Let’s Make Art began in 2012, sparked by a conversation, in a school playground, between artists and educators Alice Hendy and Karen Davies. Noticing a lack of provision for high-quality, accessible art activities for their daughters they were inspired to make a difference. They decided to combine their art supplies, borrow some equipment and hire a community hall to put on six weeks of summer art workshops.
The response was overwhelmingly positive, leading to regular pop-up events and growing interest in their distinctive, engaging approach to creative education.Over the years, Let’s Make Art has evolved into one of the UK’s most sought-after mobile art studios, known for delivering well-crafted, thoughtful, inclusive and inspiring workshops to a wide range of audiences.
Driven by a shared passion for exceptional art provision, Alice and Karen have built lasting partnerships, including a significant collaboration with Arnolfini, one of Bristol’s leading contemporary arts centres. This partnership allows them to work closely with the gallery community—meeting artists, exploring their inspirations and processes, and immersing themselves in each exhibition. This deep engagement informs the workshops they create for the free We Are Family sessions, ensuring children and families connect meaningfully with the themes and stories behind the art on display. They also value their collaborations with Decopublique and National Festival of Making and have enjoyed working with them on many projects.
Let’s Make Art has grown organically with the shape of family life for both women. Alice and Karen’s co-supportive working relationship has helped them navigate challenges and celebrate successes, and has allowed them to provide high quality, unique art activities for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy a variety of art techniques in a fun and imaginative way. Their workshops are designed to be joyful, imaginative, and accessible.
In addition to running their own events, Alice and Karen have collaborated with numerous like-minded organisations and artists to deliver innovative art projects, education programmes, festival workshops, and community art projects – engaging a diverse range of audiences. These partnerships have led to the creation of exclusive, contemporary—and often cheekily inventive—ways for children and adults alike to explore their creativity.
Their work with initiatives like Artists in Residence, which brings professional artists into schools to provide free workshops, reflects their deep belief in the power of art to enrich learning across all subjects. “One of the best parts of our job,” they say, “is coming up with quirky, diverse ways for people to express themselves creatively and confidently.” Collaborating on many projects means we have presented our ideas to a wide variety of venues nationwide, including; schools, museums, art galleries, fashion houses, magazines and libraries across the UK—inviting everyone to make art and make it matter.
They founded Art For Schools in 2015 to provide multimedia arts enrichment in primary schools across Bristol. They value that every child who attends their Art Clubs is an artist and offer children exciting opportunities to explore their creativity. They are passionate about the importance of creative subjects in schools and other education venues. They truly believe that studying and participating in art supports learning in other subjects. [link to ART CLUBS]
In 2022, Alice and Karen published an art book for children. It offers children and their families a cherry picked selection of their tried and tested art projects with clear instructions on how to make them at home. They reveal their top tips for creating stunning artwork that parents and children will want to keep and display (rather than consign to the recycling bin)! All the projects use a household item as the starting point, making the activities largely accessible and sustainable.
