Twelve years ago, Escape Artists emerged from a small drama group in Wayland Prison, UK. Today, we are a vibrant multi-arts charity with an impressive track record and a compelling vision for the use of arts in education, mental health and social inclusion.

 

 

 

Escape Artists has recently begun working in partnership with The Syd Barrett Trust to raise funds for arts projects in the mental health sector. In partnership with the Trust the company also produces publicly accessible arts events that help to raise awareness of mental health issues.

 

Escape Artists promotes social change through the arts. We work across sectors and art forms with homeless people, mental health service users, young people at risk, prisoners and other disadvantaged groups.

Our aim is to empower people at the margins of society and help them to find a way into the mainstream. We offer our clients practical opportunities to realise their potential, improve their sense of wellbeing and develop new skills. We also aim to raise the level of public awareness of marginalised groups, allowing those within the mainstream to understand the perspectives of others with very different life experiences.

 

We are one of the very few charities in the UK working with a single integrated approach to arts and social inclusion, The Bridge. We achieve our aims by systematically implementing and adapting this model of practice. At one end of The Bridge, we offer our clients opportunities to develop their skills by participating in accredited arts-based training courses, community productions and creative workshops. At the other end, we give them a chance to work alongside professionals by involving them, as performers or backstage, in our large-scale music and theatre productions. Along the way, we support individual clients through a tailored assessment, training and mentoring programme, collaborating with other organisations as required.

Detailed information about The Bridge

Some of our clients eventually find employment in the creative industries, but this is not the only outcome of the services we provide. Much of the ‘Bridge’ process is about personal development and transferable skills. Escape Artists recognises how participating in high quality arts activities develops a stronger sense of pride and achievement and encourages clients to pursue education and training opportunities independently. We accept the possibility of failure along the way and use our activities to build up lasting support networks for our clients. In this way, our work builds a bridge from the margins of society to the mainstream.

Escape Artists emerged from a drama group, created by prisoners, at HMP Wayland Prison in 1996.

 

Photograph by Peter Smith

Prison drama productions included:

• Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
• Loot by Joe Orton
• For King and Country by John Wilson
• Terra Nova by Ted Tally
• The Homecoming by Harold Pinter

An exhibition of photographs by Peter Smith of the Waiting for Godot production was exhibited at The Cut, Halesworth in 2005. For enquiries about the exhibition or the use of photographs from the exhibition, please contact Peter Smith.

Escape Artists is indebted to the many charitable trusts and foundations, individuals and corporate sponsors that provide essential financial support for our work. Without such support we could not continue.

We currently receive financial support from:

• The Monument Trust
• The Wates Foundation
• The Syd Barrett Trust

Full details of all our current and past supporters can be found here.

Details of the support that we receive through the Syd Barrett Trust can be found here.

It is important to us to that we provide clients with opportunities for developing and showcasing their skills within professional settings. The work that takes place as part of these arts events also provide clients with further opportunities for gaining credits towards their OCN Progression Qualification.

Arts events that are staged by us are useful means through which, in partnership with a contractor, we can raise awareness of issues of social concern.

Information about some of the projects that we have worked on in the past can be found here.

 

Information about current and future projects can be found here.

Patrons
Beryl Bainbridge
Deborah Bull
Roger Waters
Julian Forrester

Former Patrons
Harold Pinter
Stephen Tumim

Board

Sue Hains - Chair
Richard Taylor
Christine Cellier - Treasurer
Brian Lanman - Financial Adviser to the Board

Management

Director - Matthew Taylor
Office Manager - Abi Knipe
Education Manager (part-time) - Lottie Ettling
Finance Manager (part-time)- Penny Knipe
Marketing Officer (part-time) - Simon Webb
(Other posts are covered by existing staff, interns or are awaiting funding)

Trainers and Workshop Leaders

Megan Bunting, Liz Gentilcore, Lottie Ettling, Kathrin Yvonne Bigler, Jim Cartwright

Biogs

Interns and Volunteers

Escape Artists is grateful to the many interns and volunteers who provide the company with very valuable support.

A guide to all the Escape Artists websites and services can be found here

For links to a number of socially inclusive arts organisations in the UK and abroad, links to organisations that are concerned with the development of arts and social inclusion, links to research papers and reports that engage with issues within the field, see Links & The Wider Context

If you would like to network with over 300 people interested in the development of socially inclusive arts, then SANe, the Social Arts Network, is definitely worth joining (and it's free!).

 

 

Company policies are all held online and are reviewed on an ongoing basis in the light of company and sectoral developments.

General Volunteering Policy

Refunds Policy

Refunds Policy - Donations and Subscriptions

Recruitment Policy Statement

Race Equality Policy

General Health and Safety Statement

Grievance & Complaints Procedure

Policy Statment on Criminal Records

Equal Opportunities Policy

Environmental Policy Statement

Data Protection

Confidentiality Policy (Volunteers)

Child Protection

Cancellation Policy

 

 

 

 

For individuals and private companies that would like to support us, we have set up, in partnership with The Syd Barrett Trust, a Friends scheme that provides a variety of ways through which it is very easy to make a financial contribution to our charitable work.