Age UK Camden X National Portrait Gallery

Over the last few months, our wonderful friends at The National Portrait Gallery have been kindly hosting creative sessions for older members of the community. Through these sessions, members have been immersing themselves in workshops, learning about different artistic mediums, and visiting the gallery's exhibitions too.

Our community members have thoroughly enjoyed the gallery visits and creativity these unlock, which provide the opportunity for conversational exchanges about art, artists, creative techniques and the context of artists’ lives and work. The sessions are facilitated in an inclusive, stimulating manner and encourage everyone to share their thoughts, feelings, exchange ideas and experiences about art, and their lives in general. They have explored clay, ceramic painting, pastel and charcoal drawing, block printing, drawing with a live model, and collage.

Attendees tell us that this project has deepened their understanding of art and artists, developed their creative skills, and has provided them with a platform to show case their creative abilities. Not only that, but they tell us that the monthly meet ups have enabled them to develop and sustain friendships. The sessions have not only helped older people in Camden to explore their creative side, but they have helped to promote wellbeing, reduce isolation, tackle loneliness, and create fulfilling opportunities.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone at the National Portrait Gallery for the fantastic work they’re doing to make this such a profoundly valuable and meaningful project for our older community, and for supporting our work here at Age UK Camden. Your passion and love for the arts and nurturing communities has been so clear throughout. So much so that our members were enlisted to be part of a creative assessment when the National Portrait Gallery was nominated for Art Fund_ Museum of the Year 2024!

We’re delighted to share that due to the success of the sessions, the National Portrait Gallery will be recommencing the workshops in January 2025 – we can’t wait to see everyone continue to get stuck in and unlock their creative side. We also have more exciting news to share in the coming weeks off the back of this project, so watch this space…