Primary

Heroes Gallery

Primary School Age 6-11

Major Tom — Paint a Journey into Space

As part of the David Bowie 80 celebrations in Manchester in January 2027, primary school children are invited to take part in Face the Strange, an art project celebrating creativity, imagination and self-expression.

Inspired by David Bowie’s song “Space Oddity,” the challenge invites children to create an A3 or A2 picture imagining the adventures of Major Tom, Bowie’s famous astronaut character.

Children might paint Major Tom preparing for launch, counting down inside a rocket, travelling towards the Moon, floating weightlessly inside his tin can, looking back at planet Earth or becoming a brave space hero among the stars. Their picture could include rockets, planets, astronauts, alien landscapes, satellites, spacesuits, control panels or entirely new worlds created from their own imagination.

The project is designed to be free for schools and can be completed using everyday classroom materials such as paper, pencils, crayons, paints, collage materials and recycled objects. The digital teacher pack will include optional downloadable resources, including:

Images of David Bowie and Major Tom
Simple astronaut, rocket and planet templates
Selected lyric sheets for collage and inspiration
Countdown and space-themed classroom activities
Creative guidance and ideas for different artistic techniques
Suggestions for painting, drawing, collage and mixed-media work

There is no right or wrong way to imagine Major Tom. Children are encouraged to explore colour, texture, storytelling and fantasy, creating their own vision of a journey through space.

Submit

A citywide Schools Gallery

Each participating school will be invited to select up to four winning artworks, judged internally by teachers, before submitting high quality scans to the Face The Strange selection panel. These selected works will represent the school’s official entries for consideration in the main gallery.

Alongside this, we will invite every participating school to create its own small gallery on 8 January 2027, David Bowie’s 80th birthday. This will allow all children’s submissions to be celebrated within their own school, contributing to a wider city wide school exhibition across Manchester.

Parents, families, friends and the wider school community can be invited in to enjoy the children’s work in a celebration of art, music, space and imagination.

Selected original works will then be collected and displayed as part of the Face The Strange Gallery at Aviva Studios, Manchester, during the January 2027 celebrations.

Subject to available funding, small grants may also be offered to help schools with simple display materials and light refreshments. Selected schools may also be invited to take part in filming for a BBC documentary celebrating the creativity of young people and Bowie’s enduring legacy.