Let's Make Art

Let’s Make Art UK is an independent, artist-led organisation based in Bristol, founded in 2012 by multidisciplinary artists Alice Hendy and Karen Davies. What began in a community hall, with our own art materials and a lot of imagination, has grown into one of the UK’s leading mobile ateliers, creating high-quality contemporary art experiences for children, families and communities. As Creatives in Residence at Arnolfini, Bristol’s International Centre for Contemporary Arts, we devise and deliver We Are Family, the gallery’s free family engagement programme. Responding directly to exhibitions, these playful, artist-led sessions invite families to explore contemporary art through making, experimentation and conversation, creating space for children’s ideas and creative work to be taken seriously. Let’s Make Art works across galleries, museums, schools, festivals and community settings throughout the UK. Our programmes range from intimate workshops and after-school art clubs to artist residencies and ambitious large-scale participatory events. We collaborate with artists and cultural organisations to develop experiences that are accessible and engaging while remaining rooted in contemporary artistic practice. Art education sits at the heart of our work. We believe children should encounter art as something open-ended, exploratory and relevant to their lives. Rather than working towards identical outcomes, participants are encouraged to investigate materials, follow their curiosity, make choices and develop their own visual language. Programmes introduce a wide range of processes, techniques, artists and art-historical references while allowing space for experimentation, play and unexpected discoveries. Our work to date includes collaborations, commissions and projects with Arnolfini, Royal West of England Academy, Watershed, M Shed, Bristol Beacon, ART UK, National Festival of Making, The Holburne Museum, The Newt, Compton Verney, Greenwich Peninsula, Edge Arts, New Brewery Arts, Plymouth Arts, Vanguard, Bristol Family Arts, Bristol School Linking, Bridges for Communities, Team Canteen, Swindon Culture Collective, OKIDO and AQUILA. We have also worked with Hemingway Events, Deco Publique, Team Love, ParentFolk, Street Food Circus, Upfest, Port Eliot Festival, Shambala, Bath Fashion Festival, Vintage by the Sea and The Christmas Spiegeltent, as well as artists including Morag Myerscough and Anna Marrow. In 2022 we published our first children’s art and craft book, followed by exhibitions at Arnolfini exploring our work in art education, schools and communities. Access, inclusion and sustainability underpin our practice. Alongside our public programmes, we work with refugee and displaced families, children experiencing economic disadvantage, adoptive families and people experiencing homelessness. Partnerships with community organisations help ensure opportunities reach people who may experience barriers to participating in cultural life. Whether welcoming more than a hundred participants to a busy gallery event or working closely with a small community group, we combine imaginative thinking with extensive experience of delivering inclusive, well-considered programmes. At its heart, Let’s Make Art is about creating the conditions for people to make, experiment and think for themselves. Through thoughtful invitations, exciting materials and encounters with artists and artworks, we empower children, families and communities to explore ideas, build confidence and make art an active part of everyday life.