Arts Lab uses visual art to transform communities. We create and develop creative, holistic and practical approaches to conflict resolution, peacebuilding and social unity.
As artist-peacebuilder practitioners with over 35 years’ working in the field, we and our partners have experienced at first hand visual art’s capacity to bring people together and to catalyse personal, social, and political change.
We consider ourselves part of a larger community of international peacebuilders who are continually exploring and experimenting to understand the complexities of peace and conflict in people’s lives and communities worldwide.
We use the definition of Peacebuilding as:
‘social change, transforming people’s perception of the world around them, their own identity, and their relationships with others.’
Shank and Schirch, 2008 – Strategic Arts-Based Peacebuilding
What we do
Based in the UK, working both nationally and internationally, we:
- Develop programmes and run workshops for and with peacebuilders and workplace leaders, academics, and community builders, and for communities experiencing or recovering from conflict or social challenges.
- Offer fun and engaging workshops for groups and individuals of all artistic skill levels to build creative confidence.
- Host studio visits and exhibitions and residentials in the Arts Lab Rural Peace Hub in Northumberland, UK.
- Host exhibitions of artwork created by our project participants and artist facilitators in Arts Lab’s online Gallery.
- Share art news and stories from around the world in our online blog, Art Matters.
Our Approach
Arts Lab’s methodology is rooted in relationship-building, the need for identity, and the power of imagination. We use the practices of expression and dialogue, of observation, and seeking to raise self-awareness and awareness of others, and collaborative hands-on making, guided by peacebuilding literature and practice.
Our Vision
A world that values visual art and artists as key contributors to building sustainably peaceful communities, and for them to be an integral part of all teaching programmes in Peace and Conflict
Our Mission
- To establish visual art as a dynamic, inclusive and participatory tool for peace and conflict education, for conflict-affected communities, and for social transformation.
- To help create a society that values art as instrumental in addressing the human need for connection, voice and purpose.
- To build partnerships and opportunities for collaborative making, creative expression and experimentation.
- For young, socially engaged artists to be leaders in non-violent social change.
- To connect artists and communities, making art accessible to everyone.
- To help people to feel more connected, more valued and inspired to affect positive change in their own and each others’ lives.
Follow the links to learn more about who we work with, our history, and our founder, Sara Downham-Lotto
