Let's Make Art is an independent arts organisation run by Karen Davies and Alice Hendy in Bristol, UK. We are passionate about providing high quality, unique art activities and our events and workshops ensure people of all ages and abilities experience many art techniques in a fun and imaginative way. Let's Make Art began in a community hall in 2012, born out of a need for high quality arts provis
ion in our city. We provided six weeks of activities for children with our combined collections of art supplies and some borrowed equipment. After the summer, on request, we continued to host pop up events around Bristol and since then our company has spread its wings and now prides itself as being one of the best mobile arts studios in the UK. As well as organising our own events, we work with other like-minded organisations and artists to deliver accomplished art activities, giving us the opportunity to present exclusive, contemporary and sometimes irreverent ways for children and grownups to express their creativity. We coact with learning participation managers and engagement producers to create programmes of family activities accompanying and complementing exhibitions in galleries and museums. Our immersive ideas help children and grown ups make meaningful links with the art on display. We value young people as natural artists who have a freedom of expression that is still intact and with each project we aim to create a space that allows for this precious state to flourish. Often our starting point for groups of all ages is a fun, non threatening series of drawing games. These fun prompts help with any intimidation of a blank page, releasing any inhibitions people may feel when attempting art. We find that by inviting children to use their non-dominant hands and even their feet to draw with can level out some of the preconceived notions about who’s ‘good at art’ and who isn’t. These simple and fun drawing games can be a great leveller and some of the outcomes will amuse the most confident artist. Providing activities for large groups is one of our fortes, most of our clients require workshops for over a hundred children taking part and request something unique and distinctive each time. One of the best parts of our job is devising quirky and diverse ways for everyone to express their creativity with confidence. Collaborating on projects means we have presented our ideas to a wide variety of venues, including; schools, museums, art galleries, fashion houses, magazines, libraries, homes and festivals. We both have an enthusiastic interest in art history, in particular, folklore and ethnographic art. We are always respectful when encompassing the traditions common to any particular culture. Our ideas are inspired by museum and art gallery visits, vintage books and arts and crafts we enjoyed as children ourselves. Messages we strive to reiterate:
We often talk about the beauty of different outcomes born out of the same brief - the individual and their uniqueness is valued in our safe art space. It’s one of the only subjects in the curriculum that allows for being unique and this is worth fighting for! Being brave and experimental is so important. Ban of erasers! Every mistake is a new creation. Be bold and learn from your mistakes. Sharing human information about artists - make them real and discuss which careers
The bigger picture - thinking about how art can elevate us from daily struggles is such an important connection for young people to make, especially for their emotional health and wellbeing. Art can help us understand ourselves and the world around us. It connects us to the past. Exposing pupils to the possibility that all kinds of things are art. Karen is a designer and art educator. She gained a degree in Textiles and Fashion at UWE, Bristol. After graduating she managed her own clothing business and independent clothing and culture store Alterior; one of the first venues Banksy exhibited his work and sold his merchandise, which Karen advised with. With more than 20 years of experience working in community and education settings across a range of visual art disciplines, Karen was artist-in-residence at Henbury School supporting GCSE Textiles students and an LSA for KS1. Karen has extensive experience of managing events and workshops for festivals, businesses and registered charities. Alice is an artist and a teacher. Her degree is in primary education and she also has a background in fine art having studied sculpture at Kingston University . Alice has taught in Finland and the UK, specialising in literacy and art. Alice is an award-winning photographer, working freelance in Bristol and beyond. We have a broad knowledge of promoting events and projects through social media and press and have excellent relationships with PR and media companies, including the national Family Arts Standards. All promotional artwork and branding is created in-house by Karen. We were first runner up in the national Hoop Awards for recognition of organisers who go above and beyond to entertain, educate and inspire children. Our current programme;
A weekly after school visual arts program for Key Stage 1 and 2, which explores all aspects of making. This club is important to us as creative subjects in the national curriculum are becoming increasingly marginalised and most students aren’t receiving adequate opportunities for expressing their creativity in the classroom. We develop art activities with tutorials and step by step instructions to be included in AQUILA magazine and Leopard magazine
Family and children’s workshops with Arnolfini, Royal Academy of the West of England, Edge Arts Bath, Watershed, Friendly Records, Storysmith Bookshop, Bristol Beacon, Hemingway Events and Arts Institute Plymouth
We are the main providers of children’s art activities for the following festivals; Starry Skies, Port Eliot, Shambala; Playtopia, The Downs Festivals and The Christmas Spiegeltent.
