About Us

We focus on achievement, self-belief, collaborative practice and teamwork whilst supporting our artists to play an active role within their community. 

ArtWorks aims to challenge people’s perceptions of learning disabilities and autism through celebrating the creativity and ambition of our artists.  

Art & Workshops

We exist to support and promote the creation of quality practice by the ArtWorks Collective.

Our artists are given the opportunity to participate in workshops run by professional creatives that specialise in different mediums ranging from painting and sculpture, to film, photography, animation and performance. The workshops help our artists learn new techniques and create work for exhibitions and projects.

Film & Animation

Our film making workshops cover a range of technical disciplines and areas of film making practice. These range from documentary, short film and stop motion animation, to photography and commercial videography. We aim to provide a comprehensive film making experience, so our artists can focus on what best appeals to them.

All of our workshops and projects make use of our professional film making equipment and facilities, including video cameras, studio lighting, audio recorders, photography equipment, green screen and an animation table. We invest in our facilities, so the vision of an artist remains uncompromised by the tools available to them. Click here to see some of the videos our artists have been involved with. 

Exhibitions and Residencies

We have supported our artists to showcase their work in various galleries and public spaces across the UK. Below are a few examples of where we have exhibited.

Sheffield

Bloc Projects

B&B Gallery

Sidney + Matilda

Virgin Money

Lounge

Sheffield Town Hall

Cupola Gallery

Theatre Deli

Millenium Galleries

Sheffield Botanical

Gardens

StoneFace

The Winter Gardens

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Barnsley

The Civic

Rotherham

Rotherham Town Hall

Riverside House

Coterie Gallery

Wentworth Woodhouse

Bird Hide, Thrybergh Country Park

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Further a Field

Fish Factory, Cornwall

Piano Nobil Gallery, London

The Craft Barn, Hadfield

Kew Gardens, London

Paralym Art World Cup, Japan

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TV

Represented by We3 Art Hire Worldwide- rentals include Tiger Aspect for design on viewpoints.

Volunteer Placements 

Our volunteer placements are unique and specially selected to meet the needs of our artists. These placements are fully supported by the ArtWorks team and help our artists to build workplace skills and prepare them for work, in safe and supportive environment, whilst playing an active role in their community.

Click here to see more information about our placements.

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Where we volunteer: Wentworth Woodhouse, Sheffield Doc Fest, Theatre Deli, Site Gallery, Bloc Projects, The Local Theatre, The Special Olympics, The State Of The Arts, The Retired Greyhound Trust, The Wildlife Trust, Grimm & Co, Giant Leap Productions, Curo Gallery, Stone Face Creative, Warp Films.

Street Art and Commissions

We regularly work on bespoke commissions creating large scale street art through to artwork for private collections. Our art is often commissioned for use on prime-time television and film as backgrounds and in sets.

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If you have a project you would like us to support with or you are

interested in owning or commissioning your very own piece of

artwork, then please contact Emma via email:

Bloc Projects

Theatre Deli

Cliff House Care Home

Sheffield Wednesday

Wentworth Woodhouse

Roof Top Hoardings Entrance Tunnel

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The Local Theatre

Band Album Cover 'Molejoy'

Artist Assistance

Feature Walls

Florence Blanchard- Twinkle

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Life Skills

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One of our core values is to ensure our artists have all the tools they require to get the best out of life, not just in the world of Art. We take pride in our extensive life skills programme which includes regular cooking, baking, shopping and budgeting sessions.

We work closely with the Police, NHS, and Fire Service to run regular sessions on health and safety for example ʻFire Safety in the Homeʼ or ʻStaying Safe Out and Aboutʼ. Our life skills sessions are directly linked to our community work, such as our Annual Santaʼs Grotto for the local children, our Afternoon Tea sessions for the elderly or our free Community Art Sessions run by our disabled artists.

Through our sessions we instils independence, confidence, and the tools to make informed life choices, whilst having a positive impact on our surroundings.

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Active Life and Fitness

Closely linked to our life skills programme, we promote fitness, encourage teamwork and nurture mindfulness, through gym and swim sessions, yoga, meditation, dance, weekly walking groups, and friendly games.

These sessions add further opportunities for our artists to develop skills such as coordination, communication, road safety and map reading.

Being able to be fit and active is important and we ensure everyone that attends ArtWorks has access to fitness and well-being sessions, including free weekly swimming lessons and gym sessions.

By ensuring our artists have access to a full programme of creative practices, life skills and fitness sessions we are able to offer a complete package to support our artists to achieve their goals and get the best out of life.