Join the Support Collective for this free, online Level 1 Makaton Training taking place in February. This training is for family carers and support workers supporting adults (18 years +) through a Personal Budget from Adult Social Care. The programme of training is delivered in conjunction with Independent Lives and is funded through Skills for Care. There are limited places available for people funded through Personal Health Budgets, or people who support someone aged under 18 – please contact Sarah to check availability.

Art Breaks February Half Term Sessions are open for applications. Art Breaks focusses on children and young people with complex needs, alongside their parents, carers and non-learning disabled peers. These workshops will be taking place in a COVID responsible way. Details of this will be emailed to families before the sessions. Dates in February: Tuesday 15th, Wednesday 16th & Thursday 17th There are two sessions per day, 10.30 -12.00 and 13.

Michelle Roberts and Siddharth Gadiyar’s work and practice has been selected by SHIFT to feature on their online gallery. New digital platform SHIFT exists to give recognition to and amplify the voices and works of learning disabled and neurodivergent visual artists across the UK. SHIFT is a project created by Jennifer Lauren Gallery. Michelle Roberts on SHIFT. Siddharth Gadiyar on SHIFT. Visit shift.com. Michelle and Siddharth’s work is currently on display at Herbert Art Gallery and Museum and Hastings Contemporary.

November 2021 Support Collective Round-up: Adults with complex support needs, their families and carers Today we welcomed our first support collective member from Chile, Emily Baines our new Creative Programme Coordinator, and Sarah Dunne who is working alongside Esther in a job share as Support Collective Lead. Sarah will normally work on Mondays and Esther will normally work Mondays and Tuesdays. We started off with looking at our Shared Ways of Working and principles for coming together online providing a safe place for individuals, families and carers to share their experiences and offer mutual support.

https://projectartworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/AUDIO-2021-12-10-12-38-29.m4a  2021 has been quite a year! The Project Art Works community has grown in number as well as solidarity and in strength gained for our many and joyous activities. As we have been talking a lot of late and made so many statements we want now to speak some simple words of gratitude to the many artists and makers within our studios who have thrived in the limelight of the Turner Prize nomination and exhibitions in Coventry, Hastings Contemporary and De La Warr Pavilion.

When Array, B.O.S.S., Cooking Sections, Gentle/Radical and Project Art Works were nominated for the Turner Prize back in May, we were aware of brutal attacks on Gaza at the time. This triggered dialogues among us around how we might address injustices such as the Palestinian struggle. We have taken various routes around this issue as part of our continuing commitment to amplifying multiple issues in our work, art, lives, and in the lives of our communities.

WHERE IS THE ART? The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum Saturday 27 November 2021 WHERE IS THE ART? is an ongoing conversation. It is about the process of staying with this and other questions to address the challenge they produce rather than rushing to come to a conclusion of any kind. We intend to document contributions from all those present and encourage free exploration of the space and materials by all contributors, based on their communication preferences.