They’re the South Yorkshire not-for profit that’s got caring for adults with disabilities down to a fine art.
And now, ArtWorks is opening their fourth day care centre, based at Barnsley Civic, to sculpt brighter futures for people in Barnsley.
Since launching in 2015, ArtWorks has helped many people with autism or learning disabilities to achieve their potential and brush up on their life skills through creative art workshops.
ArtWorks dare to colour outside the lines of what a typical adults’ day care service provides. It’s not about what’s easiest for the staff. There’ll rarely be a group session doing jigsaws or playing computer games. Their approach is always person centred.
“We find what each of our artists’ personal practices is and encourage them to explore it in their own way,” says Paul Higgins, care manager at ArtWorks.
“Art is a great leveler. Everyone can mark make and we all interpret art in our unique ways, so it’s really accessible. It’s also a good communicator. People might struggle to say aloud what they think or feel but they can put it on paper or in clay.”
All the workshop leaders are artists first and foremost; they’re trained in adult health and social care afterwards. There are set designers, screen printers, dancers and filmmakers on the books who hold a variety of workshops across the day centres.
With a huge and varying body of work created each week, the team at ArtWorks are also passionate about providing a platform for these emerging artists to be seen. They organise regular gallery shows and exhibitions across the borough and have entered artists’ work into national competitions.
One artist has had their work exhibited in a London gallery, one won an award for a poem they wrote, and two artists produced a film that won the Women in Film award at the Oska Bright Film Festival, the world’s leading film festival for people with learning disabilities and autism.
Over the last decade, they’ve also worked on commissions to create larger-than-life murals for businesses like HSBC, East Midlands Rail, Northern General Hospital, and Wentworth Woodhouse.
“It’s so meaningful for an artist to see their work on display in an exhibition or out in public rather than just pinned onto someone’s fridge. We’d love to open our own gallery in Sheffield specifically for disabled artists,” Paul says.
And it’s not just art. Those who regularly attend ArtWorks take part in valuable life lessons such as road safety, money management, healthy eating, fitness and swimming sessions, and volunteer placement at places like Wentworth Woodhouse. They also run an annual respite break, taking their artists away to Butlins for a week.
At Barnsley Civic, ArtWorks will have the full second floor of what was once Barnsley School of Art. The huge space will mean they can run different workshops simultaneously, increasing their potential reach across the town.
The ArtWorks team will be running workshops for the public at Barnsley Civic’s open day on Saturday 14th September. The following week, they will be open for taster sessions for anyone interested in joining, bookable through the ArtWorks team.
Barnsley Civic will be ArtWorks’ fourth site. They also operate from Thorpe Hesley, Parson Cross and Malin Bridge.
Across the service, they offer three free taster days to help new people get accustomed to the space and set-up before deciding if it’s the right day centre for them.
The Artworks service is available to adults over 16 with autism or learning disabilities and operates Monday to Friday 9am-4pm. Service users can be referred by the local authority or can contact them direct.
More information can be found on their website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
