Artreach is an inclusive member-led arts service offering opportunities to adults predominantly with a learning disability to access high quality opportunities to access participatory arts. The services are project focussed, with a regular focus on particular areas of development including: music, writing and devising for theatre and visual arts, These are often delivered through sited, live and interdisciplinary arts projects. Members regularly review and set the artistic direction for the programme. Some projects incur small charges.

Past Projects

Artreach Creative Campus

For three days this September a group of Artreach artists descended on the Pathfoot building at Stirling University. For a second year they were given 'access all areas' to Stirling University's wonderful art collection and sculpture gardens with fantastic support from collections curator, Sarah Bromage.

The artists were free to explore where they wanted and created temporary art installations, soundscapes, individual artwork, performance and creative writing. The amazing artworks and architecture that surrounded them inspired some beautiful artistic responses. Working with artists, Emma Bowen, Kat Wilson and Claire Docherty the Creative Campus was supported by the Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust.    

Other projects

Other past projects have included working with Scottish Ensemble musicians as part of a partnership, worked with Opera singers, musicians from the RSNO. We have a partnership with the RSAMD community music programme, regularly bringing in students to support their placement programme. 

A key project was with Paul Rissmann, composer and animateur and three members of the Scottish Ensemble musicians to compose music with the group who then wrote lyrics for the music on the theme of Carnival of the Animals and at the end of the week-long programme, the entire Scottish Ensemble joined the group at Blairdrummond Safari Park and the pieces were performed alongside Saint Saens’ Carnival of the Animals.  

There was also a drama group for adults with learning disabilities which has offered issue-based work such as a project on understanding currency and banking ‘Banknotes’ which won an Arts and Business National Diversity Award; as well as tackling anything from Shakespeare to Kylie. The group presented at Arts Expo 2007 on their work on ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.