In consultation with Kingston Parent Carer Forum, Stanley Picker Gallery has become aware that there are hundreds of children and young people across our borough and beyond, who are struggling to attend school and unable to access the same facilities and educational and creative opportunities as their peers. We believe that everyone should have access to the arts, and as part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week will be staging free creative workshops for these children and young people.
Thursday 20 March, 10am-12pm: Drop-in anytime workshop for families of primary-aged children, with activities including exhibition trails, badge and sketch-book making. Pre-school siblings welcome. Book your child’s free space here.
Thursday 20 March, 1-2.30pm: Artist-led workshop for a small number of Key Stage 3 students (year’s 7-9). This will be an informal, but structured session with activities similar to the above. Parent Carers are asked to remain on site and invited to and take the opportunity to connect with each other – hots drinks and biscuits provided! Representatives from Kingston Parent Carer Forum and Express CIC will also be on site to offer support and more information about their services. This is a pilot session, and if successful we will consider carrying it forward as a regular drop-off activity. Book your young person’s free space here.
Saturday 22 March, 10am-1pm: Drop-in anytime workshop with creative activities for all families who have children with SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities). Siblings welcome. No booking required.
All sessions will led by a team of Kingston School of Art students and alumni, and will complement the gallery’s current exhibition, Trust by Débora Delmar. Through a combination of sculpture, film, and installation, Delmar explores multiple meanings of the word Trust and how value and boundaries are generated through the financial world and bureaucracy, as well as through physical and symbolic impacts of architecture, gentrification and surveillance in the urban environment. We feel that conversations within this space may complement those often held between Parent Carers
Gallery Location & Accessibility: Stanley Picker Gallery is a street-level venue, situated on a small island on the Hogsmill River, behind Kingston School of Art. Access on foot via Mill Street, or from Portland Road, look for signage to Middle Mill Halls of Residence and the gallery. We have free onsite parking via Portland Road only. For directions, please see our visit page. We welcome those with differences. Please feel get in touch should you wish to discuss particular access needs. Sensory bags and visual stories are available upon request. Staff are DBS checked and a First Aider is onsite at all times.