ABOUT US
Barkingside Art Club is an exciting venture designed to bring us closer together as a community. The club provides a supportive, inclusive space for local creatives, artists and art lovers to meet regularly, share ideas and create. Our club Helps adults and children expand both their artistic skills and background through our regular workshops and special events.
Our workshops have served as intense social learning sessions and therapeutic retreats to adults, and our children’s workshops have helped children express themselves and make large strides in their artistic endeavours. As reflected in our principles, all our sessions are inclusive of people with special education needs (SEN) and learning difficulties. We have helped children with SEN develop their confidence and become more involved in art. Our approach to teaching and learning is focused on using art to build a creative local community founded on principles of inclusivity.
We provide a platform to showcase the work of our creatives via our Group Exhibitions - we also host and take part in national events such as The Big Draw and Lumiere London - the UK’s biggest light festival - and in local events like the Fabula Festival. We run pop-ups, co-operate with businesses alongside our workshops, and collaborate with non-profit organisations in addition to organising after school clubs with local schools.
For more information on our past projects please do have a look at our News page! If you’re a business, charity, school or organisation and are interested in reaching out we are always open to collaborations! Please go to our Contact page and get in touch so we can send you a proposal package and plan a workshop for you (or your organisation)!
Getting the community involved in art is always important - which is why we offer creatives the opportunity to run workshops. We welcome everyone that wants to volunteer their time and help others flourish; and as Eliyah once said, “the most expensive thing is time”.
'From my personal...
... journey and experiences, I have learnt that it is very difficult to find social clubs and events who believe in inclusion, for children who have autism and others on the spectrum. I found it particularly difficult to find suitable understanding and assistance within mainstream schools. I also found that the local area is lacking in opportunities for artists. Artists and creatives needed a place to collaborate, exhibit their work and develop their craft. This encouraged me to create my club which provides opportunities for artists and workshops to assist parents and children who are going through a similar situation. The club aims to bring local creatives, artists and businesses together to collaborate and to educate them on the subject of SEN. Local creatives will also be allowed to volunteer in helping children with SEN learn through creative activities or the skills they have to offer.”
- Eliyah Qureshi