Diverse and Inclusive Programming for all ages at the RWA

The RWA is known as being an Art Gallery but it is so much more! It’s also a hub for community engagement, offering a range of free activities tailored for individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. From mums and babies to older adults, the RWA is committed to fostering inclusivity and creativity within the local community. These activities take place both on-site and at other venues across Bristol. 

Diverse and Inclusive Programming for All Ages

The RWA's extensive events programme invites individuals from all walks of life to take part in the enriching experience of making art.

The Family Room

This purpose-built space is free to use and suitable for families of all ages, you'll find an array of drawing materials, giant interactive artwork, dressing-up options, puzzles, a chill-out zone with books, a brand new building-block wall and even a puppet theatre for you to create your own shows.

Baby Tours

For parents with babies (12 months and under), the Baby Tour offers a relaxed and informal space to explore artworks in our spring season of exhibitions: Paule Vézelay: Living Lines and Paper Works: RWA Biennial Open 2025. This free experience is designed to be pressure-free, allowing parents to enjoy the gallery and share the space with others without worries about noise.

• 30 January, 11-12.30pm
• 27 February, 11-12.30pm
• 20 March, 11-12.30pm
• 24 April, 11-12.30pm

Holiday Activities

Art Skills is a series of ticketed workshops designed for budding young artists and are held in the RWA Studio during school holidays. This is an opportunity for young art enthusiasts to work with established artists to learn new skills and techniques that they can try again at home.

• Art Skills 7-11s – Collage Painting with Elena Hayward – 17 February, 2-4pm
• Art Skills 7-11s – Easter Clay Sculptures with Charlotte Stowell – 7 April, 2-4pm

Early Years days are drop-in sessions specifically aimed at 2-4 year olds and take place in the RWA Family Room. Materials are provided for very young artists to get stuck into a morning or afternoon of fun activities. These sessions are FREE but booking is required.

• Spring Term – 18 February, 10-12.30pm

For parents with children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEN+D), we have Happy Families on Monday mornings when the galleries are shut to the public. Families can enjoy sensory, explorative workshops with gentle guidance from a facilitator in a quiet, calm space. These take place once each school holiday. These sessions are FREE but booking is required.

• 17 February, 10-12pm
• 7 April, 10-12pm
• 26 May, 10-12pm
• 28 July, 10-12pm

BSL Family Workshops are a new activity at the RWA this year, inviting families with children to enjoy  free artmaking activities together in our Main Galleries. Led in BSL by Emily Rose Corby, a Deaf artist, and supported by a translator, this workshop is accessible for families who use British Sign Language at home as well as hearing families.

• 19 April, 11-1pm

Art for Every Age and Ability

In addition to family-oriented activities, the RWA offers tailored experiences for older individuals and those with specific needs.

Our Gold Award-winning Tuesday Teatime Tours are for people living with dementia and their companions, providing a space for reminiscence and creative conversation, followed by tea together. The RWA will be exhibiting works by participants in a new exhibition for this spring, More Than Memory: dementia, art and caring for loved ones.

New visitors are welcome to join Tuesday Teatime Tours but must book in advance.

• 28 January, 2-4pm
• 25 February, 2-4pm
• 18 March, 2-4pm
• 22 April, 2-4pm

For blind or partially sighted adults, the Described Tour not only allows for a tactile exploration of the exhibition, but also provides an art history context for specific artworks in the exhibition via experienced facilitators.

• 1 March, 10.30-12pm

Our British Sign Language (BSL) Tours are led by experienced facilitators from Our Visual World, a network for Deaf artists in Wales. The spring tour, led by Heather Williams, offers a Deaf perspective on each of our exhibitions ensuring accessibility for the Deaf community.

• 22 March – 1.30 - 3.30pm

Bringing art into the community

Scribble and Sketch

Our Scribble and Sketch sessions provide an opportunity for free family art workshops at various locations across the city on Saturday mornings. With no pre-booking required, these sessions are designed for children and grown-ups to participate together, emphasising the importance of shared creative moments and to provide access to materials for families seeking support to create and share art experiences. We have some exciting new venues for 2025, broadening the access to free art-making workshops for those who perhaps couldn’t reach us before.

• S&S at Hartcliffe City Farm with artist Seekan Hui – 1^st Saturday of every month, 10:30-12:30pm
• S&S at the Studio, Windmill Hill City Farm with artist Vicky Willmott– 3^rd Saturday of every month, 10:30-12:30pm
• S&S at Community Corner, Greenway Centre Café, Southmead with artist Abbi Bayliss – 4th Saturday of every month, 10:30-12:30pm

Inclusivity through the Arts

The RWA champions inclusivity through exhibition projects such as New Black Narrative and Young Curators work experience week. These exhibitions showcase the artwork and curatorial talents of diverse groups of participants, including artists from Black Bristol Creatives and young people with barriers to learning, emphasizing that everyone has a place in institutions such as the RWA and can contribute to and enjoy the world of art.

Get Involved at RWA

The RWA is working hard to break down barriers to break down barriers and welcomes everyone to join us in creating or looking at art. Visit our website rwa.org.uk for a full list of upcoming events and activities or reach out to our Learning and Participation team: Helen.jacobs@rwa.org.uk and connie.ngan@rwa.org.uk for more information.