Social Policy
Project Art Works operates as a cross-sectoral conduit between the cultural and social sectors. Projects in this strand are influenced by our response to political, social and cultural shifts in attitudes towards inclusion. They are projects that emphasise to the agents of social care, the validity of using art as a vehicle of communication and expression. They demonstrate the relevance of art as an effective consultation tool within the statutory procedures that influence the lives and care of people with complex disabilities, their families and carers.
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Tuesday Studios
Tuesday Studios offers an experimental visual arts lab for individuals with a broad spectrum of needs and ages ranging from 20 to 70. Through dynamic and stimulating workshops, we encourage high quality interaction and creative dialogues between individuals with complex needs and freelance artists. Tuesday Studios offers a challenging and practice based learning process. Its ethos and approach differs exponentially from the creative learning opportunities individuals with complex needs all too often encounter. Tuesday Studios is being funded by The Big Lottery Reaching Community Fund for 3 years to November 2013. The project has 3 primary outcomes: reducing isolation; improving non-verbal communication skills, confidence and connection and fostering tolerance and understanding in the wider public. We are working with the Challenging Needs Service on specific evaluation methods in order to measure participants progress.   
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| Mentoring Studios
A focussed studio pilot programme, Mentoring Studios enables participants to develop their personal creative practice alongside an Artist Mentor. A small group of participants that we have worked with over a period of time have been encouraged to extend their practice and to achieve greater independence. The artist mentoring methodology is well established in the work of professional artist practice and we have recreated this for our learning disabled artists. We are recording what happens through this pilot and will disseminate our learning to a wide (mainstream) contemporary art sector, thereby promoting inclusion and understanding of learning disability.   
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| In Transit
A significant award from The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, together with support from East Sussex County Council will enable the voices of 36 young people with complex needs to be heard at the crucial time of their transition from childhood to adult social services. Currently young people with severe intellectual disabilities are too often seen as problems as they require time and skill in order to facilitate meaningful communication. We will support artists of distinction to collaborate with the young people on making films that observe and record them going about their daily lives. Creating a more rounded picture of a young person, the films will be used to broker for them more relevant and specific support services to help enable opportunities for their adult lives that are tailored to their needs and aspirations rather than to what is available in a range of existing (non tailored) services. In Transit embeds creativity, art and film within the assessments, planning and processes of transition.   
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| Art Breaks: Summer Workshops
For children with complex needs, their disadvantage is often compounded during school breaks, which can be extremely isolating and lonely. Families can find it very hard to access appropriate community activities, particularly if they have disabled and non-disabled siblings. Subsequently, during school breaks, children with complex needs may present symptoms of a lack of stimulation and boredom that is beyond their ability to control/overcome. Through our Art Break Summer Workshops we offer a programme of high quality creative workshops to benefit children aged 4-18 with complex needs. The children will be given a unique opportunity to work on a 1:1 basis with highly specialist practicing artists. We run 16 to 20 half day sessions from the end of July to end August working with 5 or 6 severely learning disabled children per session, accompanied by siblings, families/carers.   
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