Arty-Folks

Who we are

Arty-Folks was founded 1995 and today inspires per year ca.150 adults 18+ of working age who feel at a low point in their lives and who are struggling with diagnosed or self-diagnosed psychosocial mental ill health such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, OCD etc. as well as more severe and enduring disorders such as psychosis, PTSD, schizophrenia, personality disorders, etc. 

Our vision is for all people to be part of a creative community where people support each other to thrive and make the most of life.We offer a progression-focused and structured visual arts programme combined with 1:1 mentoring and coaching that enables people to reclaim their confidence, access and sustain new opportunities in the community, and through volunteering move closer to the labour market.

The programme combines the transformational power of the visual arts with self-development concepts, thus empowering service users to recalibrate negative self-beliefs leading to increased mental well-being. Experienced artists run art activities using a huge range of media such as drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, and printing.  Through bite-sized projects we enable those for whom written or spoken language has ‘failed’ to express their feelings and difficulties and to frame a new way forward.