As an organisation with more than eight years' experience of working with the arts to promote social inclusion, Escape Artists is recognised by both national and international bodies as an expert in its field.

As a result, we are involved in a variety of research projects across the UK and Europe which will help to broaden understanding and develop best practice in this diverse and growing sector.

Similarly, organisations value Escape Artists for the the consultancy services we are able to provide in areas such as project development and management, evaluation, using the arts as a vehicle for training and development and much more.

If you are interested in finding out more about our research and consultancy, please get in touch.

Some links to research that hasn't been undertaken by Escape Artists is available in Papers and Reports in the links section.

The Anne Peaker Centre recently commissioned Escape Artists to update their Directory of Arts Activities in Prisons and the Community and to put it online. The Directory is now accessible through the centre’s website and includes easy-to-use search facilities.

Additionally, we were also commissioned to create Joining the Dots - a website dedicated to arts organisations and artists working in the field of crime prevention. The website features a searchable database and examples of good practice in the field. It is a resource for anyone involved in the sector, including local authorities, Probation Services and Youth Offending Teams.

To get involved, either to update your details and/or advertise your work in the directory please take a few minutes to fill in the appropriate questionnaire by following the links below:

For Arts Organisations

For Artists

If you fill in either of the above questionnaires, you might also like to take advantage of the opportunity to advertise your work on the Joining the Dots website. To take advantage of this opportunity, please fill in a second questionnaire by following this link. This will help the Anne Peaker Centre to gather in-depth information on arts projects in the sector.

The Joining the Dots questionnaire and website have been produced by the:

financially supported by
          

The Monument Trust

In 2005 Escape Artists was commissioned by The Anne Peaker Centre to create Arts on the Out, the first website dedicated to providing information to ex-offenders wanting to get involved in the arts. The site offers advice on:

• How to access arts activities in the community
• Training and employment in the arts
• Financial support and funding
• Useful links to support agencies and arts organisation

Designed to be user friendly and fun, the website also features video and interviews of ex-prisoners now working as successful artists and willing to share their experience.

If you are an artist or organisation working with ex-prisoners who would like to be mentioned/linked to Arts on the Out, please contact info@apcentre.org.uk.

If you are an ex-offender working in the arts and would like to feature in the interview section, please contact info@apcentre.org.uk

Arts on the Out has been produced by the:

financially supported by
          

The Monument Trust

As part of a two-year project funded by the European Union's Socrates Programme Escape Artists is helping to research and analyse the experiences and practices of prison theatre throughout Europe and to look at its role as a tool for rehabilitation and education.

Involving many theatre companies from across Europe, including Carte Blanche (Italy),Teatre de Opprime (France), Rikstearten (Sweden) and Aufbruch (Germany), the project will help to promote the use of theatre within European criminal justice systems and the development of new qualifications for both prisoners and arts practitioners.

Visit the project website

View the UK research findings
'Barred Voices'
with an introduction
by
Phil Wheatley
Director General
of the
Prison Service

Full size images of an article from La Repubblica and the launch flyer are available by clicking on the thumbnail images below.

PRISON THEATRE RESEARCH – SOCRATES PROJECT, UK

Theatre practitioners, researchers, ex-prisoners, prison officers, students….

Have you taken part in prison theatre in the UK? Have you facilitated theatre in prisons? Have you done research relating to the arts and prisons? Do you know about the history of theatre in prison? Have you been involved in theatre in prisons in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, now? Are you interested in discussing your work, in sharing information and ideas?

If the answer is yes to any of the above, please get in touch with Kiare at Escape Artists. She would be delighted to hear from you.

On behalf of the PLUS Strategy Team Escape Artists carried out an audit of the facilities and resources available for delivery of arts activities and creative projects to young people in Secure Establishments.

The objectives of the audit were to:

• Ascertain the usage and appropriateness of spaces available in Secure Establishments
• Establish available resources and intended future developments of such resources

As part of this audit Escape Artists visited sixteen Secure Establishments throughout England and delivered its findings to the PLUS Strategy Team in March 2005.

PLUS aims to improve the literacy and numeracy skills of children and young people, up to the age of 18, who have offended or at risk of offending. By improving these skills, PLUS addresses one of the key risk factors associated with offending - that of low educational attainment.

PLUS is part of the Department for Education and Skills' (DfES), Skills for Life strategy, and is funded jointly by DfES, the Youth Justice Board and Arts Council England.

In 2003 The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust commissioned Escape Artists to map current activity in arts and mental health in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Claire Pamment undertook the initial stages of this project in May 2003 and identified the relevant organisations working in the mental health field. Lindsey Cox took over this project in July 2003 and researched arts organisations and individual artists working within this field. The research gives a snapshot of all of the work being done within the area of arts and mental health in this geographical area in the summer of 2003. It does not include work being done by trained arts therapists but rather concentrates on professional artists who have chosen to work within the community.

You can download a PDF (230kb) version of the findings here.