The Art Room is a charity aimed at 5 - 16 year olds who are experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. There are currently nine Art Rooms in schools in Oxfordshire, London and Edinburgh offering art as therapy to increase children’s self-esteem, self-confidence and independence.
Grayson Perry outlines his support of The Art Room in his 4th and last Reith Lecture on the5th November 2013 Below is an extract taken directly from Grayson’s lecture – to view the full transcript visit:
"....I loved The Art Room because it seemed to formalise my own take on
the relationship of therapy and art. And it’s a very pragmatic thing as
well. You know they didn’t necessarily do the sort of typical things you
do where you just do a painting that ends up being tacked to the fridge
at home, you know or maybe lost. They gave them things like they would
get some old furniture and get them to decorate it and then take that
home, or a lampshade. And of course these children often come from
houses where there might not be much furniture - so that idea of
presenting the family with this object that you’ve made and the pride
and the kind of feeling that they’ve changed the world a little bit, I
think that’s a very powerful thing." Grayson Perry
