animation, world-building, glass-blowing, printmaking — are not lesser arts. They are living traditions, and we intend to pass them on.
Qualified researchers, academics, and independent scholars may apply for supervised access to the National Fantasy Museum's reference archive and collections. Residencies support original study, publication, and creative research across the full breadth of fantasy literature, art, film, and cultural history.
Residents receive dedicated workspace, archive access, and the opportunity to engage directly with curators and visiting scholars throughout their stay.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Send a brief project description, CV, and your preferred dates to the education team.
Apply by EmailOur arts apprenticeship program places emerging artists alongside working professionals in our Fine Arts Studio. Apprenticeships are available across a range of disciplines — printmaking, glass-blowing, sculpture, ceramics, illustration, and any fine art form the museum chooses to explore.
Taught by visiting fantasy artists and studio practitioners, these apprenticeships are open to all skill levels. No prior experience is required — only curiosity, commitment, and a willingness to work with your hands.
Apprenticeships run in cohorts — inquire about the next intake and available disciplines.
Enquire NowOur animation and film program is the most intensive offering we have. Built around the tradition of hand-drawn animation — taught on paper, from the beginning — it is a four-year commitment that turns dedicated beginners into working filmmakers with real screen credits.
No prior animation experience is required. What we ask for is seriousness, patience, and a love of the drawn line.
Apprentices pay to learn. The curriculum covers life drawing, character design, storyboarding, timing and spacing, in-betweening, and the twelve principles of animation — all taught by working animators. The focus is entirely on craft.
Apprentices join an active National Fantasy Museum film production. They are paid for their work, earn a full screen credit, and graduate with a professional portfolio and a film they helped make. This is not work experience — it is the real thing.
The next cohort intake will be announced in 2026. Register your interest now to receive application details as soon as they are available.
Register InterestFree workshop days for schools, youth groups, and community organisations. Our education team brings the museum's collections and studios to life for young visitors — through drawing, storytelling, printmaking, and hands-on sessions in the Fine Arts Studio.
Sessions are tailored to different age groups and can be aligned with curriculum themes. We can accommodate groups of up to 30 students per session.
All community workshop days are free of charge. Contact us to check availability and book your session.
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"The purpose of education is not to fill a bucket but to light a fire."
— W.B. Yeats
Every program we offer is built on this principle. We are not here to produce technicians — we are here to produce artists, scholars, and storytellers who will carry these traditions forward.