What do colours mean to you? How can colour influence the stories we tell?
Explore connections to art through colour at Tate Britain, alongside our book selection and creative play activities.
Imagine stories through our different hands-on activities, and find the colours of the rainbow in the galleries through ‘Rainbow Cards’ - where you might discover ideas for new characters and settings for stories of your own!
Curated by Tate Britain’s Early Years and Families’ team with author Dean Atta. Soft sculpture by HoLD collective. Graphics by Alessia Arcuri. Facilitated by Tate’s Family Engagement Assistants.
Our current book selection is informed by ‘Beyond the Secret Garden’ by Darren Chetty and Karen Sands O’Connor (2025) and Tate Publishing.
The Story Space book collection consists of books that centre racially minoritised characters, created by global majority authors and illustrators from all over the world. It also celebrates and centres books by authors with protected characteristics such as disability, sexual orientation and religion/ belief.
Story Space at Tate has been programmed by the Early Years and Families’ team since 2017, when only 4% of children’s books published in the UK featured a character from a minority ethnic background. Representation rose to 30% in 2022 but fell to 17% in 2023. Books with minority ethnic main characters reached 14% in 2022 but declined to 7% in 2025.*
*This information is compiled by the Centre for Literacy and Primary Education through their Reflecting Realities reporting.
We are grateful to the following artists and organisations who have contributed to the Story Space programme: Adisa, Burhana Islam, Chitra Soundar, Dean Atta & Alea Marley, Dapo Adeola, Erika Meza, Farah Serroukh and CLPE, Farhana Islam, Jessie McLaughlin, Jamel Carly Campbell, Jasmine Richards, Joelle Avelino, John Agard, Joseph Coelho & Fiona Lumbers, Laura Henry-Allain, Laura Nsafou & Amélie-Anne Calmo, Lucy Farfort, Meera Ghanshamdas and Round Table Books/ Knights Of, New Beacon Books, Nate Holder, Patience Agbabi, Renaissance One, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Sandra A. Agard, Sue Pickford Cheung, Yomi Sode & Willkay.
Download our free guide and make your own Story Space at home, at school and in other community settings.
Tate Britain's step-free entrance is on Atterbury Street. It has automatic sliding doors and there is a ramp down to the entrance with central handrails.
- Accessible, standard and Changing Places toilets are located on the Lower floor.
- Ear defenders can be borrowed from the ticket desk on the Lower floor.
To help plan your visit to Tate Britain, have a look at our visual story. It includes photographs and information about what you can expect from a visit to the gallery.Download Tate Britain mapFor more information before your visit:
- Email hello@tate.org.uk
- Call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (daily 10.00–17.00)
