Open Arts

Open Arts is a community arts and mental health programme, which helps manage and improve wellbeing through creativity.

Open Arts – Promoting Positive Mental Health Through Creativity

Open Arts is a community arts project for people who have had experience of mental health problems and also carers, and would like to engage into the community by making artwork within a group setting. The project runs 12 week courses offering an opportunity to learn new art skills and techniques within a safe and supportive environment. No art experience is necessary, but if participants have experience in art the artists offer support to develop skill and interest, and people can work at their own pace.

Groups are run in community based venues, and people can be referred by a mental health professional, or they can self refer. Open Arts aims to offer people opportunity to move forward as part of society, challenging the stigma of mental health, with people from all different backgrounds working together with a common interest in art.

Open Arts aims to offer opportunities to participants over and above the structured courses, including gallery visits and the chance to exhibit artwork, to encourage participation in the widest sense. On completion of their 12 week arts course, participants are offered a day a week at the new Open Arts Studio at Hadleigh Old Fire Station House, to enable them further time and space to develop their artwork and studio practice. The studio promotes independent art making, networking and longer term support, with 6 month placements being offered to studio members. Participants are also signposted on to other opportunities such as further learning and volunteer opportunities.

Visual arts course example: Courses vary depending on the artist tutors and group interest. We also welcome those with interests in other art forms including creative writing and drama.

Week 1 - Mark Making - Using graphite, charcoal, pencils and various surfaces

week 2 - Observational drawing techniques

Week 3 - Soft pastel and Oil pastel techniques

Week 4 - Watercolour and Aquarelles

Week 5 - Mixed media - including Pen and Ink and Acrylics

Week 6 – Printmaking

Week 7 – Gallery visit

Week 8 - Silk painting and Batik techniques

Week 9 – 10 3D Art including plaster and mod roc

week 11-12 - Composition time and finishing off


‘I felt I was treated as an artist, not a person with mental health problems’

‘This is the best therapy I’ve had in 10 years’

‘Open Arts has changed the way I feel about my life, and I got so much out of it that I became a volunteer with the project’.

‘This is the first time I’ve ever exhibited my work and it’s brilliant to see it up there! ’

For further information about Open Arts, please contact:

Jo Keay
Arts Project Manager
07580 982 462
jo. keay@sept. nhs. uk
www. sept. nhs. uk /mental-health /open-arts

We are grateful to the following organisations for their generous support in funding the Open Arts project; Brentwood Share Fund, Essex County Council and SEPT Charitable Fund.