envision

Case Studies

envision works to promote and share gallery practice involving young people across the sector, and this page offers a chance to compare different types of work developed in response to a variety of challenges.

We are keen for people to be inspired and benefit from each other's successes, challenges, and good practice. To share your own experience of working with young people in arts venues and contribute to our growing case study resource please download our case study information and proforma document.

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Please click here for the search engine to search for case studies that have addressed a specific theme or issue. (eg. Every Child Matters, Rural Location, Youth Offending Teams).

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The titles are links to the full case study report on this website;
If the organisation has their own website, their name will be a link to that.

Future Education Future Education is a project that takes students on that are permanently excluded from mainstream education or any other form of education. These young people arrive with a range of behavioural and emotional difficulties. None of the students had been to the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts before, although some had been to other smaller galleries whilst with the project in Yr10. I aimed to take a group of twelve Yr11 students, this number did vary as attendance is an issue and conduct, on average six students attended the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts for 10 visits over a period of 6months, summer holiday not included. The aim was to visit the gallery for two hours each time to explore by what means and to what extent they may gain ownership of the gallery space, recognise their individual capacity for creativity and work towards reducing their so-cial isolation.
Excelerate 198 Gallery Brixton, London The project explored how young people could contribute to the exhibition programme by nurturing and developing their talents and ambitions through supported work placements alongside gallery staff.
Way In Way Out Angel Row Gallery en-vision research question: How can galleries embed a youth friendly culture and expertise through the practice of the whole organisation? The gallery worked together with young people to examine the barriers around young people visiting contemporary art, culminating in the production of a DVD and booklet
generator Artsway generator is a project aimed at ‘hard to reach’ young people, in partnership with Wessex Youth Offending Team and ISSP (Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme); and also with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Youth Options. The two strands that made up the generator project – consisting of four creative workshops for ISSP and four for Youth Options – took place at ArtSway from mid April 2007 to early July 2007.
Our Vision, Our East End Bow Arts Trust Bow, London Young people from local schools discussed and planned their future arts programme and new build education space for the Nunnery Gallery, presenting their ideas it to the local regeneration agency, contributing to the public consultation for the area.
LiveWire Cornerhouse, Manchester en-vision research question: How can a skills based project be applied to a new audience of young people including those who are socially excluded, culturally diverse and/or from low income neighbourhoods in Greater Manchester? Cornerhouse wanted to find out how to access young people effectively, how to sustain a long term development, how to use the knowledge from this action research and apply it to the main programme
Straight Talking Fabrica A short project which enabled an exchange of knowledge and skills between a small group of young offenders, two Fabrica education staff and three education volunteers, an artist and one Youth Justice Officer.
Sample Arts Ikon, Birmingham en-vision research question: How can partners work together to devise an effective process of working with contemporary visual arts to engage and enhance the lives and skills of young people? Ikon gallery set out to research how to make contemporary visual arts accessible to youth workers and young people through partnership, training and skill sharing with youth services and young participants
Creative Consultants Manchester Art Gallery en-vision research question: How can we make our galleries more inclusive, not just in the education departments but across the whole service? The gallery worked with a core group of 10 young people from Manchester to be trained to work with Gallery staff and film maker on an audit of the Gallery’s services and programmes for young people. They then applied their knowledge and skills into devising a youth-freindly exhibition - 'Disguise'.
Living Art Metropole Galleries Living Art took place over a 3-month period from March – May 2007. Artists Natasha Kidd and Abi Gilchrist worked with Metropole Galleries Education co-ordinator Alice Walton to de-vice and deliver a series of 5 workshops for a group of young people recruited from Arc 25 and Pathways, two local alternative curriculum provision organisations working within the Kent County Council Attendance and Behaviour Service. The project was designed to take a creative approach to everyday experience with participants encouraged to use contemporary art practices to explore the unfamiliar, from visiting an art gallery to travelling by train. Living Art enabled the young people to experience a variety of cultural leisure pursuits usually prohibited to them for various social-economic reasons.
Milton Keynes envision project Milton Keynes Gallery Milton Keynes Gallery’s Young People’s Committee organised a 3-day workshop with artists ‘The Urbanist’ and Katy Howkins working with a group of ‘hard to reach’ teenagers (aged 16-18 years) around ideas about art, identity, and the past and future aspirations. A better understanding of what young people in MK want. A new and developing relationship with 3 young people in MK. Each of the participants went away with at least one item of clothing which they customised themselves using an air-brush, looking at their past on the back and their future aspirations on the front. They each received one on one time with both artists. Footage taken in the workshops was made into a DVD which all participants received a copy of.
Inside Outside North West Disability Arts Forum in partnership with Tate Liverpool Liverpool Researching the requirements of young disabled and deaf people in attending the Tate’s young people’s programme. The project employed Young Tate Leaders as peer mentors to support the project participants.
Wordz Out Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery en-vision research question: How can galleries embed a youth friendly culture and expertise through the practice of the whole organisation? The project explored with young people what barriers and issues young African Caribbean people experience living in Nottingham, through photography, exhibition, film and storytelling, culminating in a series of 7 films revealing the diversity of Black talent, experiences and achievements in Nottingham.
Every Drawing Matters Orleans House Gallery Richmond, Surrey Young people from a range of youth support settings, including young parents and young people looked after, worked with the theme of Every Child Matters to create, curate and install a touring exhibition to feed into and celebrate the launch of Richmond Borough Council’s Children and Young People’s Plan.
envision @ OUTPOST OUTPOST Gallery, Norwich Young people from the NR5 Project who have been identified as ‘at risk of exclusion from school ‘ took part in a series of visual arts workshops, which were directly linked to the exhibition programme at Outpost Gallery in Norwich. The project was managed and delivered by Fruitful Arts.
Art Ambassadors ProjectBase Kerrier and Restormel districts, Cornwall The project worked with young people through formal education and detached youth workers in rural Cornwall to discuss arts provision in their area and the idea of developing an arts ambassadors scheme, enabling young people to help plan future initiatives from the very beginning.
ProjectBase art ambassadors ProjectBase ProjectBase, in partnership with The Equality and Diversity Service and The Exchange, worked with Poltair School to create opportunity for an open dialogue with young people. The group of ten young people consisted of seven English as additional language (EAL) students and three English first language (EFL) students. These young people participated in a dialogue that took many different forms and facilitated the sharing of ideas, thoughts, views and opinions about the contemporary visual arts through youth-led processes.
Art Ambassadors ProjectBase ProjectBase, in partnership with Cornwall Detached Youth Service and Tate St Ives, worked with young people in Kerrier District to create opportunity for an open dialogue. The project initially invited fourteen young people, who had previously participated in the Art Ambassador action research pilot, to join this project. Eight of these young people accepted this opportunity, the rest of the group was formed by young people who had not previously worked with ProjectBase. These young people participated in a dialogue that took many different forms and facilitated the sharing of ideas, thoughts, views and opinions about the contemporary visual arts through youth-led processes.
SPARKS Q Arts Derby The project tested creative approaches to consultation with young people through visual arts activities. This pilot was designed to influence and inform the future practice of the Exhibition Team at Q, and to inform young people’s future involvement in a major new build arts and media centre in Derby.
MediaMaker Qube, Oswestry en-vision research question: To identify the role that involvement with Qube can have on the lives of rurally isolated young people, and those who are marginalized. proposal: A collaboration with young people attending a Pupil Referral Unit, to inform the development of a new youth strategy for Qube.
Young Vision Scarborough Art Gallery Artists Rachel Welford and Rachel Howfield-Massey worked with a group of 11 young people aged 14 -18, over three days, to make a series of artworks for display in amongst displays from the permanent collection at Scarborough Art Gallery. The young people were asked to think about where they felt more or less comfortable in the gallery, and make artwork about this. Over the three days, their experiences were informed by meetings with the Curator of Art, Lara Goodband, and Assistant Curator of Art, Claire Longrigg.
X-Panel Spacex Gallery Exeter A group of young people were handed control of organising an exhibition at the Gallery. The group selected artists, curated, marketed and devised audience development events for their own exhibition.
Connect 4 The Royal Pump Rooms, Leamington Spa en-vision research question: How can galleries overcome barriers to participation and build long term relationships within rural networks? project proposal: Connect 4 set out to develop a sustainable relationship between the art gallery & museum and rurally excluded young people (14-21yrs). The project introduced the young people to the gallery and supported them in curating their own mobile touring show and designing and maintaining the 'subcultures' website for their peers.
The Study Gallery - envision project The Study Gallery A workshop programme ran from mid April to the end of May attended by a group of nine participants, recruited from a local school. The content of each workshop session was informed by the wishes of the participants as much as practically possible, with the initial objectives of the gallery providing a framework. The programme consisted mainly of practical 'hands on' sessions using both traditional and new media.
Thelma Hulbert Gallery - envision project Thelma Hulbert Gallery Young people were recruited to form a panel who could advise staff on the best way of increasing youth participation in the gallery. Through three meetings at the gallery and a trip to the Tate Britain, creative ways were used to find out what could be done to attract more young people to the Thelma Hulbert Gallery.
Young Participants as Consultants Zion Arts envision research question: Why don’t young people visit galleries? The youth arts centre wanted to attract young people to become involved in participatory visual arts, and work alongside resident visual artists to curate exhibitions and develop use of Zion's galleries